Advocacy - The Sequel

On Monday morning, I had another meeting with a large institution. This time in the health field.

I was tired from the weekend, fighting off a cold with fluids and Cold-FX, and most of my colleagues in this meeting were in the same chapter (not quite on the same page) as the community agencies. So, it wasn’t a bad meeting.

And yet … I came out of the meeting feeling like I had been hit by a truck.

I felt unease for the next couple of days, kind of like when one wears a sweater that is too snug around the back. It’s livable, but not comfortable. Last night, I was reading a book by one of my favorite authors – Jon Kabat-Zinn – and then it became clear.

In my earlier entry, I wondered if I was too “black and white” for advocacy work.

That’s not it at all. I’m too “grey” for advocacy work.

I love greys. If there’s ambiguity, I pursue it, explore it, expand it. I like to think there isn’t one answer to everything and that there are possibilities that haven’t yet been discovered. I don’t like absolutes. I detest singularity.

But in advocacy work, you have to maintain a pretty firm line – at least in meetings. Give it up, just an inch, it might become a foot. And, so you hold firm to your stance, pushing and challenging. Greys are seen as a sign of weakness in these situations.

Where is the room for saying – “This is what I think, but I could be wrong … what do you think?”

Unless you can find other colleagues around the table who see that as an invitation to find a collective solution, rather than an opportunity to strengthen their position.

And there's the whole notion of expertise. Sometimes, others come to the table and say “we’re an expert on such and such”. You feel painted into a corner. What are you an expert on? I say “working with immigrant communities”. When the truth is – I hold to the belief that the only expert in community work, are the communities themselves ... that when people … any people… are given the opportunity to participate meaningfully in their own community, good will result.

I’m an expert in understanding I’m really not an expert at all …

Yeah, those kinds of fundamental beliefs are difficult to fit in advocacy situations.

… at least this week …