Voices for Advocates

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Giving Words to People in Power

Through our advocacy portal, BridgingVoices.org, Lifting Voices gives voices of experience to decision makers. Our principle is clear: in order to construct sound, sensible, effective policies, voices of experience must be heard.

Lifting Voices does not advocate for any particular position or agenda. Rather, we make sure that people who shape community policy hear from people who live on the fault lines of fractured communities.

Our interactive website, BridgingVoices.org, fills an immense need for voices of experience. BridgingVoices.org collects collect personal narratives from people who have experienced community fractures, and serves as a portal for advocates, legislators, and citizens.

Our Place in the Community

Lifting Voices and BridgingVoices.org fill an important role in the advocacy community. Advocates for issues from child welfare to gang violence often face an enormous stumbling block. They lack access to the most informative voices on these issues, the voices of experience.

Without voices of experience, advocates are unable to confront decision-makers with first-hand testimony. This hobbles them, and prevents them from pursuing effective policy. Without voices of first-hand experience, neither the advocate nor the decision-maker can do her job to its best.

Just as importantly, people in need must be empowered to speak for themselves. Not having their voices heard further disenfranchises marginalized communities, contributing to the cycle of powerlessness.

To the best of our knowledge, BridgingVoices.org is the only attempt to fulfill these needs. Our program is unique, and highly needed.

Go to BridgingVoices.org

At BridgingVoices.org, you’ll find a wealth of information:

• Video interviews from survivors of fractured communities
• Transcripts of interviews
• Comments from advocates and experts
• Links to advocacy groups, so you can get involved in finding solutions

Through BridgingVoices.org, Lifting Voices is currently working on a collection of voices speaking on incarceration and child welfare. In the near future, BridgingVoices.org will encompass the following themes:

• Child Welfare and Family Issues
• Group Violence
• Gender Roles
• Sexual Violence
• Identity-Based Discrimination

Photo by Marlene Ford