What is 'citizen advocacy' ? The idea is simple. It's about someone giving their time to get to know a person who has a learning difficulty and then speaking up for that person to make sure that they get the opportunities, services and quality of life they are entitled to.

Citizen advocates are not 'experts'. They are adults of all ages and from all walks of life who bring many different skills and experiences to their role. What they have in common is the commitment to helping make life better for the people they support.

We call the person that a citizen advocate helps their 'partner'. This underlines the fact that in every partnership the person with learning difficulties is giving as well as receiving - no matter how severe their learning difficulty.

Citizen advocacy partnerships are generally intended to last. Some of our partnerships are nearly as old as the scheme itself, and some advocates view their partner as being like part of their family. However, other partnerships are designed to have a shorter life; the advocate may simply help the partner to resolve a single problem before ending their role.

Volunteers are the lifeblood of citizen advocacy. If you would like to join the 70 or so advocates already helping people across Dorset, Poole and Bournemouth, please click the 'Contacts' icon for more details. All advocates receive thorough induction, ongoing support from our paid staff and opportunities for further training . Make the difference!