SFI: Video Advocacy for Policy Change
Spring 2026
Instructor
Kate Coyer, PhD, Visiting Professor, DPP & Senior Research Fellow, Democracy Institute
Course Description
This is a workshop-style SFI course in which students explore the use of video for policy advocacy, and gain hands-on experience producing an advocacy video working in small groups.
Aided by the accessibility of low-cost, high-quality technologies, strategic use of video is instrumental in successful advocacy strategies. It isn't easy to be heard in a sea of information and messages--this is why video advocacy, when used wisely, can be an invaluable ally in campaigns and policy advocacy work.
In this SFI course, we will spend the first part identifying key video advocacy tactics and strategies, and critically examine a selection of advocacy videos utilizing a range of styles, including the specific role of video in supporting human rights work. Students will be encouraged to consider audience, objective and impact, as well as outreach and amplification. Next, we will provide students with basic grounding in interviewing skills and storytelling. And finally, students will be given the opportunity to produce their own short advocacy videos working in small teams.
At the end of the week, students should be equipped with an understanding of advocacy video that communicates a message, moves an audience, and can ultimately effect change on a given issue.
- Instructor: Kate Coyer