Self- Advocacy

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How are you feeling today?!
 What is Self-Advocacy?
● Ability to communicate your needs
● People who self-advocate are more likely to thrive in
school, work, and life
● Self-advocacy skills can be learned at any age
Foundation of Self-Advocacy
● At the heart, self-advocacy is the ability to communicate what
your needs are
● Share some examples of what your needs are –
○ Ex: “I need help with math. I don’t understand how you
got from point A to point B.”
● There is nothing wrong with asking for help! – It’s normal to
feel shy and uncomfortable asking for help – BUT!! That’s why
we practice.
 What are the 3 key elements to self-
advocacy?

Understanding Knowing Communicating

Your Needs What kind of support might These needs to others
help
 These are life skills you’ll be using until
you’re old! My goal is for you to feel
confident within yourself to ask for help if
needed.
 How you can learn self-advocacy
● Takes TIME! And PRACTICE!
○ Be aware of your strengths and challenges
● Ask yourself this:
○ What am I good at?
○ Where do I struggle?
○ What do I like and not like?
● Who am I comfortable with?
○ Teachers?
○ Parents?
○ Friends?
● Growth mindset → Believe that there is room to
improve
What are your strengths?