SPEAK UP - and be a Voice For Champions!
Hey guys!
Sorry for being MIA for a while! But I'm back and I am so excited to get to writing regularly for you all!
I wanted to get right back into it today - the whole point of Voice For Champions is to be a safe place for advocacy and learning more about type 1 diabetes. This post is really about stepping up whenever you get a chance - whether for yourself or for others - and to be proud of what you are speaking for.
I've been up to a lot of advocating for the past six months - calling Congress, visiting Capitol Hill in D.C., visiting congress members in my home state, writing emails and voicing my concerns in town hall meetings. So for this blog post, I wanted to share my tips and tricks for being proactive and getting more involved in advocacy efforts!
I hope you all enjoy this post!! :)
1. START ANYWHERE
Honestly this first step is exactly as easy as it sounds! Start by identifying what you're passionate about, and start there. Think about what fires you up, what you love, and what you truly want to fight for. It can be anything and it can be everything, just make sure you truly love doing what you choose!
2. BE PROACTIVE
You have to make sure you are willing to put in the time for advocacy. Depending on how involved you want to be, it can be time consuming, but that's what makes it SO rewarding! The feeling you get when you help other people is like no other, and making a difference in our community is one of the best ways of giving back. So make sure you stay on top of your advocacy efforts - keep calling, writing, emailing - everything you can to make yourself heard. It's important to be determined and persistent in advocacy, it'll take you a lot further and get a lot more accomplished!
3. DON'T GIVE UP
Along the point of being proactive, it's also important to not give up! Advocacy is a lot of work, but it can also be hard and frustrating at times when you love what your advocating but things don't go as planned. It also takes time! So be patient, and just believe that at the end of the day, everything you do to advocate helps in the effort to get to the bigger picture!
4. SPEAK UP AND BE HEARD
In advocacy, it's all about speaking up and not letting anyone try to quiet you. It's crucial to make sure that no matter what you speak up. Your opinion matters, no matter how small you think it may be. It's the small ideas that accumulate and grow into larger, live-changing laws, rules, and ideas. It's an integral part of advocacy to make sure you contribute in all the possible ways you can, so don't be afraid of being "wrong" or saying something "silly!" EVERYTHING COUNTS!
5. SHOW YOUR APPRECIATION!!!
This is probably one of the most important things to do in advocacy! Making sure that you show your appreciativeness to everyone you meet along the way is very important. The people you see are also working SO hard to get the same results you are trying to achieve! They work long hard hours and are some of the most self-less people you will see, and it's important to show them how much you appreciate them and their efforts. Saying thank you goes a long way, and it keeps everyone's hope and spirits up!
Well, I hope you guys enjoyed this post about some of the top advocacy tricks that I believe the most in, and I hope that everyone reading this will be inspired to fight for something that they care deeply about. Having a passion in life is just one of the ways we can give back and make our community a better place. Thank you for visiting, and I'll see you guys back here soon!
All my love!
- B
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------"Because together we'll go from type ONE, to type NONE!"