APPLIED PUBLIC POLICY ADVOCACY (APPA) TRAINING

The practice of public advocacy requires a strong training in the methods of political analysis, the structure of political institutions, the process of political change , and the most efficient ways of effecting such change. An essential aspect in understanding applied politics is knowledge of political power and public policy.

Any training in public policy advocacy should provide knowledge of how the process works, and how to evaluate policy. In order to become effective public policy advocates, it is necessary to have an enhanced understanding of the policy process and the relationship between applied political action and the formulation and administration of public policy.

Training in public policy advocacy should be hands-on and practical in focus covering such topics as the art and craft of public policy advocacy, issues advocacy, message building, professional campaign management, policy analysis, political research etc.). The training should teach participants strategies and tactics used by organizations to influence legislative and regulatory policy making (coalition building, formulation of a strategic public policy advocacy plan, media relations, communications strategy  etc.).

The training should allow the immediate application of the knowledge and skills learned in the classroom to the workplace.  It’s not so much the culture you learn when you study public advocacy as the nuts and bolts of the process and its various components, something we call “applied public advocacy’ or ‘applied politics’, compared with traditional political science, which is far more theoretical.  It’s an area that pure academics look down on.

The primary factors for selecting the right training for public advocacy depends first on your own career motivations and the fit of what training does best with those aspirations. The relevance of the program to the real world of public advocacy is an essential element to consider. The program should have professionals as lecturers and mentors who bring the wisdom of years of experience.