Understanding Advocacy
Individual Advocacy
This is when you speak up for yourself to address your own needs, rights, or well-being. It’s about communicating your experiences and taking action to ensure you are treated fairly. Examples include requesting academic accommodations, appealing a decision, or advocating for your own mental health support. By practicing individual advocacy, you gain confidence, develop essential communication skills, and ensure your voice is heard in decisions that affect you directly.
Peer Advocacy
Peer advocacy means using your voice to support and stand up for someone else. You work to amplify their needs and wishes—never replacing their perspective, but helping to make sure it’s heard. This might involve accompanying a classmate to report discrimination, guiding a friend to the right campus resources, or speaking on behalf of peers in meetings. Peer advocates act as allies, offering both support and solidarity while helping others navigate challenges they might not be able to face alone.
Group Advocacy
Group or collective advocacy happens when you join with others to create change for a shared cause. This is the classic image of activism—uniting voices to demand action from decision-makers. Whether you’re lobbying for a new university policy, running a campus-wide awareness campaign, or rallying for affordable and healthy food options, collective advocacy draws strength from numbers. Together, you can gather input from the community, organize petitions, and hold events that represent the unified voice of many, making it harder for your message to be ignored.
These categories can overlap—for example, you might begin advocating for yourself and discover that many others share the same concern, turning it into a collective effort. No matter the scale, all advocacy is about making a difference by ensuring that voices are heard and issues are addressed.
Discover Available Resources
Below is a list of AMS, Queen’s University, and Kingston community resources that provide direct support to students while also promoting advocacy. These services help students understand their rights, access essential supports, and address challenges in academic, mental health, equity, legal, housing, and food security areas.
Academic
Student Academic Success Services (SASS) – Queen’s University
Provides workshops, coaching, and resources to help students strengthen writing, learning strategies, and academic skills—equipping them to advocate for their own academic success and navigate academic challenges confidently.
AMS Peer Support Centre
Offers confidential, peer-led support for students navigating academic and personal stressors, helping them identify campus resources and advocate for their needs.
Queen’s Student Accessibility Services (QSAS).
Supports students with disabilities by coordinating academic accommodations, providing advocacy in navigating university policies, and ensuring equitable access to learning through individualized plans and accessibility resources.
I-EDIIA
Human Rights and Equity Office
Provides confidential guidance, policy advice, and education to help students address discrimination, harassment, and equity issues—empowering them to act on their rights under the Ontario Human Rights Code.
Yellow House Student Centre for Equity and Inclusion
A community hub for QTBIPoC students, fostering empowerment through programming, advocacy initiatives, and space to organize around equity and inclusion issues.
Four Directions Indigenous Student Centre
Supports Indigenous students’ cultural, academic, and personal well-being, and serves as a platform for Indigenous advocacy and reconciliation on campus.