Advocacy 101: How, When, and Who - Turning Community Power Into Action
Thursday, August 7, 2025
4:00 PM-5:00 PM
Advocacy isn’t just for professionals or politicians it’s for
everyone who sees something that needs to change. Whether you’ve spoken up
before or aren’t sure where to start, this interactive session hosted by the Latino Health Collective (LHC) will break down
the real steps to making your voice heard to create real change.
We’ll explore how decisions get made at the city, state, and federal level
and how people can influence them.
We’ll look at real examples, workshop issues that matter to participants,
and explore the difference between changing a policy and shifting how it’s
implemented. The goal is to remove the mystery around advocacy and provide
participants with practical tools, clearer strategies, and the belief that they
belong in every conversation about what our communities need.
Speaker: David Heayn-Menendez is the Mental Health Campaign Senior Advisor
for Communications at Children First and a freelance consultant with 20 years
of experience in electoral campaigns and issue-based advocacy within the nonprofit and government sectors. He
has a proven track record of supporting low-income and historically
underinvested communities through grassroots organizing, strategic
communications, and policy advocacy.
His previous roles include Chief Strategy and Organizing Officer at The New
Pennsylvania Project, Senior Director of Advancement and Public Affairs at
ACLAMO, Deputy Director of Programs and Partnerships at Pennsylvania Voice,
Executive Director of Pennsylvania Interfaith Power & Light, and Director
of Education and Civic Engagement at Al-Bustan. Across these roles, he has
worked to amplify the voices of marginalized communities throughout
Pennsylvania.
In addition to his advocacy work, David is an educator, public speaker,
curator, and writer, having taught in settings ranging from preschools to
universities and public forums. Beyond his professional work, he serves as
Council President in the Borough of Lewisburg.
Zoom link
Learn more about the LHC
Contact Information
Paula Garcia
pag82@drexel.edu