Maintaining the passion

How can staff, advocates and board members maintain their passion for citizen advocacy? What inhibits passion?

The questions above were circulated to board contacts in the Citizen Advocacy Network in 2002. As well, they were the theme of a session at the Weekend in Woombye in June. The following responses were received.

Ideas raised in a session at the Weekend in Woombye, 21-23 June 2002

Positives: what helps maintain passion

1. Identification with people with disability

• understanding protege needs
• knowing about ongoing relationships
• seeing good results
• hearing stories
• believing in people

2. Personal relationships within the movement

• friendships
• interactions
• outings
• shared vision
• others' commitment

3. Outrage at social injustice (life conditions of vulnerable people)

4. Learning and evaluations

• training
• CAPE
• renewal events
• self-assessments
• internal relationship reviews

5. Self-respect

• doing the right thing
• being a valued member of committee/community

Negatives: what inhibits passion

1. Personal

• shortage of time; other commitments
• personal circumstances, health

2. The programme's work

• distrust, control, suspicion
• undermining of advocates, proteges, movement

3. The wider society

• some people give up
• there is no end to people needing help

Response from Illawarra Citizen Advocacy

The following points were raised at our May board meeting.

Beliefs and awareness

• Believing in the value of all people.
• Believing that people will come forward as advocates.
• Having a belief in the value of relationships (of all sorts).
• Keeping informed about CA matters (including other programmes).
• Never losing sight of vulnerable people and wounding: hear the stories and keep going.
• Recognising that we can only achieve a little.

Involvement

• Attending SRV, PASSING, CAPEs, gatherings or joining the coordinator in a day's work.
• Being involved regularly (as an advocate or board member, coming to the office, playing a role).
• Being part of a movement with people having similar values.
• Building activities into your life as an integral part rather than an add-on.
• Focussing on the process (activities, meetings, people), not outcomes
• Having a relationship with someone who's devalued (not necessarily due to intellectual disability).
• Making only a sustainable commitment.

Seeing results

• Being inspired by proteges surviving difficult lives.
• Helping make changes in a protege's life and seeing the benefit.
• Learning from experience, including reflecting on failures.
• Meeting proteges, seeing how they live
• Seeing proteges believe in themselves and start to like themselves.
• Seeing the difference that advocates have made.

Response from Maurice Maneschi, Chairperson, Citizen Advocacy City West

Telling a protege's story and some of the advocacy outcomes. Coming from a business background, it is easy to take a lot and forget your privileged status. The work of CA is grounding. It is an opportunity to be involved.

It brings balance to a lifestyle.

Passion is maintained out of doing my own advocacy. The board work is an opportunity to support more of it. It is great to be able to talk to others about the CA work. Seeing the corporate image of the CA office. Our printed material looks great and I get a buzz out of keeping it that way. When meeting a protege for whom a crisis had developed, when I walked into the room "she saw me and started crying". In CA, we keep seeing that one person can make a difference. From talking to the people on the phone. It is brilliant to see how they change. Being there - where things happen.