Advocacy
Federal Activities
The Public Health Agency of Canada has a Division for Childhood and Adolescence. PHAC describes the division as a focal point for policy development, research, and strategic analysis of trends regarding broad determinants of health regarding children and youth in Canada. Click here for more information: http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/hp-ps/index-eng.php.
In September 2000, First Ministers reached an important agreement on early childhood development to foster the well-being of Canada’s young children. Under this agreement, the Government of Canada provided $2.2 billion over five years, beginning in 2001-2002, to help provincial and territorial governments improve and expand early childhood development programs and services. Click here for more information: http://www.socialunion.gc.ca/ecd_e.html.
Steps to Effective Advocacy
The Children’s Vision Initiative committee and CAO are here to help. Quite simply, the CVI is here to ensure that every provincial association has the critical skills and tools to carefully plan and implement an Eye See… Eye Learn program. One of the key components of moving an Eye See… Eye Learn program forward is the collaboration between optometry, school boards and government. ESEL is a program that was designed to raise the awareness of government, parents, teachers and other health care providers about the importance of eye health and the strong correlation between vision and learning.
PowerPoint templates for presenting an ESEL program to School Boards and Public Health now available (see Templates). These presentations may be downloaded and then adapted to your particular program as needed.
Making Your Province Eye See… Eye Learn Ready!
CVI Advocacy Manual (PDF)
CVI Presentation for OLF, January 2008 (PPT)
CVI Speaking Notes for OLF, January 2008 (PDF)
Templates (Letters, Briefs, PowerPoint Presentations, etc.)
CVI Public Health Presentation (PPT)
CVI School Board Presentation (PPT)
