TOPIC: Advocating for self

Learning Intentions:

  • We are learning what self-advocacy is
  • We are learning how to communicate effectively to get our needs met in a socially appropriate way
  • We are learning to identify our own needs and values

Success Criteria:

  • We know we are successful when students can share ideas for strengthening one’s self-advocacy skills
  • We know we are successful whenwe can use our self-advocacy skills to tell someone what we need
  • We know we are successful when we are better able to achieve our short and long-term goals

Materials for the Activity:

  • Large post it paper/easel/chalkboard/whiteboard
  • Markers/chalk
  • Check-In Check-Out Rubric

Standard Circle Set Up:

  • Chairs in a circle (preferably without desk attached)
  • Center piece in center of circle
  • 3-4 talking pieces around the center piece
  • 2-4 copies of the group’s shared agreements

Group Procedure

Welcome

Greet students, get in circle. If needed, seat students strategically. Notice how the group is doing today (e.g. high or low energy, high or low motivation). If needed, remind students of the shared agreements. You can ask a student to volunteer to read them or read them yourself.

Ice breaker

If you were president of the United States, what law would you create or change and why?*Try to choose the first person that volunteered. *If he/she begins speaking without a talking piece, remind him/her to choose one. *If he/she does not pass it to the left when done, remind him/her to do so. *Remember who started so you know who will be the last person to speak.

Prior Week Reflection

Pass out the prior week CICO rubric. Have students reflect on their performance by stating: Let’s take some time to review our goal for the week. Take some time to determine if you achieved your goal, what worked, and what didn’t work so well. Then we will send the talking piece around for everyone to share. After a minute has passed, assess group to determine if everyone is ready to start. Then ask: who would like to start?

Topic of the Week

Today we are going to talk about how to be our own best advocate.

Inspiring Word

“I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship.” Louisa May Alcott

Lesson

We will discuss what it means to advocate for yourself. We will then explore some strategies for self-advocating. In addition, we’ll identify personal interests, values and goals so that we are better able to advocate for our individual needs.

On large post-it paper write the definition of value and advocacy (students should have had these definitions already in the Shared Values Lesson so hopefully you can go over these definitions quickly).

Value: principles we consider most important or moral codes that we live by

Advocacy: an individual’s ability to effectively communicate, convey, negotiate or assert his or her own interests, desires, needs, and rights. It involves making informed decisions and taking responsibility for those decisions.

  • Explain: To begin our discussion, what is a personal valueof yours that is worth advocating for?
  • Hand students the article entitled “Be Your Own Best Advocate”. Refer to the eight steps about how to advocate for yourself on page one of the articles.
  • Instruct students to get into 4 groups (count by fours or you assign to a group) and assign each group 2 of the 8 ideas for self-advocacy.
  • Each group should chose a spokesperson and a recorder, read the 2 ideas they were assigned, be prepared to share the ideas and why it would be helpful when self advocating. Explain that students have 5 minutes.
  • Explain to the group that has #8 that it may not be a disability but could be an area that is more difficult like vision, hearing, math, or English.
  • Using the circle process, have the spokesperson share the ideas their group was assigned and how it would be helpful when self-advocating.*After all students have the opportunity to share, praise students for their feedback.*
  • Discuss with students when self advocacy should be applied to various life situations. Examples of this would be: your friend is always late picking you up for school in the morning and you are upset that you keep getting marked tardy; your teacher gives you a “C” on a research paper, however, according to the rubric, you think you did “A” work; you want to get a part-time job, but your mother says no, but you feel you can balance work, school, and your social life.

Activity to Practice

  • Now, take 10 minutes to complete the Self Reflection for Self Advocacy Inventory.

Hand students the self reflection for self-advocacy inventory addendum (see page three of this lesson).

  • Using the circle process, please share how you would self-advocate for a short term or long term goal based on your Self Reflection for Self Advocacy Inventory.
  • After all students have the opportunity to share, ask students: Please find a partner and provide constructive feedback to that person about their self-advocacy plan.

Additional activities to complete, if time allows.

  • Role playwith a partner how you would self-advocate for your short or long-term goal.Facilitators should provide feedback and model appropriate self-advocacy skills as needed for the students.

Closing Circle Question

Talk about a value that someone else in the group holds that also has value and meaning to you and why.

Student Agenda

Topic: Advocating for Self

Welcome

Ice breaker

If you were president of the United States, what law would you create or change and why?

Prior Week Reflection

Review your CICO rubric from last week and reflect on your performance. Did you meet your goal? What worked? What didn’t work?

Topic of the Week

Advocating for Self

Inspiring Word

“I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship.” Louisa May Alcott

Lesson

  • Through identifying personal interests, values and goals we are better able to advocate for our individual needs. What is a personal value that you hold that is worth advocating for?
  • Group Activity: Steps needed to successfully advocate for oneself
  • Examples of situations when self-advocacy can be applied

Activity to Practice

  • Self Reflection for Self-Advocacy Inventory
  • Personal examples of self-advocacy based on short and long term goals
  • Possible role plays

Check-In Check-Out Rubric

Make a new goal for the upcoming week. (Idea: What is a need that you currently have for which you could be self-advocating? Which of the 8 steps are you personally willing to try this week?)

Closing

Talk about a value that someone else in the group holds that also has value and meaning to you and why.

Self Reflection for Self Advocacy Inventory

  1. What are the things in my life at this time that I am most interested in or of most value to me?
  1. What do I need in my life to be healthy, happy, and feel good about myself?
  1. What are strategies that I currently use to get my needs met?
  1. What is one short-term goal that I have?
  1. What is one long-term goal that I have?
  1. What do I wish or hope that I will be doing 10 years from now?
  1. What is a need that I currently have for which I should be self-advocating? Describe how you would positively advocate getting this need met.