Articulating Change: Advocacy as an Act of Interpersonal Communication

The purpose of this four-part series is to continue highlighting the valuable connections between language skills and everyday areas of life and work. The framework of this series positions advocacy as an act of communication and storytelling by tying each topic to a mode of communication as defined by the ACTFL Performance Descriptors. Attendees will hear personal and professional stories from special guest speakers with language experience and an understanding of how different types of communication impact audiences. Attendees will then hear from JNCL-NCLIS leaders about how we see this type of communication value in our advocacy and have the opportunity to participate in a professional development activity and debrief to build experience and confidence in three-modes driven language instruction that serves as a great language advocacy tool. Up to 2 hours of professional development included. 

Articulating Change: Advocacy as an act of Interpersonal Communication

Date: September 29th, 2022 4PM ET

Subtopic: Language at the Intersection of Human Rights and Social Justice

Key Takeaways: Conversational language experiences can amplify and serve as advocacy. Using interpersonal communication helps engage, inform, and open opportunities.

Featured Speakers: 

Joshua Copper

CEO, The GOOD Group 

Joshua is an academic, advocate, author, analyst and activist based in Hawaii.

Joshua has created, crafted and coordinated 60 unique courses in Political Science, Journalism and Peace Studies drafting and delivering curriculum for over 100 plus classes in two decades at the University of Hawaii.  Cooper also offers impactful instruction for the University of New South Wales Diplomacy Training Program covering International Human Rights Law; Business & Human Rights,; Climate Justice & Sustainable Development; Indigenous Peoples Struggle for Self-Determination; and Traditional/Social Media Strategy for Social Change.

Cooper holds positions of Senior Global Advocacy Manager; Senior Policy Counsel International Advocacy; Senior Director of Communications & Community Engagement; Senior Director of Global Governance & International Initiatives; Senior Director of Research, Policy & Law with multiple peoples movements, NGOs, and human rights defenders associations

Joshua Cooper is a human rights advocate engaging in global and regional mechanisms guaranteeing fundamental freedoms. Cooper has participated as an official observer at United Nations meetings in both the charter and treaty bodies of the human rights machinery for over two decades.

Cooper is active in the development and climate change advocacy. Cooper attends the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change Conferences of Parties since Copenhagen through Paris including current Talanoa initiatives. Cooper participated in the negotiations from the Rio+20 Summit to the adoption at the UN General Assembly of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Cooper advises Major Groups and Other Stakeholders in the UN Voluntary National Reviews for the High Level Political Forum and is mobilizing subnational initiatives such as Voluntary Local Reviews spearheaded by cities.

Milton Alan Turner

French & Spanish Teacher, Saint Ignatius High School 

Milton Alan Turner has taught French & Spanish at Saint Ignatius High School since 1987. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in French and Linguistics from Georgetown University and two master’s degrees from Cleveland State University in Educational Technology and in Global Interactions.  Alan has participated in Fulbright Seminars in Morocco, Tunisia, Thailand, and Vietnam and in National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Seminars and Institutes studying world literature, Arabic language and culture, and US foreign policy.  He has served as a Reader, Table Leader, and Question Leader at the AP French Reading, a member of the SAT French Development Committee, co-chair of the Ohio World Languages Standards Revision Advisory Committee and president of the Ohio Foreign Language Association.  Alan is also a National Board Certified Teacher and was named the 2014 Ohio World Language Teacher of the Year.