Advocacy & Recruitment

Advocacy involves promoting the interests of a person or group of people. An advocate is anyone who supports, recommends, or argues for a cause; this may include advocating for a specific policy or course of action. Effective advocacy requires strategic preparation, mobilization, coordination, amplification, and importantly, helping people find their voice. Knowing your audience, being clear on your 'asks,' and balancing the presentation of information with human-centered storytelling are all critical aspects of effective advocacy efforts. Like anything else, strong advocacy skills are built over time.

New Mexico needs a strong group of adult education and literacy advocates to help us raise awareness and advance support for our important work. That means we need you! Students, parents, teachers, administrators -- all have valuable perspectives and experiences to share, and each voice helps strengthen the others. Everyone in the field is an advocate on some level, but some of you might choose to take it to the next level and actively work to champion the adult education and literacy cause.  

National Council of Nonprofits

Proliteracy

COABE (Coalition on Adult Basic Education)

NASDAE (National Association of State Directors of Adult Education)

TESOL International

These resources contain additional research which can support your advocacy and grantwriting.

PIACC Gateway - Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies

This is a large-scale international study of adult learning conducted by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

Literacy Coalition of the Permian Basin 2022 Adult Literacy Needs Assessment

NMHED has created these promotional flyers for your use. They are on the Additional Resources tab of the spreadsheet. Please report any updates to Matt Edelen at matt.edelen@hed.nm.gov.