JA-STYLE

Advocacy
Toolkit
July 2007

JA-STYLE, or Jamaica’s Solution to Youth Lifestyle and

Empowerment, is a technical assistance programme to
support the Government of Jamaica’s Ministry of Health.
JA-STYLE is managed by University Research Co., LLC (URC)
in collaboration with Advocates for Youth, Health Strategies
International, LLC (HSI) and Population Media Center. The
programme is funded by the United States Agency for
International Development (USAID), under contract
No. 532-C-00-05-00029-00.

DISCLAIMER
The authors’ views expressed in this publication do
not necessarily reflect the views of the United States
Agency for International Development or the United
States Government.
Contents

Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v Step 4: Forming Goals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Background to JA-STYLE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v Step 5: Forming Objectives. . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Overview of the Advocacy Toolkit . . . . . . vi Step 6: Target Audience. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Step 7: Resources Needed
Section 1: for Advocacy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Introduction to Advocacy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Step 8: Responding to Opposition . . . . . . 15
What Is Advocacy? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Sources of Opposition . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Approaches to Advocacy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Dealing with Opposition
Levels of Advocacy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 and Criticism. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Who Can Be an Advocate?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 The BE-attitudes for Advocacy . . . . . . . . . . 17
Why Be an Advocate?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Section 3:
Opportunities for Advocacy
Building Networks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
in Jamaica. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
How to Establish a Network. . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
The Roles of an Advocate. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Guidelines for Effective Networks. . . . . . . 22
Section 2: Challenges to Building Networks . . . . . . . 23
Preparing for Advocacy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Step 1: Self-Evaluation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Section 4:
Advocacy in Action. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Step 2: What Issues Should I Focus On?. . 8
What Is Advocacy in Action?. . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Direct Observation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Essential Advocacy Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Transect Walk. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Educational and Promotional
Fishbone Diagram . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Materials and Publications . . . . . . . . . 26
Problem Ranking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Briefing Note and Position Paper. . . 27
Tree Diagram. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Communicating with the Media. . . . 29
Step 3: Researching the Issue. . . . . . . . . . . 10
Press Release . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Preparing for an Interview. . . . . . . . . . 32

ii JA-STYLE
 Conducting Peaceful Public The National Policy for HIV/AIDS
Demonstrations and Marches. . . . . . 34 Management in Schools, Adopted
by the Ministry of Education and
Edutainment: Using Drama
Youth (2001) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
to Advocate. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Policy for the Management of
Candle Light Vigil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Substance Abuse in the
Balloon Parade. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Education System. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
An Effigy Parade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Convention on the Elimination of All
Forms of Discrimination against
Crack and Peel Stickers . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Women (CEDAW) Adopted by the UN
Documented Response. . . . . . . . . . . . 40 General Assembly in December 1979;
Signed by Jamaica in July 1980 and
Advo-Party or Session. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Ratified in October 1984. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Advocating through Sports . . . . . . . . 42
Convention on the Rights of the
Internet Advocacy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Child (CRC), Ratified by Jamaica
in May 1991 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
When to Use Advocacy Tools . . . . . . . . . . . 44
International Conference on
Apply the Advocacy Tree Test. . . . . . 44
Population and Development
(ICPD), 1994. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Appendix:
Institutional & Legislative Policy The UN Standard Minimum Rules for
the Administration of Juvenile Justice
Frameworks for Jamaican Youth . . . . . . . . . . 45
(the Beijing Rules). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
The National Youth Policy (2004). . . . . . . . 46
The International Covenant on Civil
The Child Care and Protection and Political Rights (ICCPR), Signed by
Act (2004). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Jamaica in 1966 and Ratified in 1975. . . . 61
The Education Act (1980). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 The International Covenant on
Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
The Policy Guidelines for Health
(ICESCR), Ratified by Jamaica in 1975. . . . 62
Professionals Providing Contraceptives
to Persons under 16 Years, Adopted The Millennium Development Goals
by the Ministry of Health (2004). . . . . . . . 51 (MDGs), Adopted by the UN General
Assembly in 2000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

Advocacy Toolkit iii

 Acknowledgements

This publication is possible only because of the support and contribution

of committed individuals and organisations. USAID’s JA-STYLE project
would like to sincerely acknowledge the contribution of the many young
Jamaicans that provided input into this toolkit, in particular Andrew Francis,
Diego Morris, Joel Richards, Keesha Effs, the Youth Advisory Board (Chaired
by Kamar Brown), and the Jamaica Youth Advocacy Network. We are grateful
for design and layout of this manual from University Research Co., LLC and
the financial support of US Agency for International Development (USAID)
Jamaica Mission.

iv JA-STYLE
Introduction
T
he adolescents and youth of Jamaica
are capable of making greater
contribution to nation building through
increased participation in the policy
decision-making processes of our country.
The drive to create a more democratic
and participatory society has opened the
door for increased opportunities for youth
participation. Though more opportunities
are being created for youth participation in
community and national life, as young people
we are sometimes not as equipped as we
could be to advocate on the behalf of our
fellow youth. Increasingly, more organisations
and institutions are seeing us as legitimate
stakeholders in our own right. However, in
some fora we are included primarily because
to do otherwise may be deemed politically
incorrect; we must make the best use of all
these opportunities, whether we are brought
to the table for a show or as equal partners
in the process; we must ‘rise to the occasion’,
because our actions or inactions could have
long-lasting effects.
This toolkit was prepared by youth advocates,
for youth advocates. The main purpose behind
this youth-led document was to break the
cycle of ineffective youth advocacy in Jamaica.
We hope that through the this toolkit and its
companion training manual, we will equip
youth leaders and youth advocates with
advocacy skills that will place them on par
with other stakeholders in decision-making
processes. We hope this toolkit will empower
adolescents and youth to become more
proactive in demanding that their voices be
heard. Our desire is that youth advocates
who are called to serve will become better,
stronger, more strategic advocates, respected
as equal stakeholders in policy decision-
making environments.
Background to
JA-STYLE
JA-STYLE is a project funded by the U.S.
Agency for International Development
(USAID) in collaboration with the Government
of Jamaica’s Ministry of Health (MOH).
JA-STYLE works island-wide to improve
the healthy lifestyles of young people by
addressing issues of reproductive health and
HIV/AIDS, as well as violence prevention and
substance abuse. The project’s main goals are
to expand access to youth-friendly services
and provide healthy lifestyles information,
strengthen non-governmental organisations’
ability to offer healthy lifestyles activities,
increase the community’s support to youth
and adolescents, and support policies
favouring young people. We also would
like to improve the knowledge, attitudes,
and skills of adolescents and caregivers of
adolescents related to healthy lifestyle and
appropriate sexual behaviour. To embrace
Advocacy Toolkit 
the spirit, essence, tenacity and resilience
of adolescents, JA-STYLE works alongside
parents, teachers, church leaders and other
partners. These partnerships are built to
enhance opportunities for young people to
establish their own identities, to build self-
discipline, to overcome challenges and to
attain a successful and healthy life.
Overview of the
Advocacy Toolkit
T
his advocacy toolkit and its companion
training manual were designed to
strengthen the youth advocacy framework in
Jamaica through a comprehensive strategy
that involves advocacy training and the
establishment of advocacy networks. This
toolkit is a handbook for youth who work
to improve adolescent sexual reproductive
health and the attending social issues that
impact sexual decision making. Issues such
as crime and violence, substance abuse, poor
parenting, lack of proper education, violation
of children and youth rights and poverty. This
toolkit is for youth organisations or youth
advocates working with and for young people.
It can be used as a tool to:
 Initiate advocacy-related actions at the
local and national level;
 Prioritise and focus the youth advocacy
agenda among young people;
 Assess the success or failures of other
programmes geared at young people in
Jamaica;
vi JA-STYLE
 Assess the level of participation of young
people in policy development and
implementation in Jamaica;
 Carry out training sessions and workshops
targeted towards improving the level and
skills of youth advocates;
 Promote school programmes that build
youth advocacy capacity.
This toolkit is designed to be youth centred
and youth friendly. The chapters will define
what youth advocacy is all about, the different
approaches, the different levels and the variety
of advocacy tools that may be employed for
effective advocacy work.
The document should encourage youth-led
research, as well as increase youth awareness
of national and international issues. The
toolkit should assist new youth advocates by
identifying opportunities for action.
Section 1 provides a simple, practical
introduction to advocacy; Section 2 focuses
on how young people should prepare for
effective advocacy work; Section 3 provides
the steps in building and maintaining youth
advocacy networks; Section 4 provides a
variety of advocacy tools and strategies for
action; and the Appendix has summaries of
some of the main international conventions
and national laws that affect youth.
Some youth advocates may want to focus on
specific sections that are more important to
their work, based on their experience and their
responsibility. Youth advocates interested in
exploring issues and finding out details may
want to focus on the section about youth
research and investigations, while youth
advocates interested in bringing people
together may want to focus on building and
maintaining networks for actions, still others
may be interested in advocacy action; while all
these areas are inter-related, there is room for
specialisation where the need arises.
Each section provides WAD UPs!!! Did you
know? features to provide basic facts every
youth advocate should know about the issues.
We hope that you will find this toolkit
informative and useful and a good resource
for your organisation.
While you focus on the information and the
facts, we hope you will also find within these
pages a desire and a spirit for youth advocacy
that will become action. The underlying
principles of this toolkit are:
 Any adolescent or youth can be an
advocate; all that is needed is to be actively
committed and adequately informed about
the issue of interest;
 Gathering all available information on an
issue is important in effective advocacy;
 Building and maintaining advocacy
networks is one of the basic building blocks
for effective advocacy;
 Advocacy is an ACTION word. Advocacy
research and planning must end with
targeted action and evaluation.
Advocacy Toolkit vii
viii JA-STYLE
 troduc tion SECTION 1
In to Advocac y

Learning Objectives
At the end of the section you will be able to:

 Define advocacy

 Determine why advocacy is necessary

 Know the different types of approaches to

advocacy

 Identify the different levels of advocacy

 Identify who can be an advocate

 Understand the role of an advocate

 Identify the existing opportunities for

advocacy

What Is Advocacy? parlance is therefore ‘raising cane’ or speaking

out on issues of concern with the goal of

A
dvocacy has many meanings. This is
so because advocacy takes numerous
shapes and forms. A general definition,
however, could be a process of trying to affect
change in policies, practices, attitudes, beliefs
or actions by influencing powerful people
and/or organisations.1 Advocacy in Jamaican
affecting change. If you are an advocate, you
represent the cause or interest of another.
Advocacy can take many forms, such as
sitting down and talking to your Member
of Parliament (MP), engaging in efforts to
bring about a change in a specific law or
encouraging your neighbour to use a condom.

Making Commitments Matter: A Toolkit for Young People to Evaluate National Youth Policy, April 2004,
1

United Nations, Department of Economics and Social Affairs,

http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unyin/untoolkit.htm
Advocacy Toolkit 
The National Youth Policy of Jamaica (2004)  Taking action;
defines advocacy as soliciting support for a
 Promoting a specific message or course of
particular cause as well as trying to convince
action;
other people because you are convinced
yourself.  Influencing key decision makers and
opinion formers;
Advocacy involves a lot more and also
 Representing, defending or recommending
includes the following:
an idea before other people;
 Educating about an issue and suggesting
 Arguing in favour of something;
solutions;
 Calling for change;
 Being persuasive;
 Showing how to do things in a better way.
 Asking why;

Here is what
some young
people had ‘Advocacy is the
to say about expression of views for a
advocacy: specific cause or idea.’
Tamian Beckford, age 18: President
of the National Secondary Students
Council, Jamaica

‘Advocacy is about
voicing concerns on a
‘Defending your
group or individual’s behalf.’
or someone else’s views
Mario Mitchell, age 24: President
on an issue.’ of the National Youth
Zuleika Jess, age 18: Student, Council, Jamaica
The University of the West
Indies (Mona)

 JA-STYLE
 p!!! Z ‘Speaking’ out can be in the form of song, dance,

-u edutainment (drama), writing a newspaper article,

Wad ou participating in a demonstration or taking part in a
Y
Did
discussion.

n ow? Z Policies are not restricted to government but also include

K church, community, club or school.

? Z You can be an advocate for both yourself and others.

When advocating for others, make sure that they give you
permission to do so and that you involve them.

Advocacy is: Advocacy is not:

 About empowering people;  A publicity stunt for your personal gain;

 Working with everyone to create  Mere aggression against administration or

a better environment for others; authority;

 About collaboration;  Just about confrontation or demonstrations;

 Getting the truth out responsibly.  Distorting the facts to suit your cause or agenda.

Approaches to Advocacy
T


here are several approaches to
advocacy. As youth advocates, we need
to be aware of the different approaches for
to work in bringing about change based on
our own experience. For example, if a member
of your family were killed in a road accident
advocacy to be effective. We must be flexible because he or she was not wearing a seatbelt,
enough to adapt to these approaches as we then you might become one of the most
may find that no one approach is better than passionate campaigners for road safety. This is
the other. reactive advocacy.

Sometimes the most passionate advocates On the other hand, there are times when we
are those persons who are directly affected are not directly affected by a situation, but
by a situation. In this case, we feel compelled may perceive it as a threat in the future. In this

Advocacy Toolkit 
instance, we can start creating an environment
that will help to minimise or prevent the
impact of the pending situation. In 2003, for
example, student leaders at the University of
the West Indies advocated against the pending
liberalisation of education which was not yet
in effect, but was seen as a future threat. This is
proactive advocacy.
Levels of Advocacy
A
dvocacy takes place at many levels
and varies according to the problems to
be addressed and the individuals and groups
involved. The different levels of advocacy
include:
Individual: Sometimes we are called upon to
make decisions based on how we feel about
a particular issue or organisation. Voting is an
individual act of advocacy (whether at school,
in a group or at the local government or
national level) as is everyday decision making.
Family: Some of the issues at this level include
the role of women who stay at home, work
or go to school; the rights of children; how
resources are distributed; children who work;
parenting and the impact of female-headed
households.
Community: At the community level,
issues for advocacy include the role of faith-
based organisations, community-based
organisations, community leaders; community
safety and security and community
beautification.
 JA-STYLE
Local Government: Issues for advocacy at
this level include cleaning and maintenance
of drains, disaster preparedness, road
maintenance and garbage disposal.
National: At the national level, civil and
political rights, employment opportunities,
crime and violence, substance abuse, teenage
pregnancy, gang violence, education and
health are key advocacy issues.
Regional: Regional integration and the
CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME),
the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), HIV/AIDS,
sports and culture are important advocacy
issues at this level.
International: At the international level,
environmental degradation, pollution, debt,
war, terrorism, racism, human trafficking,
globalisation, trade and official development
assistance are important advocacy concerns.
You will notice that issues and concerns
and ultimately decisions made at each of
these levels affect people at the other levels.
Therefore, advocacy tools used to bring about
change must address each level to ensure
lasting change. International debt, according
to Tearfund Roots Resources, means that
national governments have little money to
spend on healthcare and education. Therefore,
advocacy work aimed at the national level
will not bring about much change unless
work is also done at the international level.
Furthermore, people in communities and the
family also suffer or benefit from the decisions
 p!!!
Why Be an Advocate?
d -u
Wa
D id You Z An
international P


articipation is a right for all youth!
Every policy (written or unwritten) or

n ow? policy enacted piece of legislation enacted at the community,

K 1 million miles national, regional or international level

?
away still impacts you and other young people. It is,
affects you? therefore, important for you and other young
people to be involved at all levels of decision-
making to ensure that any policy, programme
or law put into action is relevant to your
situation. After all, you know what works and
made at other levels such as at the individual,
what does not.
regional or international level.

Who Can Be an Opportunities for

Advocate? Advocacy in Jamaica

A
nyone can be an advocate, whether
in or out of school, from a village or
T


here are numerous opportunities for
young people to express their views and
advocate for issues pertaining to community
a large town, rich or poor. All you need is to
and national development. A number of these
be actively committed to and adequately
areas were already identified under Levels of
informed about the issue. Very often, we
Advocacy, however, the Jamaican society is
tend to see politicians, policy makers or other
currently undergoing a number of challenges
persons in authority as the only ones who can
which are opportunities for young people
engage in advocacy. Young people also often
believe that they lack the training or funding
to engage in advocacy. However, young
people can and should be advocates. In fact, OPENING THE DOOR
TO ADVOCACY!
young people are often the most outspoken
and convincing advocates for better Advocacy involves
unlocking, opening
programmes and policies affecting them.
and walking through
the door, or in some
cases knowing when
to redirect efforts to
finding another door!

Advocacy Toolkit 
 -u p!!!
Wad ou Z More than half (52%) of all reported AIDS cases in Jamaica
Y
Did
are in the 20-39 year old age group.

n ow? Z Adolescents between 10 & 19 (mainly males) account for

K 26% of the total visits to the Accident & Emergency Unit

?
for all hospitals in Jamaica for injuries such as stab wounds,
gun shot wounds, blunt injury and intentional wounds.

to make their voices heard. Some of these
include, but are not limited to rising crime
and violence (in recent times, several children
have been the targets for rape and murder);
drug abuse; gang warfare; poverty; juvenile
delinquency and HIV/AIDS. These are issues
that young people must address and must
also demand that the necessary policies,
programmes and legislation be put in place by
and the appointment of young persons to
major national task forces and commissions.
Recently, young people have served as mayors
and parish councillors for a day.
The Roles of an
Advocate

those in authority.
Opportunities for advocacy also include the
hosting of Children and Youth Parliaments
each year, the hosting of UN Model Assembly
A
dvocates take on varying roles
depending on what they hope to
achieve or the changes they want to affect.2
Here are some possible roles and associated
actions of advocates in the table below:

Role Action

Represent Speak for people

Accompany Speak with people

Empower Enable people to speak for themselves

Mediate Facilitate communication between people

Model Demonstrate the practice to people or policy makers

Negotiate Bargain for something

Network Build coalitions

2
Graham Gordon, Advocacy Toolkit: Understanding Advocacy, Tearfund, Teddington, UK, 2002.

 JA-STYLE
 eparing fo SECTION 2
Pr rA
d vocac y

Learning Objectives
At the end of the section you will be able to:

 Know the steps involved in preparing for

advocacy

 Have an idea of how you identify important

issues around you

 Know how to research the issue identified

 Be able to develop goals and ojectives for

you advocacy campaign

 Be able to identify your audience and

opposition
 Know some ways to deal with critiscism of
your advocacy work

S
o you want to be an advocate, how
do you go about becoming one?
Preparing for advocacy involves a series of
4. Develop goals

5. Develop specific objectives for your

advocacy work
steps. The steps are as follows:
6. Identify targets
1. Self-evaluation
7. Identify resources/partners
2. Issue or problem identification
8. Identify opponents
3. Analyse and research the issue/problem

Advocacy Toolkit 
Step 1: Self-Evaluation
S
elf-evaluation is to determine if you
have gained the relevant skills to
effectively advocate. What kind of person
am I? This is a question you must ask yourself
before you start advocating.
Am I:
 Objective?
 Able to exercise independent and good
judgment?
 Sensitive and understanding?
 Persistent and patient?
 Sufficiently knowledgeable?
 Assertive?
 Respectful of others and ethical?
These are some of the qualities that an
advocate should possess!
Step 2: What Issues
Should I Focus On?
I
t is very important to think critically
about an issue when preparing for
your advocacy work. This is not always easy,
irrespective of the approach to advocacy you
are employing (see section 1 - Approaches to
Advocacy).
 JA-STYLE
The first step is to gather all possible
information available on the topic within
which you feel the problem lies. This data
should help you identify gaps in knowledge,
services or policies. Here are some additional
tools that should help you to identify the
most important issues on which to focus your
advocacy effort:
Direct Observation
You may want to gain first-hand information
on an issue. To do so, you may need to visit
specific places and observe what is happening.
You would not participate in the activities, but
pay attention to behaviours, expressions and
emotions of the people. For example, to better
understand how young people are treated in
places of safety, you could visit and observe
how the authorities treat young people. If
you want to know how the pharmacists or
storeowners treat young people when they go
to buy condoms, you could visit these places
and observe the reactions.
Transect Walk
This is different from direct observation in
that you engage the young people on whose
behalf you will be advocating. You can also
physically observe an area with the aim of
identifying what the issues of that area or
persons living in that area are. The information
gathered is usually evaluated to determine
advocacy focus.
Fishbone Diagram
This is basically a brainstorming session on
a particular issue. Here you will look at and
discuss all the possible problems, gather
existing knowledge about the topic and group
into general categories.
Cause 2
sub-cause
sub-cause
Issue
sub-cause sub-cause
sub-cause sub-cause
Cause 1 Cause 3
How to proceed
Clearly describe the issue to be pursued;
for example, teenage pregnancy or youth
unemployment. Identify the major categories
or factors that contribute to the issue. This will
help you to organise the problem. Brainstorm
the problems that are associated with the
issue. Write these problems on the diagram
and connect them to the appropriate main
category. Each cause may have sub-causes
which you should show on the diagram.
Continue to ask “why” to get to the root cause.
Problem Ranking
Here you will investigate problems associated
with an issue and grade them in order of
importance.
How to proceed
Make a list of all the problems young people
might face within a general topic. Ask some
young persons to rank these on a scale of 1-5
with 5 being the highest and 1 the lowest.
Tally the final score and the problem or issue
with the highest total to identify the most
important issue or problem to the young
people who participated.
Tree Diagram
This tool allows you to approach issues of
importance to youth through the use of a tree
diagram.
How to proceed
Draw a skeleton of a tree. Place the issue at
the root of the tree. Ask why the issue exists
to find the first cause. Then ask why that
cause exists. Continue until you reach the root
cause. Some issues/causes may have more
than one cause, creating branches. This helps
you to diagrammatically represent the issues
surrounding a topic so you can decide which
cause to eliminate.
Why?
Why?
Why?
Why?
Issue
Advocacy Toolkit 
 Since parents, the press, law makers, business

-u p!!! people and teens will be interested in and/

Wad ou Z Some ways to or concerned with different aspects of the

Y
Did
get information problem at hand, ensure there is material on

w?
are watching the concerns of specific audiences.

Kno
the TV,
listening to the In analysing the current situation, these are

?
radio, reading some question you need to ask:
pamphlets
or direct a. What programmes or services exist in your
observation. community to develop or empower young
people?

b. How many persons do these programmes/

Step 3: Researching services reach?

the Issue c. Are these programmes productive?

d. Are these programmes accessible to all?

I
t is important to understand the
environment in which you will be doing
your advocacy work (see section 1 - Levels of
e. Do they meet the needs specified by the
project?

Advocacy). Additionally, building support
for a change or implementation of a policy
or programme requires putting forward
convincing arguments on why the programme
or policy is needed and what its effect will be.
In understanding the current situation you
should get first-hand information of what is
harming a particular group of people. Getting
this information sometimes requires going to
a library to research the issue or just asking
persons in your community what they think
about it. This allows you to get clear, complete
and accurate information from persons in the
target area on the services available (if any) to
them.
f. Does anyone, or any group, benefit from
the situation as it is?
g. Who do you need as supporters of the
programme?
h. What are their viewpoints on the issue?
i. What policy-making body will make the
required decisions?
j. What is the process this policy-making
body uses to make decisions?
k. Who is running in the upcoming elections?
l. How will their success affect the
programme change or implementation?

10 JA-STYLE
Table 1: Research Tools and Methods
Name of tool Purpose Additional notes
Semi-structured To provide a Also called conversational
interviews forum for one-to- interviews, this provides
one discussion an opportunity for self-
in a comfortable expression to people
atmosphere. who are shy or otherwise
resistant to opening up in
front of other people.
Desk review To gather existing This tool is very important
documented in getting background
information on the information on the
topic. topic, which can then be
reviewed.
Surveys To get responses to A survey is asking persons
a series of structured a series of questions in line
questions. with the issue or problem.
Surveys should be used
to complement some
other tool used to gather
information. It is very
important that in a survey
respondents are assured
that their responses will be
kept confidential.
Focus groups To openly discuss the These groups have
issues surrounding a members of similar
topic. characteristics, age
range, interests, etc. The
information collected from
a focus group discussion
provides input when
developing an advocacy
plan or assessing an
advocacy campaign’s
progress.
Procedure for use
Prepare a list of monitoring
questions. Determine the
groups by gender, age, social
groups, etc. Ask open-ended
questions that allow persons
to answer beyond yes or no.
Try to be flexible. New issues
might come up, make note
of these to be discussed later,
however, keep the discussion
on the original issue.
Collect all possible data
on topic, including what
you might deem irrelevant
or worthless. Review this
information deducing aspects
relevant to your issue.
Construct a series of
questions in line with the
topic of focus. Restrict the
possibilities for answers and
disseminate either in the
form of questionnaires or
semi-structured interview.
Surveying can be done at
town centres, markets, sports
events, or other places where
young people congregate.
Identify a central location
which is easily accessible by
all. Bring together 8-12 young
people to participate in
each focus group. Ask every
member a series of questions,
recording the responses.
Ensure you start with an
issue that will generate
much discussion and allow
participants to start thinking.
Advocacy Toolkit 11
Step 4: Forming Goals goal should also reflect a long-term vision and
should be attainable. For example, the goal

O
nce you have good understanding might be to improve adolescent reproductive
of the issue you want to focus health by increasing access to reproductive
your attention on, you must identify and health education and services.
rank the causes or problems identified. Each
An advocacy goal is crucial because it shows
problem should be assessed by creating a
how you plan to influence and produce
set of criteria. Add to the criteria you have
policies to improve the lives of young people.
identified using the tools in Step 3: Researching
The goal may help to identify the kinds of
the Issue, by responding to the following
policies that should be addressed, such as:
questions:
 Increase funds allocated by the
 How severe is the problem? Is it life
government to youth development;
threatening? Does it cause permanent
disability?  Change laws or policies affecting young
people’s access to information and services;
 How frequently does the problem occur?
Do many young people experience this  Encourage ministry support of, and
problem? Or is it rare? collaboration with, youth-serving
organisations;
 What are the social and economic
consequences of the problem? What  Revise internal policies of companies; and
impact does the problem have at the
 Identify and change unwritten polices with-
individual, family and community levels?
in communities, churches, schools, clinics,
 Are resources available to support the businesses or other institutions.
proposed actions?

 Given existing resources, public attitudes

and current policies, can advocates
realistically have an effect on the problem?
Using these questions as a guide, advocates
can select one or two of the most pressing
issues to young people. These issues are
referred to as primary issues. When the
primary issues are identified, advocates
must then reformulate them as a goal. The
goal should be a broad statement of what
advocacy around the issue will achieve. The
Step 5:
Forming Objectives
O
nce you have agreed on your goal,
you should next formulate your
objectives. Objectives should have a clear time
frame, be measurable and realistically reflect
the capabilities of the advocacy effort. A time
line will help you visualise how the advocacy
campaign is progressing and where it needs
to concentrate its effort. There are generally

12 JA-STYLE
 !!! Step 6:
-u p
Wad ou Target Audience
Did
Y Z Objectives
should be

Kn ow? SMART:
O
nce you finalise your objectives, then
you must identify your target audience.

?
Specific The target audience is the person or group
of people who can help bring about the
Measurable improvement or change you hope to achieve.
Attainable There are two kinds of target audiences:
Realistic primary and secondary.
Time-bound Primary audiences are those persons with
the direct authority to make changes in the
three types of advocacy objectives: process, areas you are proposing, e.g., Ministers of
outcome and impact. These may sound government, Ministers of religions.
daunting, but don’t panic!
Secondary audiences are those persons who
Process objectives describe the number cannot make changes themselves but can
or duration of activities to be carried out to influence persons who have direct authority
achieve your goal. They are most commonly to do so or not, e.g., business leaders and
tracked by using forms such as time lines or community members.
daily activity logs. A process objective for
advocacy might be to meet with five law Targets can include:
makers over the next six months to promote  Law makers (parliamentarians, legislators)
the issue of concern.
 Consumers
Outcome objectives are basically the  Youth organisations
immediate aim of the advocacy effort.
 Women’s groups
These objectives generally describe planned
changes in the knowledge, attitudes or  Men’s groups
behaviour of those targeted.
 Public officials
Impact objectives focus on the long-term  Religious leaders
outcome of your advocacy campaign. An
 Community leaders
impact objective might be to increase by 20
percent the use of condoms by adolescents in  Media representatives
the next five years.

Advocacy Toolkit 13
It is very important
Allies Opponents Undecided
to differentiate if
your targets are
allies, undecided or
opponents. As such,
put the name of
each of your targets
in the appropriate
column of the table
at right. This allows
you to quickly
identify who to
target and when.

Step 7: Resources 2. How can you contribute to the efforts of

other organisations?
Needed for Advocacy 3. What are the advantages and
disadvantages of forming alliances or

U
pon identifying your target audience
and completing all relevant research,
you will need to work out the resources
coalitions with each of them?

After answering these questions, if your

needed to effectively execute your advocacy
effort. When seeking resources, ensure
that the first place you look is amongst the
members of your team. Resources needed for
your advocacy work fall within the following
three groups: human, technical and financial.
Human: You may want to identify and recruit
allies to assist you in research and information
dissemination. In identifying these allies, ask
yourself:
1. Which other organisations, groups and
individuals are concerned or already acting
upon the same policy issue?
proposal is new and no one else is working on
it:
 Encourage your close friends and other
effective and interested persons to
join your campaign as they represent a
population that you don’t have to search
for and spend a lot of time convincing.
 Use existing opportunities to meet
and communicate. Hold meetings in
conjunction with other events, such as a
conference or workshop that members are
already attending.
 Use the publications (already existing) of
members to disseminate information on
your advocacy efforts.

14 JA-STYLE
Technical: You will not always have sufficient
information in the field where your advocacy
Step 8: Responding
work takes you. As such it is very important to Opposition
that you link with persons or organisations
that can provide training in the specific area.

Financial: Several attempts at advocacy

failed because of inadequate funding. With
many organisations operating on limited
budgets, a large-scale advocacy campaign
may be difficult without additional sources of
income. The cost of travel, communications,
resource development and even insufficient
technical capacity (training) can limit success.
In successfully identifying financial resources,
remember:
 The private sector, especially local
businesses. Local businesses provide a large
potential source of support and are often
overlooked by advocates.
 Companies that actively advertise,
especially to youth. Business leaders can be
sponsors and give donations.
 Sponsoring events and donating to
programs demonstrate a company’s
commitment to social responsibility.
E
very programme has critics. Advocates
for youth programmes and policies
must be prepared to face disagreement and
even resentment from some people who do
not support them. Facing disagreement may
not be easy, but it is an opportunity for you
to meet and communicate with the public.
Remember that some critics will not openly
disagree. It is important to anticipate what
disagreements may be present and to respond
openly and accurately. Some critics can be
made supporters if they are heard respectfully,
have their questions answered accurately, and
are invited to contribute to discussions on
the issue. Providing information, listening to
others, answering questions and responding
to concerns provide the best chance of
building support in a community.
Almost all advocacy efforts depend on
convincing people to support a cause. So,
advocates must always be ready to make a
clear case for their position. Remember that
open discussion allows everyone to be heard
and different ideas to be considered. Open

u p!!! Z Research can communication can also lead to compromises

d - be as simple
Wa
that strengthen the support for your program

You
as asking your
or policies.
D id community

w?
members their
K n o views on an
issue.

? Z Resources can be
financial, human
or technical.

Advocacy Toolkit 15
Sources of Opposition
It is very important that you know who
opposes your proposals. Opposition can arise
from many sources:
 Some people oppose a policy or program
proposal because they question the need
for it, what is being proposed or how the
plan will be put into practice. Listening to
their concerns, providing them with more
information and working to include their
ideas into the plan can transform these
critics into supporters and make the plan
better.
 Some people oppose a policy or program
proposal because they fear it will
undermine what they have known for
years. Listen to these concerns and try to
show how your proposal helps to make life
better.
 Some people oppose proposals because
they feel they have been left out of the
process. Advocates should make every
effort to involve all community viewpoints,
from the earliest discussion about a desired
policy or program.
Dealing with
Opposition and Criticism
After listening carefully, the most important
tool in convincing critics is clear, accurate and
responsive information. Many people form
opinions based on information; giving them
more or more accurate information may help
them to re-evaluate their opinion. Others form
opinions based on emotion and convictions.
The key is to listen for underlying reasons for
criticism and respond with ‘facts’. Find out if
members of your community are affiliated
with your known critics and who they are.
Collect the information that this group has
on the issue and find factual counteractions
to this information. Find out which decision
makers are associated with the opposition,
what their arguments are likely to be when
approached with the proposed program and
prepare factual counter-arguments for these
arguments.

 Some people are unsupportive for personal

reasons, such as the involvement in the
advocacy campaign of someone they
dislike or distrust or their own experiences.
It is good to show that the idea is bigger
than any one person or group and deserves
consideration on its own worth.

16 JA-STYLE
The BE-attitudes for Advocacy
 BE the listener – Always listen carefully to what others say to you.

BE
BE
 BE efficient – Start partnering with firm supporters and move on
to those who are moderately progressive or undecided in their
views. If you have friends, relatives and/or colleagues who share
your position, involve them because ‘links run the world’.

 BE clear – State your position in an unambiguous manner.

BE
BE
 BE polite – Always begin by thanking the decision makers for
meeting with you. A sincere ‘thank you’ goes a long way.

 BE professional – You must be professional in both dress and

BE
manner. Never say negative things about other legislators or public
figures.

BE
 BE focused – Stick to one issue per call or letter. Information about
more than one topic will confuse the message and water down
your point.

BE
 BE honest – Tell the truth, there is no faster way to lose your
credibility than to give false or misleading information to a
legislator.

BE
 BE smart – One influential leader can help persuade other people.
Anticipate who the opposition will be, both organisations and
individuals. Also, know who else is on your side. It is helpful for

BE
a decision maker to know which other groups, individuals, state
agencies and/or legislators are working with you on an issue.
Remember ‘there is strength in numbers’.

 BE prepared – Look ahead to consider who might object to the

advocacy campaign and what he or she may say. Consider whether

BE
BE
past statements give a sense of what kind of information he/she
hears and how he/she makes decisions. Prepare the message
before meeting with the person.

continued on next page

Advocacy Toolkit 17
 BE
 BE brave – Don’t be afraid to admit you don’t know something. If
decision makers want information you don’t have or ask something
you don’t know, tell them you do not know and will get the

BE
information for them.

 BE specific in what you ask for – Whether you want a vote,

information, answers to a question, signature on a petition or

BE
something else, make sure you ask directly and get an answer.

 BE the one to follow up – It is very important to find out if the

BE
decision maker did what he/she said he/she would. Send a thank
you letter after your conversation, restating your position.

 BE the bigger man/woman – Even if you get emotional about an

BE
issue discussed at a meeting, be sure you leave that meeting on a
good note.

BE
 BE flexible – Use terms the audience understands. To be effective,
you must be flexible enough to change your language, using terms
that the audience understands and appreciates. This is not ‘talking
down’ to people; it is showing them courtesy by using commonly
understood language.

18 JA-STYLE
 i l d ing N SECTION 3
B u e t wo
rks

Learning Objectives
At the end of the section you will be able to:

 Define networks and networking

 Establish advocacy networks

 Plan for maintaining advocacy networks

 Understand and prepare for the challenges

of advocacy networks

Advocating on any issue can be quite

demanding. Working in networks makes it
easier to identify issues of shared concern
as they relate to youth. It allows for greater
success as people/organisations work

O
ne of the basic building blocks
for effective advocacy is building
networks. Networking as used in this
toolkit is a simple process for developing
and maintaining contact with persons or
organisations that share or support your goals
and ideas. The term network as used here
refers to persons or organisations that can be
called on to collaborate on a shared advocacy
plan.
together by coordinating efforts and
resources. Networks become quite useful,
especially when targeting policy makers. The
coming together of various groups around
one issue is a powerful demonstration of
support that should not be overlooked.
If you are still not convinced about the
power of networks, here are some benefits of
networks to consider.

Advocacy Toolkit 19
Networks: We are sure that by now you are convinced
that networks make it easier for you to change
 Provide up-to-date information of issues of the knowledge, attitudes and practices of
concern major decision makers.
 Provide an easily accessible audience for
discussing ideas

u p!!! Z Anyone can

d - be a part of
Wa
 Secure and provide support for your

You
actions your network,

D id provided he/she

w?
 Form the nucleus for action and attract shares similar
other networks
K n o ideas and

?
 Bring together organisations, individuals concerns with
you or is able
and resources for the common goal
to support your
 Expand the base of support position.
 Provide access to different skills and
resources
Schools Individuals

Police or Examples of Persons

public Citizens’
sector and Organisations associations
workers Involved in Networks

Churches and Police

faith-based youth
organisations clubs

20 JA-STYLE
How to
Establish a Network
A
simple way in which you can form
networks is to attract the support of
persons who are closest to you. Partnerships
can begin within your own home. Get the
support of family members who in turn will
garner support from persons they interact
with on a regular basis. Having gained the
support of these individuals who are closest
to you, move on to other individuals or
community-based organisations (CBOs) that
share your interests.
You can now move to include the ‘big guns’
in your network. When building networks for
advocacy purposes, it is important for you to
incorporate opinion leaders such as politicians
in the local and central governments. These
individuals are in positions to present your
ideas and concerns to policy makers with
whom they come in contact.
When establishing a network, you must
identify the role that different individuals, state
institutions (such as ministries, police, medical
personnel or any other public institution)
and civil society organisations play in the
preparation of policies and laws. By identifying
their roles and responsibilities, you are in a
better position to collaborate with them so as
to reach your desired target.
You must make your position on a particular
issue clear from the beginning. This makes it
easier for partners to present your concerns
whenever they convene to implement these
policies or laws.
Networks bring you into direct contact with
influential persons and organisations that
may be less directly involved in the process
of policy making. These individuals play a
very important role in mobilising the public
towards positive action. As such they can
prove to be very crucial.
These individuals and organisations may
include:
 The media, especially those who have
your interests and the interests of your
constituents at heart
 Business groups such as Jamaica Chamber
of Commerce and executives in private
business
 Academic institutions
 Non-government organisations such as
Youth Opportunities Unlimited, Jamaicans
for Justice
 International development agencies such
as USAID, CIDA, UN agencies
 Social movements such as youth
empowerment organisations (Jamaican
Union of Tertiary Students, National
Secondary Student Council, National Youth
Council of Jamaica)
 Labour unions
Having succeeded in forming your network,
you must be certain about how you are going
to maintain it. It must be able to further the
Advocacy Toolkit 21
cause for which it was established. Here are
some questions you should consider as you
decide on how to maintain your network:
 What is the mission of the network?
 How large is the network?
 What are the skills and resources of the
network and its members?
 What gaps exist within the group?
 Where do these gaps exist?
 How do you plan to address these gaps and
others which may arise in the future?
 How will you attract persons with needed
skills/resources to join your network?
 Will your network have a set of rules which
will guide how it operates?
 How will decisions be made?
 How will all members stay informed?
 How will consensus be reached?
 How will you maintain a balance of power?
 How will disagreements be managed/
resolved?
 How will the group develop its plan of
action?
 How will network activities be coordinated?
 How will tasks be assigned to various
members of the network?
 How will network activities be
documented?
 How will the network’s activities be
monitored and evaluated?
22 JA-STYLE
Guidelines for
Effective Networks
A
dvocates for Youth compiled a list of
key tips for building and sustaining
successful networks which you will find
useful:3
Keep in touch: Create a ‘contacts’ book with
information on people and organisations that
are part of the network as well as key contact
people. Ensure you have information such as
telephone numbers, mailing address, e-mail
address and fax number. This should be used
to keep in touch with the members of your
network, as well as facilitate communication
among members.
Share information among members:
Members should have a keen understanding
of each other’s roles and responsibilities.
This will help build trust among members.
Communication is key to maintaining
networks. Network members must know what
is taking place and what they can do to further
the process of advocacy at all times.
Develop a network mission statement and
goals: A mission statement is usually general
and reflects the beliefs and philosophy of
the network. Mission statements make clear
the issues the network supports. Goals show
how the network plans to shape policy,
programmes and/or laws around a particular
3
Adam Shannon, Advocating for Adolescent
Reproductive Health in Sub-Saharan Africa,
Advocates for Youth, Washington, DC, 1998.
issue. By becoming a member of a network,
the organisation or individual is in effect
endorsing the mission and goals of the
network.
Develop objectives and strategies:
Objectives are the specific policy changes
that the network aims to achieve. Objectives
must be specific, achievable and measurable
and serve as a means to evaluate network
activities. Strategies are the activities used
by the network to achieve its objectives.
Strategies may include a public education
campaign or lobbying government to pass a
law.
Create and follow a realistic time line:
Building a functioning network can take
months or years. An achievable time line,
with targeted activities every month, will help
ensure that the network focuses on its goals
and is realistic in planning possible activities.
Challenges to
Building Networks
L
ike many things in life, building networks
is hard work, and one must be aware of
some of the difficulties and plan on addressing
them.
 Network members may not always agree
on the goals, strategies and objectives of
the network.
 Parties to a network may sometimes find
themselves competing for funding from
the same donor agencies. This can create
an atmosphere of mistrust which can spell
disaster for the network.
 Some members of the network may find it
difficult to work collaboratively due to past
personal or professional experiences.
 The larger the network grows, the harder it
is to manage. Keeping all members aware
of meetings, actions taken, results and
upcoming activities can prove challenging.
 The network may not always find it easy
to divide the work equitably amongst all
parties. Some members may feel left out if
not given enough work whilst others may
feel burdened if given too much. Seek to
strike a balance.
 There is a tendency for powerful members
of a network to be controlling. However,
this should not be, and the network
should operate on the basis of cooperation
amongst all members.
 Members may not always agree on the
rules that ought to govern the network.
However, for the network to function
smoothly and effectively, a set of rules must
be decided on.
Action…Not ah bag a mout’
So you have identified your goals and
objectives, you’ve formed your networks and
it’s now time for you to take action. But before
you act, you must plan.
Advocacy Toolkit 23
24 JA-STYLE
 dvocacy in SECTION 4
A Act
ion
Learning objectives
At the end of the section you will be able to:

 Use practical skills when carrying out advocacy

work

 Identify the skills necessary for effective advocacy

work

 State the advantages and disadvantages of each

advocacy method/technique

 Explain the steps involved in the advocacy planning

framework

 Complete a skills-building activity which can be

used to learn and practice the skills of advocacy

 Write a concise position paper

 Organise a press conference

 Explain effective ways of advocating for policy

reform

 State clear examples/case studies of success stories

in advocacy at the national and international levels
What Is
Advocacy in Action?

A
dvocacy in action is the foundation of
all advocacy work. It provides hands-
on skills and learning to help you advocate
carpenter relies on a hammer, an advocate
needs tools to use on the job! These tools will
provide you with flexibility to be creative and
effectively. It explores the various techniques discover new ideas and ways to explore the
or tools that an advocate can use. In the same exciting world of advocacy!
way that a doctor uses a stethoscope or a

Advocacy Toolkit 25
In this section, you will practice using a
planning framework or advocacy ladder. This
is a simple and popular framework developed
by the International Council of AIDS Service
Organisations (ICASO). You can also call this
framework the Advocacy Steps. Let’s climb the
advocacy ladder together!
An important aspect of advocacy is a
knowledge base. You should be able to
identify various issues or problems and focus
on a particular area for your advocacy work.
Remember the Advocacy Steps, because we
will be climbing our way to the top using
those steps! Get ready to have some fun while
you learn!

Step 8:
Implement, monitor Essential
and evaluate
Advocacy Tools
Step 7:
Create an
action plan Educational and Promotional
Materials and Publications
Step 6:
Identify Educational materials and publications are a
your allies great learning experience for youths as well
as adults. Using these materials can be a very
Step 5: exciting. We can use them in very informative
Identify
and persuasive ways to:
your resources
 Raise public awareness on a particular
Step 4: issue;
Identify
your targets  Increase public sensitivity on an issue;

 Reduce discrimination; and

Step 3:
Develop specific objectives
for your advocacy work
Step 2:
Analyze and research
the issue/problem
 Highlight facts about an issue.
At right is a chart containing educational
and promotional tools that can make your
advocacy work effective. We will briefly
examine some of them.

Step 1:
Select an issue or problem
that you want to address

26 JA-STYLE
 Pamphlets

Briefing Annual
Note Reports

Canvassing Newsletter

Fact
Sheets Educational, Research
Promotional
Materials and
Press
Petitions Publications
Release

Personal Position
Testimony Paper

Case
Studies Videos

Posters

Briefing Note and note is a position paper with additional advice

to the speaker—for example, how to answer
Position Paper questions or key points to emphasise.
A briefing note and a position paper are
On the other hand, a position paper is written
documents that clearly state the position
for a target, not an ally or supporter. It is a
or opinion of an organisation or coalition
formal written record of the position (opinion)
about a particular issue. The message of
of an organisation or coalition for an external
these documents states: ‘This is what we
audience.
think about this topic, and this is what we
recommend’. A briefing note is written for When to use a position paper
an ally or supporter, not a target. It helps
someone who is speaking publicly in support A position paper can be used at all levels of
of your advocacy objective. Often a briefing advocacy (see section 1).

Advocacy Toolkit 27
 It can be given to an individual decision
maker at the end of a face-to-face meeting
to summarise the main points of your
message.
 It can be sent to local and national
governments during consultation exercises.
 It can be sent to people of influence, in
response to a policy or action to explain an
alternative or supporting position.
 It can be used to summarise the resolutions
of a conference or workshop.
 It can be used to show that a partnership
of many different allies supports your
advocacy objective.
 It can be given to delegates or members of
a committee at the beginning of a meeting
or conference—whether or not you speak
at the meeting.
How to prepare a position paper
Ideally, you should write a position paper
in full sentences and type it neatly. Here is a
proposed format that you can use as a guide
for writing position papers.
1. Provide statement of main
recommendation(s) in one or two
sentences.
2. Provide background or explanation of
why the position paper was written.
List laws, international treaties, policies
and other documents that support the
recommendation.
28 JA-STYLE
3. Supply evidence to support the
recommendation. It can be in the form of:
a. Quantitative evidence: Facts and figures;
or
b. Qualitative evidence: Case studies,
personal testimonies, anecdotes or
examples.
4. State your position or a logical explanation
of how the evidence leads to the
recommendations.
5. Outline recommendations which
should be specific, realistic actions that
the decision maker can take. Be sure to
state those actions clearly and without
ambiguity.
6. Indicate organisations and individuals
supporting this position paper. Include:
a. Name of your organisation or coalition,
and logo if appropriate
b. A contact name, address, telephone and
fax numbers, and e-mail address, where
available
c. Mission/goals of your organisation or
coalition
d. Date
When to use a briefing note
The briefing note will be seen only by
individuals within your organisation or within
your advocacy network. It assists members
in delivering advocacy messages, so it is
acceptable to write notes instead of full
sentences and to use bullet points.
Follow the same format as for the position
paper, but you may:
 Emphasise the most important points,
using for example, bold type/underline or
a coloured pen.
 Suggest possible strategies, tactics and
minimum demands that should not be
compromised.
 Include possible questions that might be
asked and suggested answers.
 Include difficult issues that might arise, and
suggest how to deal with them.
Communicating
with the Media
Any advocacy campaign that expects to be
successful must target opinion leaders, the
public, and the media. All three are inter-
related and each depends on the others.
Public officials will support a position only if
they believe they have public backing. The
media inform and educate the public about
issues that may be of concern to youth and
can set the agenda regarding policy changes.
A public that is educated about an issue will
more likely push for changes and support your
cause.
The media act as information brokers and
provide spaces for public debate. This makes
the media a very important advocacy tool.
Understanding the media in Jamaica is very
important to all aspiring advocates. You
must take time to know the local media.
Do’s and Don’ts for
Preparing Position Papers
and Briefing Notes
Do:
4 Use appropriate language for your
target audiences
4 Write your position paper and
briefing note to a specific audience
for a specific reason
4 Be brief and to the point
4 Ensure that sufficient background
information is included
4 Give full references of any research
or information quoted
4 Ask others for ideas before writing
4 Separate fact from opinion
4 Make sure the appropriate people
have been consulted
4 Ensure that everyone in the
organisation understands the
position the organisation is taking
4 Read it carefully for mistakes before
sending or using it
Do not:
8 Include the words ‘advocating’ or
‘advocacy’
8 Include irrelevant information
8 Quote people without their
permission or break confidentiality
8 Use abbreviations
8 Distribute a position paper that
contradicts what you have said
Advocacy Toolkit 29
Communicating with the media involves
simple things like watching the evening news
on television or listening to it on the radio,
reading articles in the print media as well as
reading biographies of journalists. The latter
will guide you in finding journalists with
special interests in your area of work or those
with interest in youth-related issues.
Media communication is any planned activity
which seeks to:
Educate
Inform
Persuade
Motivate
Move to action
At times you may have to introduce yourself
and your organisation to the media. A good
way to start is to look for areas of general
interest such as sports, health, education,
politics or just nature. Harness the creative and
diverse energy within your organisation. Send
poems, stories or news; congratulate someone
in your club or a teacher; or write about a cool
doctor at a health centre.
When you do this, make sure to sign your
name and highlight your organisation. If you
do a good job and do it regularly, people and
the media will begin to know you. Sometimes
you may even develop a readership of your
own. Use the ‘free’ media, especially youth
magazines, the internet and the youth
sections of newspapers.
30 JA-STYLE
There are several local television stations in
Jamaica which are not only ‘news hungry’
but youth friendly and are just waiting for
stories of your good work. Some television
programmes seek people to interview so
you should get information about these
programmes and find out how you and
your members can participate. When they
eventually invite you, make sure that every
member wears their organisation T-shirt. You
should also take a poster or some flyers about
your organisation. In addition, talk to the host
about your organisation and use the after
show to promote it.
When you meet radio personalities at various
functions, be sure to talk to them about who
you are and your issues. A good practice
is to walk with a copy of your magazine or
newsletter, if you have one, and leave it at
media houses. Never lose an opportunity to
talk about your club or organisation!
Before we can master the art of
communicating with the media, there are
some fundamental lessons to learn. Let’s go!
Press Release
What is a press release? A press release (or
news release) is a written document sent to
the media to assist them in producing stories.
A press release is the standard method of
distributing a story to the media. You can also
telephone a journalist to suggest a story, if you
believe that it is interesting enough and that it
cannot easily be manipulated.
When to use a press release
You can use a press release for:
 Outlining your organisation’s response to
an event/action
 Drawing attention to an issue
 Providing background information on an
issue/event or action
 Giving advance notice of an event
 Announcing new campaigns and providing
progress reports
 Providing a report of a meeting
 Reporting decisions taken by your
organisation
 Circulating speeches in advance
How to write a press release
When writing a press release, you must pay
attention to content, style and presentation.
Content
When writing a press release, try to:
 Write a simple and interesting headline
which should help the journalist to
understand the story immediately.
 Apply the 5W’s rule to the first sentence or
two, summarising the most important facts
of the story, that is:
• Who is involved?
• What is happening?
• Where is it happening?
• When is it happening?
• Why is it happening?
 Use the main part of the press release
to fully explain these points. By putting
forward the facts, this information helps to
convince the journalist of the importance
of the subject, and why it is of interest.
 Use quotes which often make a press
release more interesting and appealing
to the journalist; they give a human
dimension to the story!
 Write a summary paragraph as some
distribution points will receive only your
headline, summary and a link to your press
release. A summary paragraph will increase
the effectiveness of your press release.
 Use correct grammar. Always follow rules of
grammar and style. Errors in grammar and
style affect your credibility. Excessive errors
will cause your press release to be rejected.
Get someone to proofread your release
before sending to the press.
Style
When writing a press release, try to:
 Use short sentences, approximately
20 words.
 Use short paragraphs, maximum two or
three sentences.
 Copy the format and story structure from a
good newspaper article.
 Use a good case study or anecdote as
evidence to support your point of view.
Advocacy Toolkit 31
Presentation
When writing a press release, try to:
 Use letterhead so that it looks official and
professional.
 Make sure that it is well laid out and easy to
read. NEVER SUBMIT A PRESS RELEASE IN
ALL UPPER-CASE LETTERS. This is very bad
form and journalists are sure to ignore it.
Use mixed case.
 Type it, using double spacing, on one side
of the paper only.
 Include the date and the name of your
organisation.
 Provide a contact name, telephone and fax
numbers, and e-mail address as available.
 Give the day/date/time when the
journalists are allowed to use the
information.
 Include photographs of key people, places
or action mentioned in the press release if
you have them.
Preparing for an Interview
Before going for an interview, you must know:
 The subject of the interview
 Where and when the interview will take
place
 The length of the interview
 Other persons being interviewed
32 JA-STYLE
 Whether the interview will follow a film or
will be linked to another story
 Why you were chosen for the interview
 If the interview will be broadcast live
Find out about the journalist who will be
interviewing you and:
 Investigate his/her audience and the kind
of information you need to get across
 Contact the journalist and agree on the
subject to be discussed. Remember that
the interview starts as soon as you begin
talking to a journalist.
There is no such thing as ‘off the record’. You
must therefore:
 Define the issues clearly.
 Ask the journalist about the questions he/
she will ask and determine whether they
will be supportive or argumentative.
Differences between media
Press interviews tend to be more relaxed than
radio or TV interviews. If you make a mistake,
say so and answer again.
For radio interviews, the studio manager
will give you specific instructions about
where to sit and how to use the microphone.
Sometimes this is done with little time
to spare. Make sure you understand the
instructions. Ask what the first question will be
to help you concentrate. You can take notes
with you—but try not to rustle the pages.
Brief notes on cue cards are often Remember the 3C’s: a simple method for a
more helpful. If you make a mistake media interview
during a recorded interview, you
can ask to try the answer again. If it
Clarity
is live, you can say, ‘Perhaps I might
Use a clear, conversational
explain that answer’, and continue. style and avoid slang.
Confidence Give examples and make
The same rules apply for TV Have confidence in your message clear.
interviews as for the radio yourself and your own
knowledge.
interview, but remember…you
Control
can be seen! Also, TV interviews
Take charge of
are usually shorter than radio the interview
interviews. The interview may be by preparing
pre-recorded or live. adequately.
There are no
wrong questions,
only wrong answers.
Tips to help you prepare for an interview

Prepare catchy Check that you Develop

‘sound bites’ that have up-to-date a draft list
summarise your information on of possible
message the issue questions

Make a list of Prepare statistics, Prepare

key messages facts, case studies, answers
you want to get personal stories and practice
across beforehand them

Advocacy Toolkit 33
Conducting Peaceful
Public Demonstrations
and Marches
What is a peaceful public
demonstration?
A peaceful public demonstration is an
expression of one’s views or observations
in an open or community space. It involves
the organisation and mobilisation of usually
a large number of persons with a shared
view. A public demonstration may involve a
single person (individual demonstration) or
hundreds of people (mass demonstration).
An important element of all peaceful
demonstrations and marches is peace. This
advocacy tool usually involves the police or
security force to stand by to maintain peace
between those for and against an issue. The
Constitution of Jamaica (Chapter III, Clause 13)
provides for the fundamental human right to
freedom of expression and peaceful assembly
and association.
When to conduct demonstrations
Mass demonstrations and marches are usually
carried out after dialogue with or after the
failed use of another advocacy tool. It is
best to conduct a demonstration when you
have the support of other organisations or
individuals and when you have the support
of the police as a peace keeping force.
Demonstrations are usually very exciting ways
of advocating; however, they often require
more planning and greater community
support. Mass demonstrations tend to attract
more attention, especially from the media.
Before conducting a march or demonstration,
do some research on the issue to see how
others previously sought attention or voiced
the issue. Examine what worked and what did
not. A mass demonstration is usually done as a
last option.

!!! Be clear about why you are demonstrating.

ARNING RATIO
N
Make sure you have a reliable team of
W ONST G
M N
A DE OBTAINI supporters who will not only be there for the
HOLD U T
OT HO ROM
DO N RCH WIT TEMENT F HEIR demonstration but will also help with the
A
OR M IT TEN STA FIRMING T !
A WR LICE CON E EVENT planning of the event.
O TH
THE P SENCE AT
PR E
Who to contact
 Nearest police station: Request police
presence for the event in writing. Include
the date of the event, time, venue, aims and
persons expected to be there. In the case
of a march, identify by name and number

34 JA-STYLE
 u p!!! Z Atool.massHowever,
march or demonstration can be a very effective advocacy

- it needs to be planned carefully.

Wad ou
Y Z Remember
Did
to use permission slips to request parent’s

w?
permission for the child to attend.

Kn o
Z Remember to include your contact details on all

?
correspondence or mail you send out.

Z Do not forget to contact the media and let them in on the ‘juicy
details’ of your event!

specific streets, roads or avenues where
it will take place. Provide the estimated
time of arrival of participants on each road,
street, or avenue. Request the locations
where you wish the police to stand. Include
a point of contact, for example, telephone
number, e-mail address or mailing address.
 Relevant organisations/individuals
participating in the demonstration. These
individuals must know the role they will
play. If they are doing a speech or assisting
to organise the event, this must be done
through a formal letter of invitation.
 Proprietors/owners of the space you
intend to use. If you need sponsorship
for the space, then make the request in a
formal letter. As most places will attract a
user fee, a cost for clean up after the event
and a utility fee is usually charged. Be
clear about all your logistics/plans before
the chosen date. State all the relevant
information about the demonstration
along with your point of contact.
 Parents or guardians if minors/children
are involved. Make sure you have a
requisition or permit slip with the child’s
name clearly printed and space allotted
for parent/guardian’s signature and date
signed. Include your point of contact
as well. Make it clear that without their
permission, their child/ward will not be
able to attend the march. State the role the
child will play in the march/demonstration,
for example, whether the child will speak,
or will only take part by marching with
others. State the importance or the aim
of the event along with persons who will
be present, and do not forget to mention
that the police will be there as security. If
children will attend, it is very important to
obtain the presence and support of the
police at your event.
Now that you have made all the relevant
contacts through your first correspondence/
letter/e-mail or phone call, you need to do
some follow-up calls. This is to ensure the
mails were received, to reinforce the date
and time and to confirm their presence. If
for any reason someone may not make it,
do not give up! Is there anyone he/she can
send or suggest? Be sure to ask in what other

Advocacy Toolkit 35
ways he/she can support the event, such as
sponsoring drinking water for participants.
Follow-up calls can be done after five days of
the first correspondence with the individual.
However, it may vary according to the urgency
of the event. Avoid rushed demonstrations,
and even if it happens, make sure it is well
planned or organised.
After doing your follow-up calls and receiving
confirmation, you may plan a programme or
an outline of the order of the day’s event.
Following the event, do not forget to write a
report which should include action points/
what came out of the event and what you
intend to do for the next phase of the event.
Send a copy of the report to all those who
participated. As an expression of gratitude,
send a note of thank you to all your sponsors
and speakers and those on the team!
Edutainment - Using
Drama to Advocate
Drama is pretending to be someone else,
somewhere else, doing something else.
It involves music (instrumental, vocal),
movement (dance), story-telling, and miming
(mimicking).
Drama is an effective advocacy method
because it can bring certain issues to life,
making them emotionally powerful, more
interesting, easy to understand and relevant
to people’s lives. In some situations, a play is
more effective than a written report. Drama
36 JA-STYLE
can be a useful way to involve a wide range
of people from different backgrounds and
with different levels of experience at the local,
national and international level.
Drama by itself can be a powerful way to
convey messages and persuade people to
change their views. You can increase its impact
by adding activities that involve the audience.
The use of a ‘theatre forum’ in which the
audience is invited to explore possible courses
of action for the characters is an example. A
theatre forum is time allotted to an audience
to discuss or provide feedback on an issue
after seeing a drama presentation. This also
helps to evaluate the performances.
Drama can address sensitive issues that are
difficult to talk about. It can also be used as
evidence to support an issue. Performances
can be video-taped to share with people in
positions of influence who cannot attend a live
performance.
Planning for your drama advocacy
Conduct a talent search: Know the members
of your organisation in terms of the talents
they have as well as others who are not in
your organisation but may be able to help you
organise a drama event. Network with other
youths as well as with the media personalities
you may meet. Scout out the artistes (singers
and DJs); know those who are on your side—
in other words those who will support your
issue. Keep up-to-date with the interviews and
with the songs these artistes release. Listen for
those that support your advocacy message
and tap into this as a chance to write an article
Tips on using drama to advocate commending the artiste or calling
a radio show to commend him/her
publicly.
Message
You should also make a contact
Use language
audience will sheet of recording studios and
understand the artiste and promoters who
may be able to help you plan an
edutainment event. You can use
the yellow pages of the telephone
directory for studio listings.
Target
Make contact with groups
Know your
who have used edutainment
audience
at the community, national or
international level. The Ashe
Feedback
Interest Ensemble, for example, uses
Use ‘theatre
forum’ after edutainment as an effective
Make the acts
performance to interesting and advocacy tool. Others organisations
get feedback have fun! utilizing this tool include Children
from audience
First/Bashy Bus Crew and Youth
Advocacy Movement.

Guidelines for using drama to advocate: Drama blocks!

It is usually best to use a style of drama It is important to be clear about the

that is popular and familiar. A standard
drama, with an obvious ending, is best
if the target audience includes decision
makers.
Sometimes the target audience is the
public, or a community, with the objective
of putting pressure on decision makers.
In this case, it is useful to involve
the audience so that they can fully
understand the issues and even debate
possible solutions. A key way to involve an
audience is to use a ‘theatre forum’.
objective of any drama for advocacy, and
to choose a limited number of messages
or themes so that the audience clearly
understands which problem or issue is
being highlighted and the suggested
solution.
Drama should highlight typical examples
of the issue or problem, rather than
extreme cases.
The involvement of people directly
affected can make the drama much more
powerful, if they are happy to do this.

Advocacy Toolkit 37
Candle Light Vigil The same strategies used in planning
a demonstration, as outlined, should
What is a candle light vigil? be adopted here. For greater impact, a
candlelight vigil must be done at night. It
The word vigil is of Latin origin and means a
can be held in a public open space or in an
period of staying awake to keep watch or pray.
enclosed building. Either way, do not forget to
A candle light vigil is a ‘watchful’ response to
invite the media!
an issue, usually a crisis. It involves the use
of lit candles as symbols of one’s opinions or A vigil is best used to sensitise and increase
views of the issues. public awareness of specific issues affecting
people at all levels.
How to use a candle light vigil
Purchase, make or have persons donate
candles. Organise your support team with a
Balloon Parade
shared goal. Each participant would hold a
What is a balloon parade? A parade refers to
lit candle. You may use candle holders or use
a public procession. It is a good way to draw
make-shift ones by placing a lit candle in a
attention to an issue. A balloon parade can
small paper bag filled with sand. These can be
be used to raise awareness about an issue,
held in the hands or placed on the ground.
for example, cancer or an HIV/AIDS anti-
Stay clear of trees, plants, houses or anything
discrimination campaign.
flammable (easily set on fire).
Similar to the candles in a candle light vigil,
To supplement the vigil, you may use posters,
balloons too can be colour coded to represent
pictures or placards highlighting the issue or
different issues or concerns! It involves using
your message. You can organise a structured
helium (a light colourless gas that does not
programme around the vigil. Candles
burn) filled balloons as an exciting way of
represent symbols of hope, but you can colour
presenting facts, statistics and your message.
code your candles according to the issue
being highlighted. Each participant will be required to
hold a balloon, or you can have the
Coloured Issue
balloons released from a container.
Candles Represented
So it is important that you plan the
Red HIV/AIDS-related issues event carefully and get as much
Pink Cancer awareness support as possible. Allow yourself
enough time to plan and organise
White and Blue Crime and violence/peace issues the event: this again depends on
Green Environmental issues the urgency to host such an event.

38 JA-STYLE
How to conduct a balloon parade An Effigy Parade
A balloon parade does not only involve large
What is an effigy parade? Have you ever seen
numbers of balloons but it also involves
the Jonkanoo4 Parade in your community
large numbers of people, which oftentimes
at Christmas time? Well, did it catch your
include children. So the same measures/
attention? Did you get a scare or did you run
steps you would use to organise a peaceful
along and play with the painted ‘creatures’?
demonstration would be required to organise
a balloon parade. Do not forget to obtain
An effigy is really a figure or a make-shift
confirmation from the police. As with all social
image of someone, usually the head and not
gatherings, things may go wrong and you may
the whole body. Effigies are usually called ‘big
need the help of the police to maintain peace.
heads’, since the make-shift head or image of
the person is usually bigger than the usual
Contact persons in charge
head size.
of the venue/location where
you plan to host the event.
An effigy parade is a public demonstration
Obtain permission before
which uses models or figures as the highlight
confirming the venue with
to represent real life persons for or against a
other participants. If children
cause or issue. It can be used to celebrate self
are involved, remember to send
and others as well. It is usually very festive and
requisition forms or permission
attracts a lot of attention. This is a fun way to
slips to the parents. Give them
advocate!
at least seven days notice. Send
out sponsorship letters at least How to conduct the parade
three weeks before the date of
the event. Make your contact Make look-alike faces/heads of those you seek
list/sheet, and conduct follow- to get attention from or of those the issue
up calls. concerns or affects most. Dress up the person
who will wear the big head in the parade, if
Remember to put your contact the real person is a male then the effigy must
details on all correspondence! After the event, be a male or dressed in male garments. This
remember to send out thank you letters and will make the effigy as ‘real’ as possible.
reports to sponsors. Include pictures if you can.

4
Jonkanoo is one of Jamaica’s cultural remains (remnants) of slavery. The enslaved and later the freed people
would dress in these character costumes and march on the streets. Today, we laugh and play with them and
they chase us, but then it was an act of resistance, an advocacy stunt!

Advocacy Toolkit 39
Once again this event must be very well
planned following similar steps/measures
used to organize a public demonstration.
You may use supplemental tools to aid the
parade such as placards, music, or flyers.
Do not forget to obtain the support of the
police and community members if the parade
will pass through communities. Also notify
authorities to obtain permission to use specific
roads, streets or avenues if the parade is
mobile (moving from one point or street to
another).
Crack and Peel Stickers
Crack and peel stickers are widely used to
advertise events, goods and services. They
have also been used to get messages to
people over large geographical areas. Make
attractive stickers by using a simple and cool
message or slogan. Distribution/circulation
is easy and inexpensive. A production cost is
required to make the crack and peel stickers.
Write
short and
You can design
catchy message
crack and peel
stickers Choose eye-catching
colours and use writing styles
that are clear and can be easily read
Print about 10 and have other youth or adults
view and critique the stickers.
Ask what they like or don’t like about the stickers.
Use these ideas to produce the final product!
40 JA-STYLE
If you do not have the money required to
purchase or design the stickers, try seeking
sponsorship from printers or from advertisers
or other organisations.
Contact various printeries (a comprehensive
list can be found in the yellow pages of the
telephone directory), get estimated cost for
the production of the stickers and compare
prices.
Check out the triangle below that explains
three simple steps to take when making crack
and peel stickers!
Documented Response
What is a documented response?
A documented response is a public answer
to an issue, based mainly on evidence-based
research. Usually the findings are published
in public spaces such as newspapers and case
studies, annual country reports or newsletters,
situational analysis reports or magazines.
It is very similar to a demonstration, however,
a key feature is information and research on
the issue. Usually these findings or newspaper
clippings can be scanned, printed and
mounted on large card stock/hard
paper, or you can compile these
findings in file jackets or enter
them in a computer database.

Participants in the SAVE OUR CHILDREN CAMPAIGN, which is a
documented response to the acts of violence against Jamaica’s
children and youth.
An easy and cheap idea is to make a collage
(patchwork collection) of these clippings
and glue them on cardboard backings. To
protect them from being torn, you can use
clear tape to tape over these clippings. This
is called home-made lamination: cheap and
easy to do! You can then add your headings
and decorations. Be careful not to overcrowd
the collage with your decorations or you may
reduce the effect of the collage itself.
A documented response can be a very
interesting and educational way of advocating,
but you need to have a plan as to what will be
the end product of the effort. A documented
response is incomplete unless there are action
plans for future developments. For example,
do you intend to write a petition or a position
paper to influence a political declaration in the
interest of the response? You have to take all
possibilities into consideration
while planning a documented
response.
Advo-Party
or Session
What is an advo-party?
An advo-party is a public
support or promotion of an
issue using non-traditional
means/ways. It involves
the organisation of people
through music to achieve
public support of an issue or
increase awareness. Other
names for advo-party include advo-jam, advo-
session, and advo-dance or advo-concert.
When to throw an advo-party
When you want to advocate at the community
or national level, you can throw an advo-party.
As an advocate you can use the art of music
to attract large numbers of people and get
your message across in a fun-filled way! This
requires a lot of organisation and planning
and depends on the support of the local
community.
How to throw an advo-party
Contact all persons you would like to be
involved in the session. Inform community
members. Include the time (from start to end)
of the session, the location and date. Also
include arrangements for clean up once the
session ends.
Advocacy Toolkit 41
Make contact and follow-up calls with artistes, you from having to organise and host the
master of ceremony (MC), as well as any other sporting activity yourself.
relevant personnel that should know about
the session.
g
Sportin lots
resent
Even though it’s being held in the community,
do not take for granted that all members know
events p nities for
tu
of oppor ey attract lots
about the session. You should advertise your
session and encourage people through ‘word
es. Th ns
of mouth’ to attend. advocat ters, which mea e
r id
of suppo r message outs
ou
taking y al spheres and
After the event post a note of gratitude on the
community notice board, thanking members
for their support and encouraging them to the usu ing to the
continue supporting the cause. If another appeal dience.
u
session is planned, include its time and date.
target a
Advocating through Sports
It is always wise to notify the organisers of
This includes organised walks, runs, race- the activity of your intention to piggyback.
meets, dominoes tournaments, cycling, In some cases you may even have to obtain
football, netball, volleyball, dog walks and permission before you piggyback. In other
chess tournaments to obtain public support cases advocates just carry out a publicity
for a cause. You may use just about any stunt (a spectacular public act done to get
sporting activity that involves youth and attention). At times this can be dangerous to
adults. self and others and often results in disruption
of the event. You run the risk of being charged
Sporting events present lots of opportunities and jailed if you impede the freedom of
for advocates. They attract lots of supporters, expression of others while carrying out your
which means taking your message outside work.
the usual spheres and appealing to the target
audience. Using sports to advocate does however
provide a very effective way of reaching your
You can organise your advocacy events peers and the many adult sport fans, and it
around any sporting activity. A cool idea is to shows a connection between all issues and at
‘piggyback’ on these activities which will save all levels.

42 JA-STYLE
Internet Advocacy advocating. You could be, for example,
advocate4life001@yahoo.com and others
The internet presents the world at your finger could be advocate4life002@yahoo.com and so
tips and gives you the chance to tap into it on. This has a nice ring to it!
with just a single click!
You can also create a website for your cause.
In order to use the internet, you just need to This is where your networking skills will be
be familiar with it. You do not need to own required. If for whatever reason you are unable
a computer to do so, as there is an increase to create a website, then you may request
in the number of internet cafés in towns and sponsorship from a web design company.
communities. You can use these
facilities. Numerous schools now have
internet resources; if you cannot access
them, visit the nearest parish library
where all the fees are standard and
relatively inexpensive. You can use the
internet at your parents’ work place on
a not so busy day or at the house of a
trusted friend.

Get an e-mail address! You can create

one by using a number of websites
such as yahoo.com, gmail.com,
hotmail.com, gojamaica.com, among
others. Select a username that reflects
your position as an advocate.

For example: Web design usually is very expensive. If you

advocate4life@yahoo.com are not able to do so at the moment, still keep
documents on file for future reference.
notoviolence@yahoo.com
peaceadvocate@gmail.com You may also use your e-mail address/account
staypositive@hotmail.com to send free text messages to cell phones on
just about any cellular network. You can use
It would be cool to create an e-mail chain this to send reminders as well as updates and
among your peers for the purpose of advertise events.

Advocacy Toolkit 43
When to Use
Advocacy Tools
Apply the Advocacy Tree
Test
At times you will have to pretend that that
trees represent targets (see section 2) you have
identified to help you with your cause.
There are many different trees in Jamaica.
What if you wish to climb a tree? There are
certain things to take into consideration. Try
these for tree climbing!
 Some trees may be Macka Tree (filled with
thorns/macka). You may think twice about
climbing these trees. You may want to go
back to where you started and get some
‘backitive’ or extra padding to support the
climb. Some targets are not easy to climb or
approach.
 Some trees are already cut down: you
wouldn’t want to waste time climbing
those! Would you?
 Some trees are like coconut trees, tall
without many supportive branches. The
top of these trees may seem to be way out
of your reach. Get help; seek the support
of a brace. Find someone who has climbed
a coconut tree before and find out what
methods they use. Be creative! Set your
own trends!
 Some trees are like star-apples trees.
Nothing falls off until it is not fit for eating.
44 JA-STYLE
Through all your
advocacy work: Try to
build bridges and leave positive
footprints so that those who
follow after you will have
a bright path to trod. For
every kindness, remember to
say thank you.
Then you have no choice but to accept the
fallen fact. However, you do have lots of
strong branches to climb on and pick the
fruit you need. But be careful since bad
fruits are still on the tree!
 Some trees are not trees at all; they are
vines. Like the cho-cho. It wraps itself to a
strong tree and if you are not careful you
climb it, only to fall. This is where you have
to be very selective in which branch you
hold on to.
 Then some trees are really wis-wis. You
travel through them merrily and you seem
to be getting somewhere then you realise
you are in the middle of nowhere or right
where you started. At worst the wis-wis will
often tie you up in your own tracks making
it impossible to get out!

stitutiona
In l&
O
ver the years, Jamaica has adopted
a range of agreements on the issues
of adolescent reproductive health, human
rights as well as adolescent and youth rights
as set out in several international and national
instruments. As an advocate, you need to be
aware of these past agreements so that you
have a legal standard or example that may be
of importance in present or future situations.
APPENDIX
Legisla
tive Policy
Frameworks for
Jamaican Youth
This appendix of the toolkit summarises
youth-related aspects of important national
laws or declarations and international
agreements that may be of relevance to you in
conducting advocacy activities. Having a basic
knowledge of the national and international
commitments affecting Jamaican youth will
provide a foundation for youth-led evaluation
of the progress that is achieved on behalf
of youth. The participation of young people
themselves in assessing youth development
policy is critical, because it provides a starting
point for meaningful advocacy.
Also, youth advocates who are familiar with
national and international commitments
can prioritise their advocacy goals in favour
of policy issues that are weak or in need of
amendments. There are many competing
issues that may overwhelm the youth
advocate. He/she must therefore carefully
Advocacy Toolkit 45
choose the policy issues that will result in
relevant changes in the society.
Finally, this appendix was included primarily
to motivate youth advocates to initiate actions
at the national and international levels. Many
youth advocates believe they are unable to
change the course of a nation or lobby for
international actions to be taken on youth
issues. Having an understanding of the issues
opens the door for more youth research
and hopefully more advocacy action at the
national and international levels.
The National Youth Policy
(2004)
T
his policy represents the Government
of Jamaica’s commitment to the
development of an environment that fully
uses the potential of each young Jamaican.
Specifically, the Policy defines a common
vision and framework for youth development,
speaks to the roles and responsibilities
of youth in their personal and national
development and serves as a tool for
advocating for positive youth development. It
is expected that the National Youth Policy will
assist in promoting a culture of positive youth
development and participation in decision-
making around activities that affect the lives
of youth and increase the ability of service
providers to provide accessible, relevant and
high quality services for young people and
their families.
46 JA-STYLE
The National Youth Policy, while targeting
young people aged 15–24 (youth), recognises
the need to utilise the life-cycle approach
to strengthen the development of Jamaica’s
human capital. In this regard, the Policy
accepts that there is continuity between
the stages of physical, emotional and
psychological development of human beings
and that these changes are most pronounced
in the early stages of life.
The Policy has six focal areas: education and
training; employment and entrepreneurship;
health; participation and empowerment; care
and protection; and living environment.
Education and training
 Promote universal access to quality
secondary education;
 Advocate for an education system that
is relevant to the needs of youth and
potential employers;
 Foster participation of students in the
administration of their institutions;
 Facilitate increased access to quality
training opportunities in skills relevant to
the global market place and use of cultural
and indigenous products;
 Develop and implement a programme
for identifying and supporting youth with
special needs;
 Develop and implement strategies to
improve male performance up to the
secondary level and matriculation to the
tertiary level;
 Promote schools as community
empowerment points and safe zones.

Employment and entrepreneurship

 Increase the employability of youth;

 Increase the number of employment

opportunities for youth;

 Foster an environment conducive to

the creation of opportunities for self
employment.

Health
 Create through advocacy networks a
supportive policy environment that fosters
positive health outcomes;
 Improve knowledge, influence, attitudes
and selected priority health practices and
behaviours;
 Improve access to and quality of health
services.
Participation and empowerment
 Enhance the capacities of young people to
participate in societal processes;
 Provide spaces and opportunities to
increase participation;
 Enhance cultural dynamism through
opportunities for creative expression and
unique Jamaican talents.
 Advocate for the provision of the highest
quality services for those who need care
and protection;
 Facilitate the successful re-integration of
all youth who are in special care with their
family and society;
 Advocate for the full implementation of the
provisions of the National Plan of Action for
Youth Justice in Jamaica.
Living environments
 Promote the strengthening of families
to provide a supportive environment for
youth development;
 Promote the strengthening of community
programmes to support families;

 Advocate for a culture supportive of youth

Care and protection
development.
 Prevent those at risk from needing care and
protection;

Advocacy Toolkit 47
The Youth Policy also outlines some of the
rights and responsibilities that each Jamaican
youth should enjoy.
All Jamaican youth have the right to:
 Life;
 Freedom from discrimination;


An identity, name and nationality;
Freedom of expression, culture and religion;
 Basic healthcare and education;
 Be protected from abuse—physical and
psychological;
 Participate in decision making that affects
their well-being;
 Opportunities to optimise their growth and
development;
 Access to services and information that will
enhance their development.
All Jamaican youth have the responsibility
to:
• Take ownership of their future and decision
making that affects their well-being;
 Take advantage of opportunities to
develop and participate in decision-making
processes;
 Acquire the best education possible;
 Respect themselves, others and the
environment;
 Be good citizens and contribute to social
and economic development;
48 JA-STYLE
 Care for, support and protect those less well
off;
 Advocate for their development.
The Child Care and
Protection Act (2004)
T
his Act seeks to protect the rights
of Jamaican children to quality
education, healthy lifestyles, and protection
from abuse, violence and neglect and also
from HIV/AIDS. The overall goal of the Act is
to ensure that children can live full productive
and useful lives. The Act makes provisions for:
 The establishment of an Office of Children’s
Advocate to act in legal matters on behalf
of children.
 The establishment of a central Children’s
Registry for the reporting of abuse of
children.
 Formulation of standard principles to be
upheld in dealing with matters affecting
children: The standards are founded on the
tenets of the International Convention on
the Rights of the Child.
 Parental responsibility and government
support for the welfare of children.
 Increased penalties for violations of the
rights of children and other offences under
the Act.
Jamaican law recognises children as any
person between 0 and 18 years. The Child Care
and Protection Act provides protection for any
person who falls into this age group and gives
specific attention to the following categories
of children:
 Children in need of care and protection:
those who are in danger of being, or have
been, abandoned, neglected or abused;
 Children in conflict with the law: those who
have committed offences and are brought
before the Court;
The Act also outlines offences against children
and the penalties that can be handed down.
Offences include:
 Physical abuse, ill treatment and emotional
abuse;
 Sexual/carnal abuse;
 Child labour;
 Aggravated assault and murder;
 Failure to report suspected abuse;
 Administrative offences (unauthorised

disclosure of reports);
Publishing the identity of a child (it is an
offence to publish a report of any children’s
Court proceedings which reveals details
such as name, address, school or picture,
leading to the identification of a child who
is a victim, the subject of dispute before a
Court, a witness or the accused, unless the
Court orders that this be done);
 Operating a private or government home
without a license or inspection.
Offence Penalty
Cruelty and neglect J$1 million or 12
months’ imprisonment
Carnal abuse and Capital and non-capital
murder punishment
Child labour J$500,000 or 6 months’
imprisonment at hard
labour
Publishing the identity J$1 million or 12
of a child months’ imprisonment
Operating private and J$500,000, 6 months’
government homes imprisonment or both
without a license
Operating private and J$250,000 or 3 months’
government homes imprisonment if
without allowing payment is not made
inspections
The Education Act (1980)
T
he Education Act mandates that parents
take full responsibility for the education
of their children. It states that it is “the duty of
the parent of every child of compulsory school
age residing in a compulsory education area
to cause him to receive full time education
suitable to his age and ability….” Some of the
provisions made in the Act include:
Age of admission to public
educational institutions
 Pre-primary school: four years
 Primary or all-age school: six years
 Secondary school: 11 years
Advocacy Toolkit 49
 Technical school: 13 years
 Vocational school: 15 years
 Agricultural vocational school: 15 years
Suspension of students
The principal of a public educational
institution may suspend from the institution,
for a period not exceeding ten days, any
student:
 Whose conduct in his/her opinion is of such
a nature that the student’s presence in that
institution is having or is likely to have a
detrimental effect on the discipline of the
institution;
 Who commits any act which causes injury
to any member of staff or to any other
student in that institution.
Where a principal suspends a student, he/she
shall forthwith:
 Give notice of the suspension to the
student council and the parent or guardian
of that student; and
 Make a report to the Board, stating the
reasons for the suspension.
On receipt of the report, the Board shall, during
the period of the suspension, investigate the
matter and after investigation, may:
 Reinstate the student with or without a
reprimand or a warning to the student
and, where appropriate, to his parent or
guardian;
50 JA-STYLE
 Suspend the student for a further period
not exceeding five school days beyond the
period of suspension already given;
Or
 Instruct the principal to exclude
permanently the student from attending
that institution and shall inform the
Minister of such action.
At any hearing by the Board into the conduct
of a student who has been suspended, the
student and parent or guardian shall have
the right to be present, and if the student is
aggrieved by a decision of the Board, he/she
may appeal to the Minister.
Exclusion of students
A student may be excluded from attending a
public educational institution on the following
premises:
 If efforts to improve the conduct of the
student fail;
 If he/she is known to be suffering from a
communicable disease or infestation;
 If a student becomes pregnant.
Student councils
Every public educational institution shall
have a student council which shall consist of
elected representatives of students with at
least one staff advisor being selected by the
students. Through the student council at the
secondary and tertiary levels, the students
shall have the right to:
 Democratically elect their own
representatives;
 Have representation on the Board of the
institution;
 Meet with the principal and staff or both on
any matter affecting students’ interest; and
 Hold regular meetings to conduct business
on their behalf, but with due regard to the
smooth functioning of the institution.
The Policy Guidelines
for Health Professionals
Providing Contraceptives
to Persons under 16 Years,
Adopted by the Ministry of
Health (2004)
T
he main purpose of the policy is to
establish reproductive health policy
guidelines for the provision of contraceptive
advice, counselling and treatment to persons
under 16 years by health professionals at
a health facility. The policy speaks to the
following:
Registration of individuals
A clerk or other staff member of the health
facility will:
 Register any individual requesting services,
whether or not the person is accompanied
by an adult, has a referral or visits on
individual volition;
 Direct such person to a health professional.
Counselling provisions by health
professionals
The heath professional has an ethical
obligation to:
 Ascertain whether the minor is in the care
and control of a parent or guardian;
 Seek to persuade the minor to involve
his/her parent or guardian;
 Determine whether the minor does not
wish the health professional to inform
his/her parent or guardian;
 Respect the minor’s wishes (if s/he is not so
inclined) not to involve his/her parent or
guardian;
 Provide contraceptive-related services
(where his or her best interests warrant this)
such as confidentiality, non-judgmental
health information and respect.
Promoting abstinence
 The health professional should firstly
promote the delay of initiation of sexual
intercourse with full explanation of the
benefits of abstinence for the individual.
Providing non-surgical
contraceptives
The health professional should exercise
his/her best judgment in determining that the
individual:
 Is likely to begin or continue having sexual
intercourse with or without the use of
contraception;
Advocacy Toolkit 51
 Physical and/or mental health are likely to
suffer unless s/he receives contraceptive
advice or treatment;
 Is given detailed and clear information
on all non-surgical contraceptive options
available (including information on any side
effects);
 Receives preferred choice of non-surgical
contraception;
 Understands the nature and the effects of
the treatment given;
 Is encouraged to use dual protection
to reduce the risk of acquiring sexually
transmitted infections.
The National Policy for
HIV/AIDS Management
in Schools, Adopted by the
Ministry of Education and
Youth (2001)
T
he HIV/AIDS National Policy for
Schools was created in 2001 to address
the global spread of HIV/AIDS, the level of
the epidemic in Jamaica and the initiation of
children/students into early sexual behaviour.
The overall goal of the policy is to promote
effective prevention and care within the
context of the educational system. The
objectives of the Policy are to:
 Highlight the existence of the HIV/AIDS
epidemic in Jamaica and in particular the
education system;
 Provide guidelines for institutions on the
52 JA-STYLE
treatment of students and school personnel
infected with HIV/AIDS;
 Promote the use of universal precautions in
all potentially infectious situations;
 Ensure the provision of systematic and
consistent information and educational
material on HIV/AIDS to students and
school personnel throughout the system;
 Reduce the spread of HIV infection;
 Instil non-discriminatory attitudes towards
persons with HIV/AIDS.
The Policy aims to address the following areas:
1. Non-discrimination and equality
 No student or staff member with HIV/AIDS
may be discriminated against directly or
indirectly.
 Students and school personnel with HIV/
AIDS should be treated in a just, humane
and life-affirming way.
 Any special measure in respect of a student
or staff member with HIV should be fair
and justifiable in light of medical facts,
established legal procedures and principles,
ethical guidelines, the best interest of
persons with HIV/AIDS, institutional
conditions and the best interest of other
students and school personnel.
 To prevent discrimination, all students
and school personnel should be educated
about fundamental human rights as
contained in the Constitution of Jamaica
and the UN Convention on the Rights of the
Child.
2. HIV/AIDS testing, admission and
appointment
 No student may be denied admission to
or continued attendance at an institution
because of his or her HIV/AIDS status.

 No staff member may be denied the right

to be appointed to a post or promoted
because of his or her HIV/AIDS status.
Nor shall HIV/AIDS status be a reason for
dismissal or for refusing to renew any staff
member’s employment contract.

 There is no medical justification for routine

testing of students or educators for proof
of HIV infection. The testing of students for
HIV/AIDS as a prerequisite for admission to,
or continued attendance at an educational
institution is prohibited. The testing of staff
members as a prerequisite for appointment disclose his or her HIV/AIDS status to the
or continued service is also prohibited. institution or employer.

 Voluntary disclosure of a student’s

3. Attendance at institutions by or educator’s HIV/AIDS status to the
students with HIV/AIDS
 Students with HIV have the right as any
other to attend educational institutions.
The needs of students with HIV/AIDS with
regard to their right to basic education
should as far as if reasonably practicable be
accommodated in the school or institution.
 Students with HIV/AIDS are expected to
attend classes in accordance with statutory
requirements for as long as they are able.
4. Disclosure and confidentiality
 No student (or parent on behalf of a
student) or educator is compelled to
appropriate authority should be
welcomed, and an enabling environment
should be cultivated in order to facilitate
this disclosure. Confidentiality of such
information must be ensured and any form
of discrimination is prohibited.
 Unauthorised disclosure of HIV/AIDS-
related information could give rise to legal
liability.
 If a medical doctor advises that a child
living with HIV/AIDS poses a significant
health risk to others, the principal may
apply to the Minister of Education to act
under Section 24 of the Education Act.

Advocacy Toolkit 53
5. Education on HIV/AIDS
 A continuing Health and Family Life (HFLE)
and HIV/AIDS education programme
must be implemented at all schools and
institutions for all students and school
personnel. Age-appropriate education on
HIV/AIDS must form part of the curriculum
for all students and should be integrated
in the HFLE programme for pre-primary,
primary and secondary school students.
 Education and information regarding
HIV/AIDS must be given in an accurate
and scientific manner and in language
and terms that are understandable.
Participatory methods of learning including
games, role play and drama are more
effective. Children should be expected to
ask questions and to expect reasonable,
comprehensible and appropriate answers.
6. A safe institutional environment
 The Ministry of Education will ensure that
provisions are in place for all institutions
to implement universal precautions to
eliminate the risk of transmission of all
blood-borne pathogens, including HIV, in
educational institutions.
 All schools and institutions will provide
training in first aid for students, teachers
and staff and require the availability and
maintenance of at least two first aid kits.
 All students, educators and other staff
members, including sports coaches, will
54 JA-STYLE
be given appropriate information and
training on HIV transmission, the handling
and use of first aid kits, the application of
universal precautions and the importance
of adherence to these precautions.
7. Prevention measures related to
play and sport
 Sports participants, including coaches, with
HIV/AIDS must seek medical counselling
before participating in sports in order to
assess risks to their own health as well
as the risk of HIV transmission to other
participants.
8. Refusal to study with or teach a
student with HIV/AIDS, or to work
with or be taught by an educator
with HIV/AIDS
 Refusal to study with a student, or to work
with or be taught by school personnel with,
or perceived to have HIV/AIDS should be
pre-empted by providing accurate and
understandable information on HIV/AIDS
to all staff members, students and their
parents.
 Where the incidence of refusal arises,
the situation should be resolved by the
principal in accordance with the principles
contained in this policy, the Education Act
and other relevant legislation and policies.
Policy for the Management
of Substance Abuse in
the Education System
(September 2004)
T
he purpose of this policy is to ensure
the health, safety and welfare of the
students, teachers and other stakeholders
being served by the school, specifically in
relation to the issue of substance abuse. In the
event that a student is found guilty of abusing
any particular substance(s), the policy outlines
the following courses of action as measures
that can be taken:
 Organised in-school monitoring,
 Community service,
 In-school suspension,
 Referral to other educational or treatment
programmes,
 Suspension after all reasonable attempts
at in-school rehabilitation and due process
in accordance with Regulation 30 of the
Education Regulations,
 Separation after all reasonable attempts at
in-school rehabilitation and due process,
 Referral to law enforcement,
 Other reasonable and pertinent sanctions.
1
M Hemmati and K Seliger, eds., The Stakeholder Toolkit: A Resource for Women and NGOs [UNED Forum],
http://www.earthsummit2002.org/toolkits/women/index.htm.
Convention on the
Elimination of All Forms
of Discrimination against
Women (CEDAW) Adopted
by the UN General Assembly
in December 1979; Signed
by Jamaica in July 1980 and
Ratified in October 1984
CEDAW is the first international document
to concentrate exclusively on the political,
economic, cultural, social and family
rights of women. The Convention defines
discrimination against women as “…any
distinction, exclusion or restriction made
on the basis of sex which has the effect
or purpose of impairing or nullifying the
recognition, enjoyment or exercise by women,
irrespective of their marital status, on a basis of
equality of men and women, of human rights
and fundamental freedoms in the political,
economic, social, cultural, civil or any other
field.”1
One of the drawbacks to CEDAW is that it does
not specifically address youth; however, quite
a few of its articles delve into some specific
concerns of young women. Therefore, you may
find the following articles to be of importance:
Article 10: ‘States shall take all appropriate
measures to eliminate discrimination…in
particular to ensure, on a basis of equality
of men and women…the reduction of
Advocacy Toolkit 55
 female student drop out rates and the
organisation of programmes for girls and
women who have left school prematurely.’
Article 10: Women are entitled to ‘Access to
specific educational information to help
to ensure the health and well-being of
families, including information and advice
on family planning.’2
Article 16: Women have ‘the same right
freely to choose a spouse and to enter
into marriage only with their full and
free consent. Women also have the right
to decide freely and responsibly on the
number and spacing of their children
and to have access to the information,
education and means to enable them to
exercise these rights.’2
Convention on the Rights of
the Child (CRC), Ratified by
Jamaica in May 1991
T
he CRC was adopted by the General
Assembly in November 1989 and has
since been the most widely and rapidly
ratified human rights treaty in history.3 It
is also the first international human rights
convention that incorporates the full range
of human rights—civil, political, economic,
social and cultural. The Convention represents
international consensus on the rights of the
child and applies to all children up to the age
of 18 or as otherwise stipulated by national
United Nations, Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women [Text],
2
New York: Author, 1970; http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/cedaw/text/econvention.htm.
UNICEF, Voices of Youth: Be in the Know [CRC Fact Sheet],
3
http://www.unicef.org/voy/explore/rights/explore_148.html.
56 JA-STYLE
law. The CRC makes the following provisions
for children and adolescents:
1. Non-discrimination: All rights apply to all
children without exception. It is the state’s
obligation to protect children from any
form of discrimination and to take positive
action to promote their rights.
2. Best interests of the child: All actions
concerning the child must take full
account of his or her best interests. States
shall provide the child with adequate care
when parents or others charged with that
responsibility fail to do so.
3. Implementation of rights: The state
must do all it can to implement all the
rights contained in the Convention.
4. Parental guidance and the child’s
evolving capacities: The state has a duty
to respect the rights and responsibilities
of parents and the wider family to provide
guidance which is appropriate to a child’s
evolving capacities.
5. Survival and development: Every child
has the inherent right to life, and the state
has an obligation to ensure the child’s
survival and development.
6. Name and nationality: A child has the
right to a name at birth. The child also has
the right to acquire a nationality and as far
as possible, to know his or her parents and
to be cared for by them.
7. Preservation of identity: The state is
obligated to protect and, if necessary,
re-establish the basic aspects of a child’s
identity. This includes name, nationality
and family ties.
8. Separation from parents: Each child
has the right to live with his/her parents
unless such is deemed incompatible with
his/her best interest. The child also has
the right to maintain contact with both
parents if separated from one or both.
9. Family re-unification: Children and
their parents have the right to leave any
country and to enter their own for the
purpose of re-union or the maintenance
of the child-parent relationship.
10. Illicit transfer and non-return: The
state is obligated to prevent and remedy
the kidnapping or retention of children
abroad by a parent or third party.
11. Child’s opinion: A child has the right to
express his or her opinion freely and to
have that opinion taken into account in
any matter or procedure affecting the
child.
12. Freedom of expression: A child has
the right to express his or her views,
obtain information and make ideas or
information known regardless of frontiers.
13. Freedom of thought, conscience and
religion: The state shall respect the child’s
right to freedom of thought, conscience
and religion, subject to appropriate
parental guidance.
14. Freedom of association: Each child has
a right to meet with others or to join or
form associations.
15. Protection of privacy: Children have the
right to protection from interference with
privacy, family, home, correspondence
and from libel or slander.
16. Access to appropriate information:
The state shall ensure the accessibility
of children to information and material
from a diversity of sources, and it shall
encourage the mass media to disseminate
information which is of social and cultural
benefit to the child and take steps to
protect him or her from harmful materials.
17. Parental responsibility: Parents have
joint primary responsibility for raising
the child, and the state shall provide
appropriate assistance to the parents in
child-raising.
18. Protection from abuse and neglect: The
state shall protect the child from all forms
of maltreatment by parents or others
responsible for the care of the child and
establish appropriate social programmes
for the prevention of abuse and the
treatment of victims.
19. Protection of children without families:
The state is obliged to provide special
protection for a child deprived of the
family environment and to ensure that
appropriate alternative family care or
institutional placement is available in
such cases. Efforts to meet this obligation
shall pay due regard to the child’s cultural
background.
Advocacy Toolkit 57
20. Adoption: In countries where adoption
is recognised and/or allowed, it shall only
be carried out in the best interests of the
child and then only with the authorisation
of competent authorities and safeguards
for the child.
21. Refugee children: Special protection
shall be granted to a refugee child or
to a child seeking refugee status. It is
that state’s obligation to cooperate with
competent organisations which provide
such protection and assistance.
22. Disabled children: A disabled child has
the right to special care, education and
training to help him/her enjoy a full and
decent life in dignity and achieve the
greatest degree of self reliance and social
integration possible.
23. Health and health services: The child has
the right to the highest standard of health
and medical care attainable. States shall
place special emphasis on the provision
of primary and preventive health care,
public health education and the reduction
of infant mortality. They shall encourage
international cooperation in this regard
and strive to see that no child is deprived
of access to effective health services.
24. Periodic review of placement: A child
who is placed by the state for reason of
care, protection or treatment is entitled to
have that placement evaluated regularly.
25. Social security: The child has the right
to benefit from social security, including
social insurance.
58 JA-STYLE
26. Standard of living: Every child has the
right to a standard of living adequate for
his or her physical, mental, spiritual, moral
and social development.
27. Education: The child has a right to
education and the state’s duty is to
ensure that primary education is free
and compulsory, to encourage different
forms of secondary education accessible
to every child and make higher education
available to all on the basis of capacity.
School discipline shall be consistent with
the child’s rights and dignity. The state
shall engage in international cooperation
to implement this right.
28. Aims of education: Education shall aim at
developing the child’s personality, talents
and mental and physical abilities to the
fullest extent. Education shall prepare
the child for an active adult life in a free
society and foster respect for the child’s
parents, his or her own cultural identity,
language, values and for the cultural
background and values of others.
29. Children of minorities or indigenous
people: Children of minority communities
and indigenous populations have the
right to enjoy their own religion and
language.
30. Leisure, recreation and cultural
activities: The child has the right to
leisure, play and participation in cultural
and artistic activities.
31. Child labour: The child has the right to
be protected from work that threatens his
 or her health, education or development.
The state shall set minimum ages for
employment and regulate working
conditions.
32. Drug abuse: Children have the right
to protection from the use of narcotic
and psychotropic drugs and from
being involved in their production or
distribution.
33. Sexual exploitation: The state shall
protect children from sexual exploitation
and abuse, including prostitution and
involvement in pornography.
34. Sale, trafficking and abduction: It is the
state’s obligation to make every effort to
prevent the sale, trafficking and abduction
of children.
35. Other forms of exploitation: The child
has the right to protection from all forms
of exploitation prejudicial to any aspects
of the child’s welfare.
36. Torture and deprivation of liberty: No
child shall be subjected to torture, cruel
treatment or punishment, unlawful arrest
or deprivation of liberty. Both capital
punishment and life imprisonment
without the possibility of release are
prohibited for offences committed
by persons below 18 years. Any child
deprived of liberty shall be separated
from adults unless it is considered in the
child’s best interests not to do so. A child
who is detained shall have legal and other
assistance as well as contact with family.
37. Armed conflicts: States/parties shall
take feasible measures to ensure that
children under 15 years of age have no
direct part in hostilities. No child below 15
shall be recruited into the armed forces.
States shall also ensure the protection
and care of children who are affected by
armed conflict as described in relevant
international law.
38. Rehabilitative care: The state has an
obligation to ensure that child victims
of armed conflicts, torture, neglect,
maltreatment or exploitation receive
appropriate treatment for their recovery
and social reintegration.
39. Administration and juvenile justice:
A child in conflict with the law has the
right to treatment which promotes the
child’s sense of dignity and worth, takes
the child’s age into account and aims at
his or her reintegration into society. The
child is entitled to basic guarantees as
well as legal or other assistance for his
or her defence. Judicial proceedings and
institutional placements shall be avoided
wherever possible.
40. Respect for highest standards:
Wherever standards set in applicable
national and international law relevant
to the rights of the child are higher than
those in the Convention, the higher
standard shall always apply.
Advocacy Toolkit 59
International Conference on
Population and Development
(ICPD), 1994
T
he ICPD (also known as the Cairo
Consensus) was held in Cairo, Egypt,
where 179 member states and thousands of
NGOs converged to negotiate a 20-year action
plan for men, women and youth relative to
population and development policies. The
following were put forth to improve the
situation of youth:
Action 5.5: ‘Measures should be adopted and
enforced to eliminate child marriages and
female genital mutilation.’
Action 6.8: ‘Countries should give high
priority and attention to…the protection,
survival and development of children and
youth, particularly street children and youth,
and should make every effort to eliminate the
adverse effects of poverty on children and
youth, including malnutrition and preventable
diseases. Equal educational opportunities
must be ensured for boys and girls at every
level.’
Action 6.13: ‘Countries should aim to
meet the needs and aspirations of youth,
particularly in the areas of formal and non-
formal education, training, employment
opportunities, housing and health.’
Action 6.15: ‘Youth should be actively
involved in the planning, implementation
and evaluation of development activities
60 JA-STYLE
that have a direct impact on their daily lives.
This is especially important with respect to
information, education and communication
activities and services concerning
reproductive and sexual health, including the
prevention of early pregnancies, sex education
and the prevention of HIV/AIDS and other
sexually transmitted diseases.’
The UN Standard Minimum
Rules for the Administration
of Juvenile Justice (the
Beijing Rules)
T
he Beijing Rules were adopted by the
UN General Assembly in 1985. They aim
at promoting juvenile welfare to the greatest
possible extent, in an effort to minimise the
necessity of intervention by the juvenile
justice system, and in turn, reduce the harm
that may be caused by any intervention. The
Standard Minimum Rules are deliberately
formulated so as to be applicable within
different legal systems and, at the same
time, to set some minimum standards for
the handling of juvenile offenders under any
definition of a juvenile and under any system
of dealing with juvenile offenders. The Rules
are always to be applied impartially and
without distinction of any kind. Some of the
general principles of the Beijing Rules include:
 Member states shall seek, in conformity
with their respective general interests, to
further the well-being of the juvenile and
her or his family.
 Member states shall endeavour to develop
conditions that will ensure for the juvenile
a meaningful life in the community, which,
during that period in life when she or he is
most susceptible to deviant behaviour, will
foster a process of personal development
and education that is as free from crime
and delinquency as possible.

 Sufficient attention shall be given to

positive measures that involve the full
mobilisation of all possible resources,
including the family, volunteers and other
community groups, as well as schools
and other community institutions, for the
purpose of promoting the well-being of
The International Covenant
the juvenile, with a view to reducing the on Civil and Political Rights
need for intervention under the law and (ICCPR), Signed by Jamaica
of effectively, fairly and humanely dealing
in 1966 and Ratified in 1975
with the juvenile in conflict with the law.

 Juvenile justice shall be conceived as an

integral part of the national development
process of each country, within a
T


o date, the ICCPR forms one of the main
sources of international law that is
applicable to Jamaica, allowing for the
comprehensive framework of social justice following:
for all juveniles, thus, at the same time,  The right to life;
contributing to the protection of the young
 The right to freedom of speech;
and the maintenance of a peaceful order in
society.  The right to freedom of assembly;
 These Rules shall be implemented in the  The right to freedom of conscience;
context of economic, social and cultural
 The right to freedom of religion;
conditions prevailing in each Member state.
 Freedom from slavery, torture, inhumane or
 Juvenile justice services shall be
degrading treatment, forced or compulsory
systematically developed and coordinated
labour and arbitrary arrest;
with a view to improving and sustaining
the competence of personnel involved  The right to due process under the law;
in the services, including their methods,
approaches and attitudes.

Advocacy Toolkit 61
 The right to the presumption of innocence
during legal proceedings;
 The right to equal treatment before the law.
These provisions are broad and can be
enjoyed by adults, children and youth.
However, the ICCPR also makes special
provision for children by mandating that
persons under the age of 18 should not face
the death penalty. Added to this, Articles 14
and 24 make specific reference to adolescents
where they indicate that in any case of a
criminal nature involving ‘juvenile persons’,
the procedures shall take account of their
age and the desirability of promoting their
rehabilitation.
The International Covenant
on Economic, Social and
Cultural Rights (ICESCR),
Ratified by Jamaica in 1975
T
he ICESCR addresses, among other
things:
 The right to an adequate standard of living
for self and family,
 Freedom from hunger,
 The right to enjoy the highest attainable
standard of physical and mental health and
education,
 The right to take part in the cultural life of
one’s country.
Article 10 speaks to youth (15–24), thus
including adolescents (15–19), in relation to
62 JA-STYLE
the need for special measures of protection
and assistance to be taken on their behalf.
It refers to the right of young persons to
be protected from economic and social
exploitation. It mentions that any employment
in work which could be harmful to their
morals or health, dangerous to life or could
hamper their normal development, should
be punishable by law and the requirement
for countries to set an age limit below which
the paid employment of children should be
prohibited.
The Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs),
Adopted by the UN General
Assembly in 2000
J amaica was a party to the adoption of the
MDGs. There are eight goals (four have
direct relevance to children and youth),
including:
 Achieve Universal Primary Education: This
goal seeks to ensure that by 2015, children
everywhere, boys and girls alike, complete
a full course of primary schooling.
 Promote Gender Equality and Empower
Women: The aim of this goal is to remove
gender gaps in primary and secondary
education, preferably by 2005, and at all
levels of education no later that 2015.
 Reduce Child Mortality: The intention of
this goal is to reduce by two thirds the
under-5 mortality rate by 2015.
 Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger: u Provide access to affordable essential
The target of this goal seeks is to reduce by drugs;
half the proportion of people living on less
u Make available benefits of new
than US$1 a day as well as to reduce by half
technologies, especially information and
the proportion of people who suffer from
communications;
hunger.
u Develop an open rule-based,
 Ensure environmental sustainability: This
predictable, non-discriminatory trading
goal seeks to halve by 2015 the number of
and financial system—commitment to
people without sustainable access to safe
good governance, development and
drinking water.
poverty reduction both nationally and
 Develop a global partnership for internationally.
development: This goal seeks to meet the
 Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other
following targets:
diseases: This goal seeks to halt and
u Develop and implement strategies for thereafter reverse the incidence of HIV/
decent and productive work for youth; AIDS, malaria and other diseases by 2015.

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