This year, we are having a Self-Advocate Summit at the World Congress.
It will be on 14 September in the United Arab Emirates.
The Self-Advocacy Summit is a meeting of self-advocates that come together at international level.
There have been 2 so far, one in person in Birmingham in 2018 and one online in 2020.
What is the Self-Advocacy Summit?
The Self-Advocacy Summit is a one-day event before the World Congress.
It is a place just for self-advocates (and their supporters).
This is a chance for self-advocates to:
- Share ideas and learn from each other
- Talk about what is working in different countries
- Work together on the big issues that are important to self-advocates everywhere
The Self-Advocacy Summit is organised by self-advocates.
It is a space for our voices to be heard and for us to lead.
Why is a Self-Advocacy Summit important?
The Self-Advocacy Summit brings together self-advocates around the world.
We connect and talk about the issues that we face everyday in our countries.
It is important because we bring together our voices and make one voice.
We empower new self-advocates on leadership and to advocate.
As a self-advocate, you’ll collect important information that you can apply in your own work.
After the Summit, we share updates on what was discussed and what we’ve done. Sometimes we do follow-up actions or assignments that were agreed upon.
This way, we can all stay connected, motivated, and working together for our goals.
I had an amazing time attending the past two summits! I loved connecting with fellow self-advocates, learning about their experiences, and sharing my own. I am super excited for the upcoming summit, where self-advocates from different regions will come together. We will connect and learn from each other. It is going to be a good opportunity to build relationships, share knowledge, and for us to grow as a community.
Mark Mapemba, Self-Advocacy Summit Planning Group
How we are planning the Self-Advocacy Summit
Self-advocates are in the lead.
Our self-advocate leaders are planning the Summit every month.
We have a team of self-advocates from different parts of the world helping with the planning. They’re making sure the summit is exactly what self-advocates want and need.
It is great that we are in charge because we know what’s best for self-advocates.
We have created a survey that will go to self-advocates and will help us to know what issues that they want to talk about at the Summit. We want to talk about issues that matter most.
You can fill out the survey here to tell us about what you want to see at the Self-Advocacy Summit. Only self-advocates should do this survey.
You can fill out the survey until April 18th.
Do not miss this chance to be part of this global meeting for self-advocates.
Mark your calendars for September 14, 2025 and join us at the Self-Advocacy Summit 2025.