"You health promotion types are all a bunch of left-wing fanatics who don't
understand the realities of modern government! Now, let's sit down and talk
about your proposal."


Where does it say that advocacy must be adversarial? And, yet, so often we in
health promotion set ourselves up as hostile critics of the establishment and
self-righteous guardians of the what is "fair and just." We use words like
"mean-spirited" to describe both the actions and the people of government.
Call me naive, but I find it difficult to believe that Ralph Klein, Mike
Harris or other politicians get up in the morning and say, "What marginalized
group shall I trample today?" That they may not understand social determinants
of health, I have no doubt. That they are swayed by the demands of the
majority and those with a "voice," I also have no doubt. But that they are not
concerned with the needs of the poor, the isolated, the "voiceless," I tend to
question.

The opening paragraph is not intended to insult health promotion professionals
but, rather, to illustrate a point. How ready would you be to listen in a
conversation that started with such a blanket condemnation? And, yet, that is
often our approach to government. We condemn and then we expect a positive
response. Perhaps it is the marketer in me (see "Hello. My name is..." below)
but I do not see how our message can be heard when we wrap it in criticism and
self-righteousness. There are few, if any, examples in traditional marketing
or social marketing where insults have provoked positive action.

I recognize that many health promotion professionals are working within the
system to affect change. But it is to those of us who are working on the
outside that I put forward this challenge: What positive strategies can we use
(or are we currently using) to ensure that the voices of the voiceless are not
only heard by the decision-makers but are responded to in ways that can bring
about real change?

How's that for a fine how-do-you-do? Hello. My name is Alana LaPerle. I'm a
private social marketing consultant and health promotion masters student in
Alberta. I have been part of Click 4HP since the fall and this is my first
contribution. Allision, you did say "jump in when you're ready..."

Alana