"No matter how good something is, you can always fix it." - Janice Avery

Once upon a time, there was a mom whose son was living in a group home far away. Although his mother missed her son very much, she thought this was her only choice. After three years, the mother couldn't stand it any more. "Something has to be done," she said and began to look for ways to bring her son back home where he belonged. She talked to other parents, social service agencies and experts, and figured out how she could get home-based family support so that her son wouldn't have to live in a group home. Over and over, she went out and told her story to the people who could change the policies and make her dreams come true. Finally, the mother's request was fulfilled and the family was reunited at last.

"Something has to be done. What can I do?"

When you reach this point, you've made an important decision to stop accepting a situation and start acting! You've become someone who wants to change "the system." You've become an advocate. But where do you begin?

What You'll Learn...

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You begin by making your case. Your case is made up of three elements. In this section, you'll learn to:

1. Identify Your Personal Story. Stories have the ability to get attention from lawmakers. They capture the power of your passion, sincerity, and persistence to push policymakers to make change.
   
   
2. Isolate The Issue. The issue is the difference between what ought to be happening and what is really happening. Tying your personal story to an issue helps you focus on a policy that might be or could be changed, updated or abolished.
   
   
3. Craft a Request for Action. This is what you are seeking - your specific request or recommendation.

When you've completed building your case, you'll use it over and over again - in letters and calls to policymakers, in newspaper articles, when meeting with lawmakers or gathering supporters.