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Strategic Self-Advocacy: personal power, global change.

Strategic Self‑Advocacy (SSA)

Noise isn’t strategy. Strategic Self-Advocacy is the discipline of advocating for yourself with clarity, sustainability, and systemic awareness — so individuals build personal power, and communities drive global change.

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Collage: maps, notes, and allies collaborating

Personal Power


Tools and strategies anyone can learn, adapt, and use to advocate for themselves effectively.

Collective Strength


When individual voices connect, patterns emerge and coalitions form — making change harder to ignore.

Global Change


Local practice adds up: from classrooms to boardrooms to international forums, advocacy reshapes systems.

Why Self‑Advocacy Matters

Research and lived experience converge on a simple truth: self‑advocacy is one of the strongest predictors of sustainable success. With SSA, those outcomes aren’t left to chance — they’re built on strategy.

  • Students who request adjustments and use supports perform better and stay enrolled longer.
  • Employees who advocate for clarity and growth progress faster and more fairly.
  • Communities that organise and self‑advocate achieve stronger policy and funding outcomes.
“One voice builds personal power. Strategy makes it global change.”
— Strategic Self‑Advocacy Project

The Five Elements of SSA

Abstract power map with nodes and lines
Element 1

Map Power

Identify who decides what, and where influence really sits.

Notebook, calendar, and timestamped notes
Element 2

Document Patterns

Keep records so issues can’t be dismissed as one-offs.

Forking pathways diagram symbolising escalation choices
Element 3

Choose the Arena

Escalate wisely: internal, regulator, or international mechanism.

Joined hands over a table with shared notes
Element 4

Build Coalitions

Allies amplify impact; advocacy rarely succeeds in isolation.

Calm workspace with tea, headphones, and a short to‑do list
Element 5

Protect Your Energy

Effective advocacy is sustainable; survival shouldn’t cost you everything.

Build your SSA practice

Subscribe for new tools, join a course, or collaborate to embed SSA in your organisation.

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Get Involved

  • Subscribe for new SSA tools and resources.
  • Join a course to build your practice in your own context.
  • Collaborate with us to embed SSA in your organisation.

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