A Child's Advocate: My Own Capacity

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

My Own Capacity

There are a couple issues which impact early childhood that fuel my passion to advocate. The first is emotional stability in children and the other is child abuse and neglect. I believe these can tie in together due to the fact that from abuse and neglect brain patterns can develop differently and coping strategies can too. This can lead to children harboring feelings of resentment, not being able to trust, and feeling frightened in otherwise non-threatening situations.

Some resources that I have to help in my advocacy work are childhood organizations in my area which I could speak to in order to gain alliances and information from. I also have a local library for research, and a mental health agency nearby which I could also gain research information. I have websites for which I could use to obtain the numbers and business addresses of my local government.

In order for me to grow I would like to first state what attributes I have. I feel that I make friends easy and I ask a lot of questions, which is sometimes annoying but helpful in my understanding. I feel that I can research easy, as far as gaining information, more thorough research is something I can’t attest to. However, I would like to grow in the area of the law and the policies. I am not up to date there and I also have a hard time reading the jargon that goes along with it. Sometimes I can get very nervous and forget what I was trying to say, so growing in the area of being anxious versus calm would be a good start since advocacy requires frequent meetings with policy makers and their staff.

3 comments:

Cymantha Channey WhiteJuly 22, 2012 at 8:09 PM
Tina,
i can agree with you on everything that you've said...I,too,am not very skilled when it come to research. This is one of my most challenging areas, and I sometimes feel very overwhelmed at the thought of having to find something through research. Although I realize that this is a very crucial area that is necessary for effective advocacy work, I often cringe at the thought that I have to do it. I wish that I could just have someone else do the research for me and tell me what to say :) I suppose its not that easy, lol. I appreciate your honesty and wish you the best in your efforts :)

CCWhite
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TeresaJuly 22, 2012 at 10:17 PM
Tina,
I took the stand to be an advocate, because I am one who believes in rules, however, if I do not understand how a law or policy is standing I research the reasoning behind it. I make it my goal to truly understand Washington State’s policies and regulations due to I am consistently advocating for families and children, I too feel I cannot be a knowledgeable individual if I do not understand the jargon and the true interoperation of policies and laws. Good luck with your research work!
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mrsmcgAugust 19, 2012 at 4:28 PM
I agree with you on the importance of learning the law in order to advocate for the families. This is probably the hardest part of becoming an advocate because laws are written in such technical language that interpretation is important. Having the dedication is the first step to gaining that knowledge
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Personal Childhood Web

Terry- A neighbour of mine when I was a teenager. She was like a big sister in a way and treated me like my age instead of like a small child. I could confide in her and she helped me through a sticky situation when I was in high school. She taught me that although things seemed bad at the time and like there was no possible way out, that all things end eventually. That thought has helped me through some tough times in my life.
Chris- My brother. Chris joined the service when I was young, but when I'd visit him he never ceased to congratulate a grade or a new step in my life. He is someone who gives appreciation and shows admiration to everyone. He is intense to learn more about you and to help you feel better about yourself along the way. He carries my favorite trait which is sometimes hard to find- common sense. I hope I have gathered at least a handful of his knowledge and kindness along the way. His open heart and courage to do good is a constant reminder to me that there is more to people than meets the eye.
Kathy- A friend of my mother's, she was and still is someone who tells it like it is. She would never hide anything about the truth to me and she was comical in telling it. If I had a question, Kathy had a straightforward answer. Still to this day Kathy will not hesitate to give meaningful opinions and life lessons to me. I don't call her enough, but I do think of her constantly especially when life throws me a curve ball and I make some kind of joke out of it!
Louise- A friend of my mother's, she was someone I could tell things to that I was afraid to tell my mom. She would comfort me and let me know I was normal and tried to figure out ways to help me in any situation. She stayed calm and optimistic and I always admired those traits about her that I wish I could have found at home. Louise has definitely taught me to stay true to myself and not try to change to meet another's needs. She's also taught me positivity lasts longer and doesn't create as many wrinkles.
Melanie- She was a childhood friend who had a stable family life and was very intelligent. She helped me study and she helped me see past what other's thought to find out what I thought. Melanie is someone who I assume went on to become some kind of life changing scientist. She showed me dedication, and for a young child to see a peer unafraid of committment to something left a lasting impression.