Advocacy 101: Influential Writing

I never really knew why we were taught how to write business letters in junior high until I attended a webinar designed to increase advocacy to encourage governments to prioritize ending poverty by 2030. Seem crazy? Well I assure you it is more than possible if we meet the goals we have previously set. Unfortunately this is not happening. Of Canada’s promised 0.7% of their GNI*, only 0.24% is actually being put towards our international development fund. This means that less money and support are reaching people who live on less than $1.35 (USD) per day.

But it doesn’t have to be this way. We, as youth, have the ability to advocate for this change through persuasive speeches and letter writing and this doesn’t have to be a chore. Following this basic format can be pretty easy and it is concise enough that you don’t necessarily have to be an expert on the topic to be able to have an opinion. In fact, this can be done in seven easy steps.

1) Ensure letters are strategic

Send them to specific people who can address the problem, not a general letter that can look like spam.

2) Be constructive and non-partisan

If change for the better is more important than which political party is elected than this will allow for the change to be more effective.

3) Letters should be brief

(1-2 pages max – even shorter if you are sending the letter to a newspaper) – Use the EPIC structure (Engage, Problem, Inform of solution, Call to action) Click here for more information on the EPIC structure.

4) Choose a single subject

Yes there are lots of issues in the world that you would want to be addressed and solved but limiting yourself to one per letter is the best way to really get the thought across.

5) Include relevant facts

Two to four is plenty.

6) A clear request

This is the most important part, it’s your call to action and can be something along the lines of “Will you write to [relevant person] about [your issue]?” It should be a yes or no question that can be checked up on.

7) Your signature and address

This is important so that you can be contacted by your person of interest and so that they can let you know if they did follow through with your request. Attaching a name to a message can be powerful within itself because otherwise they might as well be reading a newspaper article with statistics.

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