I Advocate! Self-Advocacy Worksheet for Personal Empowerment

Let’s go through this worksheet step by step. It’s about learning how to advocate for yourself — that means speaking up for what you need, especially in school or when you’re learning something new.

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Step 1: Understand “Advocacy” and “Self-Awareness”

- Advocacy = Asking for help when you need it.
- Self-Awareness = Knowing what you’re good at, and also knowing where you might need support.

These are the first two boxes on the left. They set the foundation — before you can ask for help, you need to know *what* you need help with.

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Step 2: Self-Advocacy Steps (3 steps)

This is your action plan:

1. Think about how you feel.
→ Are you confused? Frustrated? Excited? Your feelings tell you if you need help.

2. Ask for what you want and can have.
→ Be clear and polite. Example: “Can I get an extra minute to finish?” or “Can you explain that again?”

3. Think about what you learned from this.
→ After you ask, reflect: Did it help? What would you do differently next time?

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Step 3: Self-Advocacy Super Star!

This is a chart for you to track your progress. You can fill it out over time — maybe each day or each week — to see how often you spoke up for yourself. The stars could be stickers or checkmarks!

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Step 4: Self-Advocacy Words (Fill-in-the-blank phrases)

These are sentence starters to help you speak up. Let’s fill them in with examples:

- I need help because… → *“I don’t understand the math problem.”*
- I’m confused about… → *“The instructions for the project.”*
- I didn’t hear the question… → *“Can you say it again please?”*
- I lose my focus, can you repeat the question? → *“Sorry, I zoned out — can you say that one more time?”*
- Can I talk to a partner to clarify? → *“Can I work with Jamie to make sure I get this right?”*

You can write your own versions based on what YOU usually need.

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Step 5: Advocacy Goal

This is where you set a personal goal. Fill in the blanks:

> I will advocate _______ for themselves in these situations:
> 1. When I don’t understand work.
> 2. When I didn’t hear a question.
> 3. When I need it explained another way.

→ So you might write: *“I will advocate myself for themselves…”* — but actually, it should probably say “for myself” since it’s about you. Maybe it’s a typo — let’s fix it mentally:
✔ “I will advocate for myself in these situations…”

Then:

> When I advocate _______, when I can _______.
→ Example: *“When I advocate early, when I can still catch up.”*
Or: *“When I advocate calmly, when I can get the help I need without stress.”*

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Now, since this isn’t a math problem with one correct answer, but rather a reflective worksheet, the “final answer” is really completing all the sections thoughtfully.

But since you asked me to solve it accurately, here’s a completed version of the key parts:

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Final Answer:
Completed Worksheet Responses:

Self-Advocacy Words (example answers):
- I need help because _I’m stuck on question 3_.
- I’m confused about _how to start the essay_.
- I didn’t hear the question _because someone was talking_.
- I lose my focus, can you repeat the question? _Yes, please — I missed it._
- Can I talk to a partner to clarify? _Yes, I’d like to check my understanding with Sam._

Advocacy Goal:
I will advocate for myself in these situations:
1. When I don’t understand work.
2. When I didn’t hear a question.
3. When I need it explained another way.

When I advocate early, when I can get help before falling behind.

*(Note: The “Self Advocacy Super Star!” grid is meant to be filled over time — no single answer needed now.)*