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>> Hey, I'm Sean.
>> And I'm Tori.
>> We are here today at the Labour Day parade in Windsor, Ontario, Canada,
right across the border from Detroit, Michigan, in the United States.
>> Windsor and Detroit are home to some of the most important workers' rights movements
in history, such as the 1945 Ford strike.
>> There are many strong social movements continuing in this community,
including Idle No More, environmental, and anti-poverty movements.
>> In fact, today a group of migrant workers and allies are travelling from Leamington to Ottawa
to bring awareness and advocate for migrant workers' rights in Canada.
>> We're here to talk to you about something you've probably heard a lot about
but that we rarely take the time to define or understand, systemic advocacy.
>> In this video, we'll lay down the basics of what systemic advocacy is and why we need it.
You'll see examples of various systemic advocacy actions from Windsor, Ontario.
Important definitions will pop up on the screen as we go.
>> After this video, we'll direct you to a website with links to some great resources
and supports so that you can learn more.
>> Even though the examples we use in this video are local
to Windsor, the struggles are not unique.
As you watch this video, think about some
of the important systemic advocacy initiatives in your community.
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We're at the Windsor Workers' Education Centre, or WWEC, where workers lead the community
in the struggle for fairness and dignity at work.
>> Like many worker action and education centres, the WWEC uses systemic advocacy
to improve the lives of people in low-wage and unstable employment.
Let's go inside and talk more about systemic advocacy.
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>> I'm guessing you've probably heard the term "systemic advocacy" before
and have some kind of idea of what it is.
Systemic advocacy is a big concept that has been applied in many different ways.
>> So let's just start with the basics.
What do we mean when we talk about advocacy?
Often when we talk about advocacy, we are talking about representing, supporting,
or defending a person, interest, or opinion.
Advocates are folks who act in support of an individual or a cause, pushing for change
to increase the well-being of those they are advocating for,
whether this be themselves or others.
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>> But this doesn't fully capture what systemic advocacy is about.
Systemic advocacy seeks change at the systems level.
Advocates who work on the systems level try to influence decision-makers
to address the root causes of oppressive systems and structures.
Systemic advocacy can play a major role in influencing social policy, public opinion, law,
and most importantly, people's day-to-day lives.
>> One way to think about this is imagine you're in a boat and water keeps getting in.
It's important to empty out the boat as it comes in, but it's also important to stop the water
from getting in, in the first place.
Until you plug the hole that's letting in the water,
you'll be constantly struggling to empty the boat.
>> Some people refer to systemic advocacy as upstream,
meaning you work on issues before they move down the water system and cause problems.
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>> So enough water metaphors.
Let's talk about examples.
Take food justice.
Opening a food bank alleviates hunger, a symptom of poverty, but doesn't address the root causes.
Systemic advocacy seeks to address the underlying causes of hunger, inadequate income,
low rates of social entitlements, poor access to food, environmental damage, and trade policy.
>> For example, Dignity For All started a Chew On This campaign where people handed
out brown-bag lunches containing apples and postcards addressed
to the Prime Minister calling for a national poverty elimination strategy.
So systemic advocacy has two key components that make it distinct
from more traditional individual advocacy or charity models.
One, it seeks change at the systems level rather than looking for change for an individual,
and two, it tries to address the root causes of oppression
and inequality rather than alleviating the symptoms.
>> Often individual and systemic advocacy work together
to address both immediate and systems level problems.
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Hopefully, you have a basic understanding of what systemic advocacy is
after watching part one of this video.
Take a few minutes and watch part two where we talk about the different types
of systemic advocacy and why we need it.
>> You will also find useful resources in the comment section below
that explores systemic advocacy more deeply
and will help you evaluate the best approaches for your campaign.
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