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Advocating for My Needs

11B 1.6

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Do Now

Log into your Platform account.

Read and respond to your mentor’s message.

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Key Takeaway

Engaging in self-advocacy will help ensure that my needs are met.

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Self- Advocacy

The act of speaking up for oneself and one's interests.

What is self-advocacy?

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We all have needs that need to be fulfilled for us to feel stable

We have the ability to engage in self-advocacy to meet these needs

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Reflection

What might make it difficult for someone to speak up for themselves and engage in self-advocacy?

Do you have an example of self-advocacy?

What need(s) were you trying to fill?

What actions did you take?

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Activity - Pair Work

For each scenario, think through what type of support you need and who you could turn to for support

Example:

Situation:

What type of support do I need?

Who could I turn to for support?

1) You are struggling in your science class and need to pass in order to graduate on time.

I need academic support: probably tutoring and videos to review the concepts.

My science teacher & my brother (he passed the class last year).

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Debrief

Situation:

What type of support do I need?

Who could I turn to for support?

1) You are struggling in your science class and need to pass in order to graduate on time.

2) Your friend shares that they are going through a difficult time emotionally and are turning to you for help.

3) You have been feeling ill and have been experiencing a lot of physical discomfort.

4) You are trying to find a summer job to earn some money and gain life experience.

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Situation:

What type of support do I need?

Who could I turn to for support?

5) You are having issues at home with your parent/guardian and don’t feel comfortable talking to them directly about the situation.

6) You are confused about what you want to do after high school and have no idea where to start your research.

7) You got into a fight with your friend group and they have all stopped talking to you.

8) You feel like one of your teachers is being unfair to you and you don’t know how to communicate your concerns.

Debrief

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Your mentor will be a resource for you as you navigate your high school experience and transition into your pathway after high school.

They will not know how to support you unless you engage in self-advocacy and ask for the support.

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Mentor Connection

Self Reflection

Self-advocacy means speaking up for yourself and making sure your needs are met!

Mentee, who do you turn to most for support? How can your mentor support you this year? Mentor, share a time when you advocated for yourself and what you learned from it.

I turn to ___ for support because…

You can support me by…

Self-advocacy means speaking up for yourself and making sure your needs are met! Think about who you typically turn to for support. Who else could you include in your support network?

I turn to ___ for support because…

I can include ____ as a support because…

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Extend

What is one new thing you learned about your mentor?

Which part of your mentor’s response did you really like? Why?