Understanding policy documents

A policy is a set of principles, ideas or plans that guide decisions to achieve a certain outcome. Policies are important because they affect how we behave and shape the way we do things. Many policies may already exist on your issue on a local, national, regional, or even global level. Finding and reading these policies might be a challenge, but your actions will be far more effective if you do this. If you can change these basic principles that affect decisions, you have a better chance of sustainably achieving your goal. This is why advocacy always links back to policy.

Remember, not every advocacy project is linked to a policy. Your action could focus on changing attitudes towards a specific issue, and policy may not be the most effective object of your actions. But for greater change, policy will always play at least some role.

Before you start reading, you need to find these policy documents and learn how to access them. Try to determine the following:

• At local or national level, which department or ministry is responsible for the issue I am advocating for?

• If you are looking for policies at the international or regional level, which section of the organisation deals with the issue I am advocating for?

• Are these documents accessible on the internet? Or in our schools, communities, local government offices, district offices?

Now that you’ve found the policy document, its rime to delve into the content and make your suggestions. Keep reading for guidance on this !