After the participants introduced themselves and discussed their expectations for the session, David Cohen set out a conceptual framework for advocacy. The idea is to ask something of someone else, some other institution, which has the power to make the relevant decision. You have to have a certain mindset to do this work. You must be analytical, aware of your opposition but also have a sense of possibility. You must know how to motivate your base of support, how to listen to the base of support, how to let that base's real voice emerge and be heard.
Different campaigns take place in different arenas.
Not everything starts at the beginning. Sometimes you deal with an issue at various and different stages. You have to think about what stage you are in. You can use different methods at different stages. In the early stages, you usually have to do a lot of work to create your own documentation and help people learn how to help themselves.