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The goal of advocacy isn't policy change. Advocating to remove the policy barrier is a mechanism to achieve that actual target of changing culture and mindsets. Perhaps asking for a serious system overhaul would be ideal for doing so, but smaller things such as building a theory of change, and making issues accessible through stories,  can allow us to do so without alienating other stakeholders.

on camp!
one good thing: well-organised + good food!
one bad thing: games were a bit messy at times, esp the one where you write down responses to a question and we have to match people to the answers
overall it was great, thank you HR for all your effort *~*

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In order for you to get people that maybe are apathetic to be actually interested in a certain cause, you need to have compelling backup 'evidence' like a research study or a 'story' because that is more likely to convince somebody rather than a simple statement.

I really enjoyed the sharing by Ms Jolene Tan!

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The breakdown of people into different spheres of involvement - core group, and wider public - and the tailoring of initiatives (e.g. reducing barrier of entry) accordingly; lend a narrative to the work undertaken in the board to reach out more to others. Mainstream media may exclude the work of certain advocacy groups and by implication their cause, hence importance of keeping's one ear to the ground.

good: the sharing - role of advocacy in society, and its real impact on the marginalised
room for improvement: nil thanks hr :>

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advocate for what you believe in and for causes that you think would have a positive impact on society; speak up on issues that need to be dealt with and for those who don't have a voice in society. even if not everyone advocates with the same passion for issues, people who aren't in the "core group" of advocates can still contribute (e.g. by spreading the message to others to raise awareness).

good thing!: HR was really well prepared and had good time management :D
room for improvement: the game where you guess who wrote which answer was kind of messy i guess? and maybe with a larger group it's more fun because there are more answers / people
camp was really fun thank you HR!

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passion is important in succeeding in what you do; if you don't have the heart for doing something, you might as well not do it at all

one good thing: advocacy sharing!

one thing that could be improved: more time for discussions

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making others interesting in your cause and cultivating ground culture is important in effective advocacy

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Earlier, during our batch dialogue, we had talked about making our causes and our board more relatable to the general school population. Ms Tan mentioned about making humans visible in AWARE's 'campaigns' and I think that can be applicable to Congress as well. Perhaps we can make certain people more prominent so people think of someone when they think of Congress and not just a vague board. Also, using real stories can help people care more about causes, because it is often very hard for people to care about a faraway concept. They want something concrete, and this approach can help engage them more fruitfully.

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I've learnt that while it is important to maintain a formal and professional appearance, we can do more in reaching out to more people to encourage them to engage in our advocacy process, such that everyone is aware of the issues faced and have the sense that they have the capability and ability to help as well.

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What I took away from the talk was not so much about advocacy (oops) but that something that one is passionate about and one can make a difference with can be a much more meaningful occupation for the individual and society at large, especially when one is able to let go of the ideas of money and prestige ( which is much easier said than done). Other than that, I learnt that may people actually fall through the cracks in society (e.g. transgender members of society who may not fit the requirements of being a man or a woman and are thus not protected) and that there is always a need to look out for those in society who need help

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We can create a way to showcase the progress and eventual outcome of a issue we have worked on, and use personal stories from members of the student population to not only give a background on our issue, but also spark interest about it.

Good thing: The advocacy sharing

Room for improvement: -

Thanks HR!

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I learnt that the sharing of our own experiences might allow the target audience to feel more strongly about the topic that we are discussing, and maybe they will feel more comfortable with sharing their opinions. Then, we would be able to get better feedback that are more in-depth.

good: the content shared in the camp as a whole was useful and was also shared effectively.

room for improvement: -
thanks HR!!!

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From the advocacy talk today, I have had some takeaways that can be applied to congress work. Making others interested in the cause you are advocating is also about how you present the issue. For example, sharing personal experiences and stories will engage others and make them want to find out more. I also learnt that it is important to do something or advocate for something you are truly passionate about, and not do it just for the sake of doing it.

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I think that we can learn from how Ms Tan brought up issues to people until a core group of advocates could be formed. We could frequently ask our peers what areas of improvement they have identified or pick up on any remarks they have made to gather as much feedback as possible.

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I have learnt that advocacy is key, when it comes to making a change. If there is something we are passionate about, or something that we want to change in society, it should start with action, and we should step up for something we believe in. We should not be afraid to share our thoughts or opinions, especially if they are constructive feedback for improvement.

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I'm glad that I was able to learn about advocacy in the local scene and the specific methods used in their advocacy and I hope to apply them in my work with the board.

I really enjoyed the bonding games and Ms Tan's talk but one thing that could be improved was the scheduling because many of us seemed tired after the bonding games and it was difficult to pay attention during the talk given by Ms Tan so maybe we could have had the talk first.

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The sharing session by Ms Tan left us with a more in-depth understanding of the advocacy scene in society today, and I think Congress will benefit from the advice Ms Tan provided such as how stories/personal anecdotes might prove useful in attracting the interest of the student body, especially those who already have a slight interest in advocacy in RGS.

1 thing I enjoyed:
Opportunity to interact and bond with my batch through batch dialogue & batch lunch!

1 thing that I felt could be improved:
HR Comm could think through about how exactly the games would work out and whether or not they are effective enough in promoting the takeaway planned initially.

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I learned how we can encourage people to share their experiences and get over fears of attaching their names to feedback

One thing I enjoyed today: the advocacy sharing by Ms Tan

Complaints: None at all. The HR comm did a great job!

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I have learnt from the sharing today, that making a problem concrete will not only increase awareness of the problem itself, but also encourage the people involved to speak up about it. Some people who are facing the problem itself might dismiss it thinking that they are the only ones facing the problem, or being afraid to share it should no one else feel the same way. Hence, really putting the issue out in the light will encourage more people to provide feedback about it, hence making feedback collection more efficient and purposeful. How this can be applied is perhaps letting the school population know the topics that the ATs are taking on. Even before we start formal data and feedback collection but once the issues we are taking on have been confirmed, we can publicise it so that students can approach Congress members in order to provide more qualitative feedback about the issue taken up. One thing that I enjoyed about the camp was that it was not too formal - it had games as well so I got to know my seniors and batch mates better in a more informal setting. I don't think there was room for improvement as the camp when really smoothly, thanks to HR comm

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to make people more interested and invested in our cause, we can more concretely outline the positive changes that has come out of our congress efforts!