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TEACHING ELECTRONIC ADVOCACY
In teaching about Electronic Advocacy, a good assignment would be to ask students to study an online advocacy organization.
The assignment would be to review the organization's web site and document how the organization addressed/failed to address
each stage in the organizing process. Students could complete the following form:
- Social problem addressed by the organization:
- Goals and objectives of the organization:
- Process by which goals and objectives were set:
- Action plan of the organization
- Electronic tactics, techniques, and tools used by the organization:
- Assessment of the effectiveness of the organization:
EXAMPLES OF ELECTRONIC ADVOCACY WEB SITES
International Level
Amnesty International
http://www.amnesty.org
Revolutionary Association of Women of Afghanistan
http://www.rawa.org
National Level
MoveOn.org
http://www.moveon.org
Regional Level
New England Network for Child, Youth, and Family Services
http://www.nenetwork.org/info-policy/ElecAdvo/
Local Level
Neighborhoods Online
http://www.neighborhoodsonline.net/
KEY POINTS
Electronic Advocacy is a growing force on the landscape of advocacy at all levels. To remain current, social work educators,
practitioners, and students should learn how to utilize this new tool. There are several important points that we should
remember as we move into this new area of practice:
• In teaching and practicing the social work role of “advocate”, we can use the Internet as a source of
information and factual data.
• We can also advocate electronically, using email, listservs, web pages, online petitions, and other technological
tools and techniques.
• Electronic advocacy is a new tool for social worker educators, practitioners, and students to use in pursuing Social
and Economic Justice.
• Electronic advocacy can be used at all levels of practice, from international to local
• There is a vast array of advocacy web sites to which social work educators can refer students.
• This is a feasible and economic method of introducing our students to practice at the regional, national and international
levels.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Amnesty International (http://www.amnesty.org)
Hick, S. and McNutt, J. (2002). Communities and Advocacy on the Internet: A Conceptual Framework in Advocacy, Activism and
the Internet. Chicago: Lyceum Press. (http://www.socialpolicy.ca/hr/hick1.htm, 2002)
MoveOn.org (http://www.moveon.org)
Neighborhoods Online (http://www.iscv.org)
New England Network for Child, Youth, and Family Services (http://www.nenetwork.org/info-policy/ElecAdvo/)
Revolutionary Association of Women of Afghanistan (http://www.rawa.org)
Social Design Notes (2003). (http://www.backspace.com/notes/2003/06/02/x.html)
US Government Printing Office (http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/locators/cgp/index.html)
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