YOUTH ADVOCACY SERIES
Trauma-informed advocacy recognizes that many young people have experienced adversity that shapes how they navigate the world, and creates safe, empowering spaces where all voices can be heard and valued in the work of social change.
When youth are equipped with trauma-informed advocacy skills, they become powerful agents of healing and transformation in their communities, addressing root causes of harm while building collective resilience and preventing re-traumatization. This approach also creates ripple effects that strengthen entire communities by fostering connection, trust, and collaborative solutions to complex challenges. At a societal level, trauma-informed youth advocacy helps break cycles of harm and builds the foundation for a more just, compassionate, and thriving future where all individuals, families, and communities have the support they need to flourish.
Developed by Antron McCullough and Peyton Barsel
Choose Your Learning Path
Participants can select from two specialized tracks designed to meet different needs: an Individual track for young people developing their personal advocacy skills and voice, or an Organizations/Coalitions track for groups, schools, and community organizations seeking to build trauma-informed advocacy capacity within their systems.
Additionally, we offer general resources, providing tools, guides, and educational materials that support trauma-informed approaches regardless of your starting point or organizational structure.
Target Age Group: 12-18 years old
Duration: 6 weeks (90-minute sessions)
Overall Objectives: Students will learn to identify community issues, develop advocacy skills, and create action plans for positive change with trauma-informed principles in mind.
Foundational Considerations
Create a physically and emotionally safe learning environment
Prioritize student choice and agency
Recognize and address potential triggers
Emphasize consent and personal boundaries
Provide multiple participation options
Use strengths-based, resilience-focused language
Students will learn to identify community issues
Develop advocacy skills while maintaining personal emotional safety
Create action plans for positive change that center individual and collective healing
This comprehensive 6-part trauma-informed youth advocacy series equips individuals with the knowledge, skills, and tools to create meaningful change in their communities while prioritizing safety, well-being, and collective care.
Participants will learn foundational advocacy principles, develop research and communication skills, create strategic action plans, and implement real advocacy projects using trauma-informed approaches that honor diverse experiences and perspectives. The program emphasizes building sustainable advocacy practices through collaborative problem-solving, compassionate resource mapping, and supportive measurement approaches that value quantitative outcomes and personal stories.
By the end of the series, participants will have gained confidence in their advocacy voice, practical experience in community organizing, and a toolkit for continuing their advocacy journey while maintaining their emotional well-being and supporting others in the movement.
Participants will explore the definition and types of advocacy, from self-advocacy to professional advocacy, while learning fundamental trauma-informed principles including safety, collaboration, empowerment, and cultural responsiveness.
The session introduces various advocacy actions such as issue identification, public education, and grassroots organizing, while teaching calming strategies to support well-being throughout the advocacy journey.
Theme: Understanding Advocacy Basics
Session Objectives:
Define advocacy with emphasis on personal agency
Define trauma-informed advocacy
Explore different types of advocacy
Connect personal experiences safely and voluntarily
Prioritize emotional well-being
Facilitator Pre-Session Checklist:
Create a physically and emotionally safe learning environment
Prepare alternative participation options
Have grounding/coping resources available
Review potential emotional triggers
Establish clear boundaries and consent guidelines
Materials Needed:
Sticky notes
Large paper/whiteboard
Markers
"Change-Maker" handouts
Internet access for research
Lesson Flow:
Opening (15 minutes)
Icebreaker: "If I Could Change One Thing"
Optional participation approach
Multiple sharing options:
Verbal sharing
Written submission
Anonymous posting
Opt-out without explanation
Framing: "If you feel comfortable, share one hope for positive change"
Main Activities (60 minutes)
What is Advocacy? (20 minutes)
Interactive definition building
Show video clips of young advocates in action
Group discussion on examples of advocacy in daily life
Types of Advocacy Gallery Walk (20 minutes)
Set up stations around room with different advocacy examples
Students rotate through stations, taking notes
Categories: Individual, Group, Social Media, Legal, Environmental
Personal Connection Activity (20 minutes)
Students complete "My Advocacy Story" worksheet
Share in pairs, then volunteer shares with class
Closing (15 minutes)
Reflection writing: "Why does advocacy matter to me?" “Why is it important to be trauma-informed?”
Workbook exercise in Rob Barsel’s workbook (tbd)
Assign homework: Interview a family member about a change they'd like to see
Recommended Closing Ritual
Collective breathing exercise
Affirmation of individual strength
Voluntary sharing of one positive reflection
Participants will learn research methods including observation, documentation, and interviews to understand community needs and challenges. They'll practice community mapping to identify assets and stakeholders, gather facts and statistics from reliable sources, and create fact sheets while maintaining trauma-informed research practices that respect privacy, acknowledge emotional impact, and focus on solutions.
Theme: Finding Your Trauma-Informed Cause
Session Objectives:
Learn how to identify community issues
Develop research skills
Practice data collection methods
Materials Needed:
Laptops/tablets
Research guides
Community newspapers
Survey templates
Lesson Flow:
Opening (15 minutes)
Share homework findings
Mini-lecture on research methods
Main Activities (60 minutes)
Community Mapping (25 minutes)
Create visual maps of community issues
Identify stakeholders and resources
Mark areas of concern and opportunity
Research Sprint (35 minutes)
Small groups research different issues
Use guided research worksheet
Create fact sheets about findings
Closing (15 minutes)
Groups share key findings
Homework: Begin community surveys
Participants will understand different communication styles (passive, aggressive, passive-aggressive, and assertive) and practice voice and breathing exercises to build confidence. They'll learn to craft clear advocacy messages covering what they care about, why it matters, what needs to change, and how others can help, while developing active listening skills, public speaking techniques, and constructive feedback practices.
Theme: Finding Your Voice
Session Objectives:
Develop public speaking skills
Learn to craft compelling messages
Practice active listening
Materials Needed:
Speaking prompts
Recording devices
Feedback forms
Message planning templates
Lesson Flow:
Opening (15 minutes)
Communication styles inventory
Quick verbal exercises
Main Activities (60 minutes)
Message Development (20 minutes)
Create elevator pitches
Practice with partners
Record and review
Public Speaking Workshop (40 minutes)
Mini-presentations
Peer feedback
Speaking techniques practice
Closing (15 minutes)
Group reflection
Speaking challenge for next week
Participants will set SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Timely) and develop supportive measurement approaches that honor different levels of engagement. They'll create flexible timelines, choose trauma-sensitive tactics for education and community engagement, map compassionate resources across healthy community elements, and build comprehensive action plans that include communication agreements and regular check-ins on emotional impact.
Theme: Creating Change
Session Objectives:
Learn to create action plans
Set SMART goals
Identify resources needed
Materials Needed:
Action plan templates
Goal-setting worksheets
Budget templates
Timeline tools
Lesson Flow:
Opening (15 minutes)
Review successful advocacy campaigns
Identify common strategies
Main Activities (60 minutes)
Goal Setting Workshop (20 minutes)
Write SMART goals
Create measurement criteria
Develop timelines
Strategy Development (40 minutes)
Choose advocacy tactics
Create resource lists
Build action plans
Closing (15 minutes)
Share plans
Prepare for implementation
Participants will learn collaborative problem-solving through a step-by-step troubleshooting process and practice project management skills including task coordination and resource management. They'll explore communication strategies for both internal and external audiences, develop adaptability skills to adjust approaches when needed, and understand how to learn from results while planning next steps and sustaining energy and well-being.
Theme: Implementation
Session Objectives:
Begin advocacy campaigns
Learn project management
Practice adaptability
Materials Needed:
Project tracking tools
Communication templates
Social media guides
Event planning checklists
Lesson Flow:
Opening (15 minutes)
Status updates
Problem-solving session
Main Activities (60 minutes)
Campaign Launch (30 minutes)
Execute first advocacy actions
Document progress
Troubleshoot challenges
Adjustment Workshop (30 minutes)
Review initial results
Make necessary changes
Plan next steps
Closing (15 minutes)
Progress reports
Plan week ahead
Participants will reflect on their advocacy journey and share their experiences while learning to measure impact through both quantitative and qualitative measures. They'll prepare presentations of their work, identify lessons learned, and develop sustainability plans for their initiatives and personal involvement, while building support ecosystems, setting long-term visions, celebrating achievements, and accessing ongoing resources for continued advocacy work.
Theme: Sustaining Change
Session Objectives:
Evaluate impact
Plan for sustainability
Celebrate achievements
Materials Needed:
Evaluation forms
Certificates
Future planning templates
Presentation materials
Lesson Flow:
Opening (15 minutes)
Success sharing
Impact review
Main Activities (60 minutes)
Impact Presentations (30 minutes)
Share campaign results
Present lessons learned
Discuss future plans
Sustainability Planning (30 minutes)
Create continuation plans
Build support networks
Set long-term goals
Closing (15 minutes)
Celebration
Certificate presentation
Final reflections
Assessment Methods:
Pre and post surveys
Project portfolios
Peer evaluations
Self-reflection essays
Campaign impact metrics
Extensions & Support:
Mentorship connections
Online resource library
Community partner directory
Grant application support
Adaptations:
Virtual learning options
Modified activities for different ages
Multilingual resources
Accessibility accommodations