Citizen Advocacy is where a volunteer Citizen Advocate is matched with a person with a learning disability to form a long-term advocacy partnership.
Citizen Advocacy was created in the 1960s by Dr Wolf Wolfensberger. He recognised that often, a person with learning disabilities did not have anyone around them who was independent of their care and support needs.
He created Citizen Advocacy to support people with learning disabilities to be full citizens of society.
Long-running matches
Some of our matches at The Advonet Group have been running since the mid-2000s. The average match has lasted around three years.
We asked one of our matches how they have benefited from Citizen Advocacy. Here is what they said:
“It’s helped me a bit with problems and things like that.”
“It’s probably had a big impact on my life.”
“They help you.”
Citizen Advocates advocate for their matches in a variety of ways, from just keeping in regular contact to achieving life goals such as owning a pet.
Impacting volunteers
However, Citizen Advocacy doesn’t just impact the match. It also has a real impact on our volunteers’ lives.
Here is an excerpt of a case study from a previous volunteer:
“Being a Citizen Advocate has given me the encouragement and skills to be ready to move on and focus on a paid role. I believe that it was the skills I developed as a Citizen Advocate that got me to where I am today.
“I truly feel like being a Citizen Advocate has changed my life.”
Volunteers needed
We are currently seeking more volunteer Citizen Advocates. If you would like to make a positive impact on someone’s life, please get in touch.
Email Sam, our Volunteer Coordinator, at [email protected] or call 0113 244 0606 and ask for Sam.
