Advocacy

The Goals of the Advocacy Program

At HRI we have the opportunity and resources to advocate for systematic changes that will assure every member of society with fundamental human rights. At its core, HRI will always be about the advancement of human rights, and this agency will always work to improve the lives of our clients by creating projects that work to protect human and civil rights.

Advocacy, as opposed to individual representation, allows us to proactively engage in this movement for change rather than representing the needs of individuals. It also involves community partnerships with like-minded nonprofits and other organizations toward a focused and specific agenda. We can reach more people because advocacy is not limited by the bounds of confidentiality. Advocacy provides momentum for systematic change on a large scale. It is impossible to represent someone without advocating for their cause, but it is possible to advocate on behalf of someone without representing them. We need your help to advocate for change:

Community Outreach (A2-B)

You can help HRI reach this goal by researching and identifying organizations, religious institutions, and ethnic communities that need to learn more about HRI and the clients we serve.  Once the organizations are identified, you could distribute information to the organization to reach out to the local communities. 

Speakers (A2-C)

You can train with HRI to become a speaker for speaking engagements at local universities, nonprofits and civic organizations to educate North Texas about HRI and human rights issues affecting our clients. 

Author Position Papers (A2-D)

Do you enjoy writing?  You could volunteer to draft a position statement on issues affecting our clients in the North Texas area.  Examples included the creation of visas for victims of violent crimes and human trafficking. 

Administrative Support (A2-A)

If you are interested in the area of advocacy, but just are not sure where to begin, you could volunteer administrative support.  For example, you could track and summarize legislation on a rotating basis with the help of the HRI advocacy attorney.  By tracking these issues  we can predict the issue areas that will affect our clients and in turn prepare a prompt response to address our clients' needs.

For more information, please contact Chris Mansour, HRI Attorney at (214) 855-0520.