When it comes to advocacy, I always ask: What moves you to compassion?
The less we confine ourselves to our immediate horizon, the more we allow ourselves to contribute to the common good, in the spirit of solidarity.
There are various advocacies addressing social issues and human rights at different levels of engagement, each one an entry point.
You may find what advocacy inspires you the most, what cause enkindles your passion, this has a lot to do with your background and level of consciousness. Start small and from there find yourself expand in the process to discover the social reality embedded in a landscape of capacities and vulnerabilities.
When you do, always check if your heart is in the right place. Advocacy and leadership is not for feel-good social value, what matters the most, is that you're an advocate for the good of people, and not for self-ambition.
Lei Motilla is the top graduate of BS Community Development in the University of the Philippines, Diliman. She is a Country Ambassador for Project Inspire, an initiative of the Singapore Committee for UN-Women and currently a humanitarian worker for the recovery and resilience of typhoon Haiyan survivors.
She advocates women empowerment, environmental sustainability and social entrepreneurship. She was also a former president of the UP Astronomical Society, where she advocates the relevance of Astronomy in Social Development.
