We know from the first blog in this series that grassroots advocacy is a powerful tool for enacting change from the ground up. However, it is important to consider your values when you engage in advocacy activities – values are the core beliefs that resonate with individuals and communities, including the neuromuscular disease community. This blog explores how to identify your values and utilize them in grassroots advocacy.
 

Understanding the Role of Values:

According to Cambridge dictionary, values are “the beliefs people have, especially about what is right and wrong and what is most important in life, that control their behavior.” They reflect what we believe to be important in life, shape how we interact with the world around us, and often unite people to support a common goal. In grassroots advocacy, we can also use beliefs to connect with lawmakers and encourage them to act on their personal values and their constituents’ attitudes to support a goal. 

When lawmakers share the values of their constituents, those beliefs can help encourage a lawmaker or other decision-maker to support the action we want them to take. To do this, we must identify both our personal values as advocates and the values that a community holds. 

Identifying Personal Values:

Think about moments in your life that were impactful for you. Consider the emotions you may have felt. Chances are that impactful moments in your life and your personal values have shaped your reasoning for engaging in advocacy with the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA). Here are some strategies and questions to ask yourself for identifying your personal values to help you make the most of your advocacy work: 

• Look at the activities or causes you’re drawn to. Where do you focus most of your time and resources?
• Think about people you admire or who has shaped your life. What qualities do they possess that resonate with you?
• What makes you feel fulfilled?
• What impact do you want to have on others or the world?
• Do you follow a belief system, perhaps from involvement in your local church or place of worship, a particularly meaningful motto, or your favorite philosopher? 

Identifying Community Values:

What are some ideas that determine how you want to treat other people or be treated by others? Here are some strategies to pinpoint these values within a community: 

• Listen to the community you want to mobilize. For MDA, it is anyone identifying as a member of the neuromuscular disease community. When a community member notes what values are important to them, take note. Ask clarifying questions if you are unsure!
• Consider the context of the community respectfully to help understand their values. Has this community faced underrepresentation, a history of negative stereotypes, etc.?
• Think about where you can find existing information on the views and values of a community. Often, there will be research reports and other materials available that may help capture some, but not all values of a community. News articles, focus groups, polls, and/or academic or scientific studies may also yield results.

Identifying Lawmaker Values:

Identifying the values of a lawmaker and connecting them to MDA’s values involves understanding both the lawmaker’s priorities and MDA’s mission. You can tie your advocacy with MDA to the lawmakers’ beliefs to better relate and humanize your requests to them.

For example, if you have determined that a lawmaker is passionate about access to health care, make sure to note that MDA works diligently to ensure members of the neuromuscular disease community are able to access the care they need to live longer, more independent lives. If a lawmaker champions disability rights, note MDA's efforts to support the rights of the disability community in our work every day. If the lawmaker is a supporter of funding for medical research, highlight MDA’s role in advancing research that is critical for finding cures for neuromuscular diseases.  

To help you begin identifying lawmaker beliefs, consider examining information that is available publicly, such as:

• Look at their past voting history on health care, disability rights, and education. A lawmaker's voting record is a continuous record of their positions on issues.
• Go through speeches, interviews, social media, or their official website for positions on health care and disability rights. Many lawmakers maintain an “in the news” section on their websites where their public statements, voting history, and other key information are housed.
• Identify bills they have introduced or supported either as a co-sponsor or through public statements, especially those related to health care, disabilities, or families.
• Committee memberships may also provide insight into a lawmaker's priorities, as members of Congress often request to serve on particular committees or subcommittees based on priorities, geography, personal interests, or major industries in their districts and states.

Values in Advocacy:

We know that values are important, but what do they look like in action? Here are some ways that you can utilize your values with MDA Advocacy: 

• Look to form and strengthen connections with others in a community that shares similar values. For example, those living with a neuromuscular disease are members of a community and may find that many of their values and interests align, making for a formidable group of advocates.
• When engaging in advocacy, highlight how your request aligns with both the values of the community and the decision-maker involved. For instance, if access to health care is a core value, emphasize how your ask will benefit the health of the community, and highlight previous efforts by the decision-maker to support that value.
• Ensure that all communications reflect your values consistently. Consistency builds trust.
• Use storytelling to illustrate your values. Note how your personal values have followed you throughout your journey with the neuromuscular disease community. 

Measuring Impact: 

It is important to continually check in with members of your community to ensure that your values are being appropriately represented, and that campaigns you participate in are emblematic of those values that you prioritize. For more ways to measure your impact on a community, stay tuned for future MDA Advocacy Toolkit blogs! 

Conclusion:

Without values, it becomes harder to identify actions you can take to support the neuromuscular disease community. Values are a part of the thoughts and ideas that our community relies on to set priorities.
 

What’s next?

Learn about the basics of the legislative process and learn how you can adapt your advocacy throughout the legislative process with the MDA Advocacy Toolkit.