About Advocacy Academy
Advocacy Academy is an opportunity to get involved in the disability rights movement and learn the skills of advocacy! Participants will learn advanced leadership. This is a paid 8-week summer job where participants choose a disability advocacy issue to learn about and then create an advocacy campaign around that issue. Participants will learn about:
- The history of the Disability Rights Movement in the United States
- The skills of advocacy
- Personal leadership skills
- How to work in a group
- Workplace skills
- How to plan and implement a disability advocacy project
Advocacy Academy provides valuable experience and training that can be applied to other life experiences. Many of our previous participants have received employment recommendations based on their work performance at Advocacy Academy.
Qualifications & Expectations
Six (6) individuals will be selected to participate in this year’s Advocacy Academy program. We are seeking applicants who:
- Are between 16–29 years of age
- Are able to commit to the entire 8 week position
- Are motivated to increase their leadership skills
- Lived experience as a person with a disability is a plus
Selected participants are expected to be present for all sessions (see “Schedule” section below for details) and participate in the advocacy project process. This is a paid position at $15.00 per hour.
2026 Advocacy Academy
Schedule
Stay tuned for more information about Advocacy Academy 2026!
Location
Advocacy Academy will meet in person at our Kalamazoo office:
517 E. Crosstown Parkway
Kalamazoo, MI 49001
Contact Us
Email: bakerh@dnswm.org
If you have any questions about Advocacy Academy or the application process, please contact Holly Baker at the above email address or by phone at (269) 345-1516 x121.