Week 11 Advocacy

Devotion

Esther 4:10-17
Esther spoke to Hathach and gave him a message for Mordecai: ¹¹ “All the king’s servants and the people of the king’s provinces know that, if any man or woman goes to the king inside the inner court without being called, there is but one law: to be put to death. Only if the king holds out the golden scepter to someone may that person live. I myself have not been called to come in to the king for thirty days.” ¹² When they told Mordecai what Esther had said, ¹³ Mordecai told them to reply to Esther, “Do not think that in the king’s palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews. ¹⁴ For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. Who knows? Perhaps you have come to royal dignity for just such a time as this.” ¹⁵ Then Esther said in reply to Mordecai, ¹⁶ “Go, gather all the Jews to be found in Susa, and hold a fast on my behalf, and neither eat nor drink for three days, night or day. I and my maids will also fast as you do. After that I will go to the king, though it is against the law, and if I perish, I perish.” ¹⁷ Mordecai then went away and did everything as Esther had ordered him.

Open Ended

In your own words, what is Advocacy in the context of redemptive service?

Advocacy is:

• Identifying underlying issues that perpetuate problems

• Influencing those in power to provide structural solutions

What do we mean by Power?

• Power = the ability of someone (or a group) to accomplish goals despite the opposition/resistance of others

Multiple Choice

What is the relationship between Advocates and Power?

• Advocates hold power and want power for themselves

• Advocates have no power

• Advocates seek to benefit personally from obtaining power

• Advocates hold some power but use it to influence those in power

When the barriers for accessing power are so high that people cannot or do not want to advocate for themselves (often due to possible negative consequences)

Advocacy for People

Allyship - adds to the existing voice, energy, and efforts already being done by members of the disenfranchised community

Advocacy with People

The efforts of the disenfranchised community working on their own behalf

Self-Advocacy

Open Ended

What is an example of people/communities that need advocacy today?

​Buildings, sewage, septic systems, water and plumbing, cell towers, high-speed internet access, sidewalks, public transportation, etc.

Built Environments

Explicitly written or spoken laws that govern social interactions

Policies

Unspoken rules that govern behavior (culture, values, beliefs)

Social Norms

polarisproject.org/policy-and-legislation

Worldvisionadvocacy.org

Advocacy Groups