Why this story is important
Advocacy is where belief meets doing. Telling that story helps you articulate why a cause mattered to you, not just that you were involved. It reveals the convictions, sacrifices, and hope behind your actions.
Your story can spark empathy, sense of possibility, and courage in others to engage or support the cause. When people see someone like them trying to make change, it lowers the barrier — “If they can do it, maybe I can too.” Your personal story becomes part of a larger tapestry of social movements, changes, and voices. Future readers, historians, or activists may draw from your account as a piece of evidence in understanding how change happened (or didn’t) in your era.
Preparation checklist
- Gather your thoughts and materials. Review your journals and notes that might help you remember details.
- Browse your photo albums to stimulate memories and choose the photos you might want to use in the story.
- Decide who you’ll share the finished story with. Just yourself? Family? Friends? Public post? Thinking about your audience in advance will help guide what memories and details to include and which ones to leave out.
How to use the Times of My Life App to capture your story:
A) Virtual Biographer Interview
- Open the app > search Causes and Advocacy.
- Tap “Virtual biographer” to start guided questions.*
- Speak or type answers; the app drafts your story.
- Review, edit, or tap rewrite to craft a different version.
B) Write It Yourself (in the App)
- Open the app > search Causes and Advocacy.
- Tap “Write myself”. Paste in notes; upload docs or PDFs.
- Polish the draft. Ask the VB to edit it or rewrite it in a different style.
- Write in the first person or third person. Narrate the story in your voice.
*The Virtual Biographer has instant access to similar stories written and shared by millions of other people. It knows what questions to ask and in what order. It can help you relive events, thoughts and feelings. It can help illuminate the essence of your experience and then craft a story that is uniquely yours. If a question doesn’t seem relevant to your experience, just skip it. Answer at least five questions. Tap “Next” and tap “Additional Details” to speak or type from memory.
Add media, save and publish as a printed piece, audiocast, and/or video
Insert photos and video clips wherever you want them to appear in the story narrative. Add voice narration and background music if you want to create an audiocast or video, in addition to a printed piece.
Share and revise as desired
After the story is written by you or your virtual biographer, you can “share” it through he app with friends and loved ones. Their feedback can provide valuable perspective and help you improve your story. After you get their feedback you can go back and edit the story as desired — or ask the Virtual Biographer to rewrite it with the feedback!
Related Stories
Write the Story Yourself: Suggested Outline
1. Title & Opening Hook
- Choose a title that captures the essence — e.g. “Standing for Justice,” “A Voice for Change,” “When I Couldn’t Stay Silent.”
- Open with a vivid scene or moment: a rally, a conversation, a moment you realized you had to act.
- One or two sentences about why this cause stirred you.
2. Origin / Calling
- What first drew you to this cause (personal experience, injustice, story, person)?
- Early convictions, reactions, awareness.
- Who or what influenced or inspired you (mentor, event, reading, witness)?
3. Steps of Engagement
- How did you begin? (volunteering, joining a group, petitioning, local action)
- Initial challenges or hesitations.
- Early wins or small progress.
- Mistakes, learning, pivoting.
4. The Heart of the Work
- Describe a few key events or moments (campaigns, protests, meetings, testimonies).
- What was your role? What actions did you take?
- Oppositions, barriers, failures, wins.
- Relationships formed: allies, opponents, collaborators.
5. Emotional & Personal Cost
- What did you risk (time, relationships, reputation, energy)?
- Moments of burnout, discouragement, conflict, doubt.
- What sustained you — hope, partnerships, faith, purpose?
6. Impact & Lessons
- What changed (in your community, in you, in systems)?
- Stories or individuals touched by your advocacy.
- What did you learn about power, change, persistence, humility?
- How this work recalibrated your values or priorities.
7. Legacy & Continuing Vision
- How do you hope your efforts will be remembered or continue?
- What remains to be done? What’s your next step?
- Advice or encouragement to someone else entering advocacy.
- A closing reflection: what this cause taught you about life, hope, and justice.
Tips to Make It Rich & Meaningful
- Use scene-based writing: show a particular event rather than summarizing.
- Include voices & dialogue: things people said, overheard conversations, protests chants.
- Include sensory detail (flags, voices, weather, venue) to bring scenes alive.
- Be honest about failures and regrets — they make the story more human and instructive.
- If the app allows, attach documents, photos, flyers, journal entries from your advocacy efforts.
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Best Causes and Advocacy Quote
“What you do makes a difference. And you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make”
— Jane Goodall