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Missoula seen from a golden grass covered hill with mountains in the background

Research & Training Center on Disability in Rural Communities

Advocacy Skill Building Toolkit Overview

This toolkit is a guide for Centers for Independent Living and others to conduct interactive and engaging workshops to facilitate the development of advocacy skills of emerging Independent Living leaders and youth with disabilities. It describes how to introduce advocacy through the facilitation of unique activities and discussions, identifying issues of importance, and putting advocacy skills into practice.

A unique approach presented in this toolkit is the use of improv to introduce, invite, and engage others into and with the world of advocacy.

Why Improv?

Using improv hones communication and public speaking skills, stimulates fast thinking, and encourages engagement with ideas, all important skills for effective advocacy. Improv also provides a supportive environment that allows participants to take risks, try out new ideas, and build their confidence.

The activities incorporate different learning styles, and can easily be modified to accommodate everyone.

Establishing Your Voice

An important part of advocacy, whether the goal is to help one person or many, is establishing a confident voice, developed and supported by a community of peer support. This workshop and accompanying toolkit materials allow participants to explore their voices, build confidence, and display their skills verbally and in written form.

The intent is to provide a safe space among peers and trusted facilitators to introduce the concept of both group and self-advocacy.

group of youth holding fists up in the air

Toolkit Contents

How-To Guides

Writing Effective Letters to Decision Makers (PDF)

Creating Your Personal Testimony to Influence Policy Change (PDF)

Finding and Using Data for Advocacy (PDF)

Our Partners

This Toolkit is a collaboration between: 

  • , an affiliate of  in Missoula, MT
  • RTC:Rural

It was developed in response to the needs and interests of CILs and other stakeholders.

To learn more about BASE, their mission, and their use of improv to teach advocacy skills, check out their YouTube video:

BASE Impact with CC

For technical assistance, or if you have any questions, please contact RTC:Rural.

We are very interested in how you think you might use these materials, so we can use this information in our future research and other materials we plan to develop!

Please take a moment to email us the answer to this question: If you are downloading or viewing these materials, how do you plan to use them?