Increasingly, advocacy is noted as a desired skill for young scientists. Most science communication training currently focuses on how to make complex findings understandable to a general audience or on more compelling ‘storytelling’. However, effective advocacy requires distinct strategies, approaches and resources that are less widely accessible.

To address this skills gap, the Early Career Ecologist Section is teaming up with the Union of Concerned Scientists, an organization with extensive experience in training scientists to engage with policy makers and stakeholders. This workshop will present a range of approachable techniques and strategies for effective environmental issues advocacy. The workshop will conclude with the drafting (and ideally submission) of a statement in response to current environmental issues for which there are open requests for public comment, thus providing participants with an immediate example of the advocacy communication that they can engage in on a regular basis.