Social Justice Advocacy Skills Course – Video Table of Contents
All 12 lectures are available individually, or through a YouTube playlist
The video table of contents is also available as a downloadable .docx file
Lecture 1: Lawyer’s Duty to Do Social Justice Advocacy
- 00:00:13 – Purpose of the course
- 00:01:43 – Helpful reads and listens
- 00:03:24 – Introduction to first lecture
- 00:04:13 – Core themes
- 00:06:09 – Be unorthodox
- 00:07:40 – Be prepared to evolve
- 00:08:28 – A little bit about me
- 00:12:05 – Ethical duty of lawyers
- 00:17:55 – Why an ethical duty?
- 00:22:00 – Benefits for non-lawyers
- 00:22:22 – Advocacy as a core to lawyering
- 00:23:43 – Importance of non-partisanship
- 00:27:20 – What does “non-partisan” mean?
- 00:29:05 – Wrapping Up
- 00:32:50 – Chopping down a tree
Lecture 2: The World of Social Justice and People with Disabilities
- 00:00:20 – Introduction to second lecture
- 00:02:00 – The world confronting people with disabilities
- 00:05:40 – All these barriers are illegal
- 00:06:55 – Duty to accommodate
- 00:09:54 – Why barriers continue
- 00:12:07 – Disability lingo
- 00:17:42 – Inspiration porn
- 00:19:13 – Demography of disabilities
- 00:24:40 – Students with disabilities
- 00:32:37 – Organizational structure of the disability community
- 00:33:05 – First type of organization: Service providers
- 00:37:50 – Second type of organization: Consumer organizations
- 00:41:55 – Who should advocate for people with disabilities?
- 00:44:45 – My vision of the future: Disability advocacy start ups
- 00:53:48 – Conclusion
Lecture 3: Negotiating for a Community, not a Client
- 00:00:18 – Introduction
- 00:00:38 – What starts it all?
- 00:03:07 – What to do once you get started
- 00:05:02 – Things to consider
- 00:07:53 – The role of a lawyer
- 00:13:35 – What bargaining power do you have?
- 00:20:50 – Steps to negotiating
- 00:21:37 – Finding common ground
- 00:22:51 – Hear from the constituents
- 00:26:15 – Common ground among whom?
- 00:27:51 – The goal is harmony
- 00:31:57 – Removing the feeling of futility
- 00:32:47 – Chemistry within the organization
- 00:34:38 – How to find common ground: an example
- 00:40:00 – Examples of successful common ground language
- 00:45:00 – Document to synthesize common ground
- 00:50:30 – What about internal conflict?
- 00:54:58 – Conflict as a tactical advantage
- 00:56:10 – Conflict resolved in the least expected way
- 00:59:25 – Crystallizing common ground
- 01:04:13 – Illustration (creating a process for building common ground)
- 01:07:55 – Reflections on negotiating for a community
- 01:16:21 – Conclusion
Lecture 4: What to Ask for During Social Justice Advocacy
- 00:00:20 – Introduction
- 00:00:47 – What to ask for (don’t assume)
- 00:02:40 – Principles to apply
- 00:11:20 – What do we do with these principles?
- 00:15:45 – It’s not just a legal question
- 00:16:45 – What avenues are available?
- 00:18:16 – What is the legal landscape?
- 00:22:00 – What’s the next step?
- 00:26:17 – Informal structure
- 00:29:05 – Test cases
- 00:34:13 – Government’s response to a test case
- 00:36:55 – When I bring a test case
- 00:43:10 – Another approach to test cases
- 00:45:15 – Tips for alternatives to test cases
- 00:47:50 – Offer the option of trial and error
- 00:49:50 – Don’t bargain against yourself
- 00:51:50 – Goal: achieve wanted social change
- 00:55:46 – Social model’s effect on disability
- 00:57:00 – Writing a brief
- 01:00:00 – Using plain language
- 01:02:10 – Other themes
- 01:04:14 – Building a substantive argument
- 01:11:00 – Weight of arguments that will naturally appeal to some
- 01:12:19 – Conclusion
Lecture 5: The Social Justice Advocacy Toolkit, Part 1
- 00:00:18 – Introduction
- 00:00:45 – Different advocacy strategies
- 00:04:00 – Core principles
- 00:08:20 – Main activities
- 00:11:51 – Fundamental strategies
- 00:14:20 – Useful tool: AODA alliance update (an example)
- 00:22:08 – AODA action kit
- 00:24:50 – Automated systems (not recommended)
- 00:27:49 – Planning a creative event
- 00:36:11 – Letter to government
- 00:40:28 – Election campaign strategy
- 00:54:29 – Ways to get media attention
- 00:56:34 – Other notable strategies
- 01:00:49 – Legislative resolutions
- 01:05:11 – What if the government conducts a serious consultation?
- 01:09:13 – The open letter
- 01:13:25 – Adapt as you go
- 01:14:45 – Conducting research: tips
- 01:18:40 – Conclusion
Lecture 5.1: The Social Justice Advocacy Toolkit, Part 2
- 00:00:17 – Introduction
- 00:00:49 – 1) Private member’s bill
- 00:07:13 – 2) Campaigning for public hearings for a bill before the legislature
- 00:13:53 – 3) Freedom of Information legislation
- 00:27:20 – FOI practical tips
- 00:29:31 – 4) Mounting a campaign during a by-election
- 00:33:51 – 5) Mounting a campaign during a party’s leadership
- 00:40:15 – 6) One-off legislative process
- 00:47:44 – Conclusion
Lecture 6: Alternative and Unorthodox Avenues For Social Justice Advocacy
- 00:00:20 – Introduction
- 00:02:07 – Government appointed advisory committees
- 00:04:18 – Two examples
- 00:04:56 – Special Education Advisory Committee (SEAC)
- 00:12:15 – Advantages of taking part in a SEAC
- 00:14:35 – Problems with SEAC
- 00:17:11 – Know your powers
- 00:25:30 – Possibility of referring a motion to a school board of trustees
- 00:31:03 – Advantages of going to a subcommittee first
- 00:33:12 – K-12 Education Standards Development Committee
- 00:35:50 – How-to: An AODA example
- 00:49:32 – Writing the final report
- 00:55:33 – Two examples of possible ways to use these platforms
- 00:55:53 – Example #1
- 00:58:45 – Example #2
- 01:07:33 – Conclusion
Lecture 7: Advocating to Government – Climbing the Bureaucracy Ladder
- 00:00:20 – Recap
- 00:01:07 – Opening thoughts
- 00:02:47 – Convincing government
- 00:03:21 – Things to beware
- 00:09:06 – How to start
- 00:13:46 – Formal and informal power
- 00:20:01 – Setting up a meeting instead of writing a letter
- 00:22:08 – Mandate letters
- 00:27:33 – Before the meeting
- 00:29:08 – How to work with confidential tips
- 00:30:59 – Preparing for meeting with a minister
- 00:44:45 – Planning meeting specifics
- 00:46:20 – Whether to go alone or with someone
- 00:48:25 – Follow-up
- 01:01:14 – Writing a Brief
Lecture 8: Campaigning for New Legislation
- 00:00:25 – Introduction
- 00:00:45 – Legislative process
- 00:09:50 – The Steps for passing a municipal by-law
- 00:11:13 – What a backbench member can do
- 00:13:22 – What an opposition party can do
- 00:16:13 – Opposition public hearings
- 00:19:05 – Who from the opposition party can you approach?
- 00:21:55 – The question period
- 00:29:40 – The Eldridge Case
- 00:31:48 – Private member bills
- 00:32:41 – The private Ontarians with Disabilities Act bill
- 00:36:03 – Tips for dealing with political parties
- 00:38:45 – Steps to take before a bill is introduced
- 00:40:49 – On the day the bill is introduced
- 00:42:52 – Releasing a fact check
- 00:44:18 – The process of securing amendments
- 00:46:07 – Going before a standing committee in the Senate
- 00:49:09 – Third reading debates
- 00:50:04 – Going to the Senate
- 00:53:42 – When the bill is passed
- 00:54:21 – Conclusion
Lecture 9: Making an Effective Presentation to Legislative Hearings
- 00:00:25 – Introduction
- 00:01:33 – Appearing in front of a court vs a committee
- 00:03:42 – Why present in front of a committee
- 00:07:30 – Examples of using this hearing process
- 00:12:39 – Practical suggestions
- 00:18:50 – Investigate the meeting process
- 00:25:20 – Arming the Community
- 00:31:33 – When during a hearing should you speak?
- 00:34:55 – What to do before you start
- 00:43:49 – Speaking at the meeting
- 00:53:41 – Q & A period
- 00:57:36 – What to do after the event
- 00:59:28 – Conclusion
Lecture 10: Mounting a Social Justice Campaign in the Media, Part 1
- 00:00:25 – Introduction
- 00:02:36 – Goals of undertaking a media strategy
- 00:05:24 – Who is the media?
- 00:10:08 – The structure of traditional corporate media
- 00:15:06 – The structure of programming
- 00:17:47 – How the media is changing
- 00:25:17 – How does the media decide to run a story?
- 00:29:19 – The conflicting pressures within news orgs
- 00:30:25 – What makes something newsworthy?
- 00:50:00 – Elements of a social justice news story
- 00:54:36 – How do you build your credibility?
- 00:59:40 – How do you solicit coverage?
- 01:01:03 – How do you prove a story?
- 01:02:23 – Designing the story
- 01:07:00 – Conclusion
Lecture 11: Mounting a Social Justice Campaign in the Media, Part 2
- 00:00:27 – Introduction
- 00:00:56 – The news conference
- 00:08:48 – The timing of a news conference
- 00:14:02 – The chess game of government responding to a news event
- 00:16:44 -What do you do before a news event?
- 00:19:09 – The difference between a news conference and a news release
- 00:22:58 – How to draft a news release
- 00:28:23 – Writing strategy
- 00:36:40 – How do you plan for the government’s response?
- 00:38:44 – Examples
- 00:44:16 – Where do you hold a media event?
- 00:49:38 – The format of a news conference
- 00:51:45 – Who should you have speaking?
- 00:53:05 – Answering questions
- 00:55:49 – Alternatives to not having a news conference
- 01:00:29 – The overlap between advocacy and media and advocacy in court
- 01:04:34 – Doing a media interview outside of a major press conference
- 01:10:55 – Using social media
- 01:14:36 – Crafting a hashtag and message
- 01:17:23 – Conclusion
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