Self-advocacy groups can be an amazing and empowering experience. Belonging to a self-advocacy group gives power to individual members and to the group together. You discover the different stages of self-advocacy:

1. Standing Up For Yourself – This is when people find their voice and start to use it.
2. Standing Up For A Friend – After a person is feeling comfortable speaking up for themselves, you may see that they start advocating for others.
3. Standing Together As A Group – “I belong to Becoming Empowered of Rutland.”  We have a stronger voice when we work and speak up together.

Use our GMSA handbook to teach a new self-advocacy group about running your own meetings, setting goals for your group, and finding allies to support the group.