Advocacy August 2023: Climbing MENTOR”s Ladder of Advocacy
August 1, 2023
Each year, during Advocacy August, MENTOR organizes a grassroots campaign to urge public officials to increase funding and support for quality youth mentoring programs. This August, however, is different from previous years: funding that supports young people is under threat of significant cuts as a result of the debt ceiling and spending deal made earlier this year by Congress and the White House. As such, your engagement in the Advocacy August campaign has never been more important; we’re calling on you to become one of the Mentoring Movement’s Agents of Change by climbing MENTOR’s Ladder of Advocacy.
Becoming a Mentoring Movement Agent of Change
Becoming an Agent of Change means becoming an expert advocate and organizer for your own community. As you climb each step of the Ladder of Advocacy, you will acquire the skills necessary to become an advocacy leader yourself. Agents of Change are the advocates who MENTOR will rely on to take action and help organize others around the country to engage. With the steps outlined below and in the Advocacy August Checklist, you can track your progress in increasing your skills and taking action to support America’s young people. MENTOR will track the most engaged advocates this month and reach out after the campaign’s conclusion with an invitation to formally join the Agents of Change program.
Here’s how you can climb each rung of the Ladder of Advocacy this month to become an Agent of Change:
Step 1: Awareness. Learn about the mentoring movement and why advocating is important.
The “Awareness” step is when youth mentoring advocates become familiar with the mentoring movement and how they can get involved. Advocacy August will present Awareness activities such as:
- Read an advocacy blog post (like this one!)
- Visit MENTOR’s Advocacy August webpage
- Review a research summary, like this one on the topic of mentoring youth in rural communities
- Watch the recording of last month’s Mentoring Movement Organizing Call in support of the Youth Mentoring Grant
Step 2: Interest. Make a commitment to develop a personal stake in the mentoring movement.
Advocates can climb the “Interest” step of MENTOR’s Ladder of Advocacy by indicating to organizers that they’d like to become more involved with the movement’s advocacy efforts, such as:
- Pledging to become an advocate for mentoring and climb the Ladder of Advocacy at our Advocacy August webpage
- Registering for the virtual Youth-Led Advocacy Guide Release Party
Step 3: Engagement. Use resources to enhance your knowledge and respond to action alerts.
Advocates can reach the “Engagement” step of the ladder when they take time to enhance their advocacy skills or participate in a low-risk action in support of policy that expands quality mentoring. This could include contacting their elected officials directly through an “Action Center.” This Advocacy August, MENTOR encourages you to engage in the following ways:
- Complete the three pre-recorded Advocate Academy trainings and assignments
- Respond to MENTOR’s Action Alert by writing or tweeting to your elected officials
- Share your mentoring story if you are a past recipient of federal funding
- Attend the Youth-Led Advocacy Guide release party and review the resource
Step 4: Advocacy. Deepen your engagement skills by applying them to expand the movement.
The fourth rung of the ladder, “Advocate,” is about youth mentoring advocates “leveling up” their actions to build relationships with elected officials. On this step, advocates will use deeper, personalized tactics, such as:
- Calling your elected officials through MENTOR’s Action Center
- Sending a personal email to an elected official’s office who you’ve met with in the past, urging them to support legislation and policies that expand the mentoring movement
- Signing your organization on to a coalition letter of support for MENTOR’s policy priorities
- Drafting and submitting an op-ed to a local media outlet
Step 5: Organizing. Create and share opportunities to take action with other advocates in your community.
Those who reach the final rung of the Ladder of Advocacy, “Organizing,” are the Mentoring Movement’s Agents of Change. These advocates can be relied upon to help activate their network and community to take action. Activities in the “organizing” rung include:
- Coordinate a site visit for your elected officials
- Share MENTOR’s Advocacy August activities with your network, including newsletters, social media/online groups or interpersonal outreach
Your voice will be critical in the coming months to help avoid cuts in funding that supports young people and mentoring programs. Join us in taking action this month to become an Agent of Change for the Mentoring Movement!