Aktion Club members can build their self-advocacy skills by practicing one activity at every meeting. It’s easy! Set aside 10 minutes during each meeting and ask members to respond to activity prompts that will allow them to review information as a group, journal and then share.

We’ll share five activities below. By the fifth meeting, everyone will know a little more about how to advocate for themselves!

Activity 1: Get to know yourself. Each of the following prompts will help members get to know themselves:

  • Identify your strengths: What are you good at doing? What do you enjoy?
  • Recognize your limits and challenges: What situations are difficult? What causes stress? In what areas do you need the most support?
  • Identify your goals: What things would you like to accomplish as an Aktion Club member, at work, and in your social life?

Activity 2: Practice “I” statements. Use a prompt (such as “I need…”, “I don’t understand…”, “I feel…”, “I do not agree with…”) to help members practice being direct about what they want and need. Direct them to write “I” statements in their journals and then practice out loud with other Aktion Club members.

Activity 3: Connect with self-advocacy communities to learn your rights. Disability groups and organizations offer training, peer support, leadership opportunities and a sense of belonging. To help members learn about the rights that adults with disabilities have in education, employment, healthcare, housing, accessibility and accommodations, visit the following organizations’ websites:

Work as a group to review information and make notes about what each organization has to offer.

Activity 4: Build a network of support. Being a self-advocate doesn’t mean doing everything alone. There are supportive adults in the community, like Aktion Club advisors, who are ready to help. Prompt members to think of others who are in their network — such as family, friends, therapists, counselors and coaches — and to share with others how to find supportive people.

Activity 5: Use helpful tools. The first step to advocacy is to decide what you want to say. The next step is deciding how to say it. Consider using the following tools to help you make your point:

  • Written notes
  • Scripts or cue cards
  • Posters
  • Props
  • A support person to offer encouragement

Write a list of tools in your journal to help you remember what you can use when speaking to others about an important topic.

Let us know if skill building was a success! Use the Share Your Story form so we can help spread the word about the self-advocacy activities your club completed and how they worked.