Advocacy
Washington State Advocacy Resources
Literacy Overview – Adult Basic Education
Click on the Literacy Overview at the bottom of this page to find a collection of materials including
pages listing the amount of need for ABE by community college districts in the state. The tables give the
numbers of people needing ESL and lacking a high school diploma along side the numbers of people currently
receiving ABE services in the area.
WA SBCTC - OAL - Home
The Framework: a Comprehensive Approach to Advocacy for Adult Basic Education
Here’s a framework for developing advocacy material for adult basic education that you can deliver in
a variety of ways. The framework follows the common advocacy message from the State Board for Community and
Technical Colleges – “when one person learns, everyone benefits.” You’ll find
ideas for using learner stories as the centerpiece of the framework and resources for information on adult
literacy and advocacy. The resources for Washington State are particularly helpful for building a message for
your local community. Many of the ideas for using stories and making presentations were collected from volunteer
literacy programs in Washington.
Seattle Consortium Speakers’ Bureau
The consortium of 7 adult basic education providers in Seattle joined resources to support the development
and maintenance of a well-organized speakers’ bureau of learners from the various schools. Coordinated
by a full-time AmeriCorps member, the bureau provides quality training to its student ambassadors while offering
a first-rate service to the community.
Speakers' Bureau
Community Relations: Hopelink – Eastside Literacy
This collection of workshop handouts contains an overview of community relations, tips for giving a speech,
and a speech outline in rich detail for Eastside Literacy in Bellevue that can serve as a model for any program.
National Advocacy Resources
Public Relations: Community Contacts and Resources and Promoting Literacy in Your Community
Great resource! These articles contain long lists of ideas for possible promotional activities and people to invite or involve. Check out other gems in this newly improved website including on-line courses for literacy
program volunteers and managers. Verizon Literacy Network and its newest merged invention, Verizon Thinkfinity, are generous supporters of adult basic education in many ways, offering
information and connections on their website.
Verizon Literacy
Network
Getting the Word Out: Ohio Literacy Network
Comprehensive guide for working with the media, conducting interviews, and other ways of getting the word out.
Getting the Word Out
Library Advocate’s Handbook
This 39 page handbook lays out all the steps for planning an advocacy campaign from developing the message,
making a presentation, dealing with the media and working with legislators. While the context is libraries,
the content is clearly relevant to literacy.
Library Advocate's Handbook
National Center for Family Literacy Advocacy
Site contains some good how to’s for inviting elected officials to your event and organizing site visits
and community PR.
Advocacy Information for Family
Literacy Practitioners & Supporters
Advocacy Kit
Another complete guide to advocacy activities with sections on working with the media and policymakers and conducting
community forums for the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development
About the ASCD Advocacy Kit
U.S. Adult Literacy Programs: Making a Difference
The first link to ProLiteracy gives you this comprehensive guide to literacy needs and results with a review
of research on positive outcomes achieved by literacy programs and the people they serve. The other link gives you
more links to resources
Making a Difference
ProLiteracy Worldwide - Literacy Resources
Literacy Facts Sheets Overview
This site contains detailed data from research on the effects of adult basic education in a number of areas:
workforce education, parent involvement in literacy, literacy and health, ESL literacy, welfare and literacy, and
family environment and family literacy.
National Institute for Literacy - Literacy Fact
Sheets Overview
What Adult Literacy Learners Would Like YOU to Know: The Learners Advisory Network
This document presents learners’ opinions of how they want the world to see themselves represented in
literacy promotional materials and more.
MCL - Learners Advisory Network - What Adult Literacy Learners
Would Like YOU To Know - Page 1
Learners as Advocates
This article lists ten tips for adult learners to follow to be effective advocates when speaking with
legislators and adult education officials. The tips give good advice for anyone preparing to enter the role of advocate
VALUE: Learners as Advocates