MAP Youth Rifat Talks About Self-Advocacy

HOW I ADVOCATED FOR MYSELF

AND HOW YOU CAN TOO!

                                    - By Rifat, MAP Youth Communication Specialist

Did you ever speak up for yourself and the topics that are important to you? Do you feel comfortable asking for what you need, want and tell people about your thoughts and feelings? If yes, chances are you were self advocating for yourself. Self-advocacy means you know your rights and responsibilities, you speak-up for your rights, and you are able to make choices and decisions that affect your life.

As a high school student this term was new to me. When I learned about it I realized how I have been using this skill repeatedly in my life. For instance, when I got admitted to my first high school I felt it wasn't the best fit for me. Therefore, I found myself in the principal's room talking about how I could change to the school which was the best fit for me. I gave reasons for my decision and she understood the position I was talking from and respected my opinion. I was advocating for myself and it also involved some negotiation to achieve what I desired. I had to take some extra regents and bring in some good results for the school to get transferred to another high school. And I did it! I smashed the regents and transferred to another high school. That was a success for me and this is just one of the many examples of how advocating for myself has helped me move forward in life.

Whether it's your career, workplace, school or even family members, self-advocacy is a tool that helps you to stand up for what you want and deserve. However, you may be confused on how to actually carry out this process to help you move forward. First and the most important point is to have the courage to stand up for yourself. There have been many moments in my life where I was afraid to speak up to my superiors and accepted the sad reality which I regret now - cause now I feel like I could have handled the worst case scenario for fighting for my rights. Having proper knowledge to advocate for yourself is also crucial, for example, if I didn't know whom to reach out to change my school, my principal, I would most probably have stayed at the same school disappointed. And last but not the least is to ignore what others will think, your life, your rules, let no one else decide what's best for you-only you have the power to do that. It's like giving away your key to happiness to others, basically pleasing them every time with your decisions. With time I feel like I have gotten better at this skill and gathered enough experience to help people out who are struggling to advocate for themselves. I wish I knew these before but I'm grateful I know it now. :)

While surfing through the web on this topic I found this gem that shows a clear, easy to read, step by step tutorial on how to advocate for yourself. You're welcome for saving your time. Visit this website-https://mentalhealthrecovery.com/info-center/how-to-self-advocate/