The Advocacy and Mobilization Program (AMP) is an accredited capacity-building program for healthcare providers (HCPs) who wish to become effective planetary health advocates.

Applications for Cohort 3 are now closed.

HCPs are among the most trusted voices in Canada. With the right skills and opportunities, HCPs are powerful advocates and influence action on planetary health.

AMP builds a growing network of planetary health advocates among HCPs by training participants on effective communications, media, and government relations skills, and by providing mobilization opportunities to get involved in campaigns.

AMP started in 2022 and has since run 2 cohorts and graduated nearly 100 HCPs. Participants have successfully lobbied federal politicians to help win CAPE’s campaigns, and many participants have successfully published op-eds and given media interviews, both as part of the program and as alumni. 

About AMP

AMP Cohort 3 will run from September 2024 to February 2025 and takes place virtually over Zoom (see full schedule below). 

The program starts with a virtual conference covering the foundations of planetary health, (de)colonization in advocacy and planetary health, and effective communications. It ends with a federal hill day where participants are put into groups and spend the day in several meetings to ask federal politicians to protect human health by protecting the environment. 

While the program is fully virtual, there is the option to participate in in-person meetings for the hill day. There may be in-person regional meet-ups organized depending on cohort interest. 

In addition to synchronous sessions, the course is hosted on a website where participants receive access to additional learning resources, access session recordings, can share resources and connect with one another, and can submit assignments. Reading, preparing, and connecting with peers outside of training sessions is not required, but participants who do receive more from the program. 

Throughout the program participants build relationships and receive mentorship from one another, CAPE staff, and communications and government relations experts. 

Black, Indigenous, and Francophone participants can opt to join peer support caucuses which receive additional funding for mentorship and upskilling opportunities.

After graduating from the program, CAPE aims to continue finding upskilling and advocacy opportunities to provide to interested alumni. 

Accreditation

Participants qualify for up 36 Mainpro+ or MOC Section 1 credits with the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC) or the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada for the hours they contributed to the program. Accreditation is certified by Continuing Professional Development, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, at the University of Toronto.

Opening conference: up to 14 credits

Ongoing training: up to 22 credits

Hill day: credits TBD

Program Outcomes

Participants who take part in AMP will: 

• Become effective communicators on issues such as climate and toxics
• Learn how to leverage media tools such as op-eds and interviews for advocacy
• Develop an understanding of government processes and lobbying government officials
• Build a network of like-minded peers
• Gain access to CAPE’s mobilization network which includes media and CAPE campaign advocacy opportunities

Program schedule and commitment

Full participation in the conference and hill day are mandatory (please note this requires taking time off of work on Friday September 20 and Monday February 10). 

Depending on participant availability and interest, we may schedule optional regional meet-ups the evening of Thursday September 19 or sometime before the conference for participants to connect with local peers.

Training sessions take place on Saturdays from 8:00-11:00 PT / 11:00-14:00 ET to accommodate participants across time zones and schedules. 

2024

Friday September 20-22: Training conference.

Click here to see the 2023 Conference Schedule.

Saturday October 5: Storytelling for social change part 2

Saturday October 19: How to write an op-ed/LTE 

Saturday November 16: How to give a good interview 

Saturday December 7: Hill day preparation session

2025

Saturday January 18: Government relations: how does government work

Saturday January 25: How to meet with your MP and mock hill day 

Monday February 3, 5-6pm PT / 8-9 pm ET: About the MPs and tailoring your message 

Sunday February 9, 4-5pm PT / 7-8 pm ET: Final briefing session & optional in-person meet-ups (Sunday evening)

Monday February 10, all day: Hill day and mini-celebration/reflection 

Saturday Feb 22: Graduation 

Who can apply 

Applications are open to all healthcare providers in what is currently Canada, as the program is rooted in a Canadian context. In the context of this program, an HCP is defined as someone who treats patients directly and is certified by a regulated college or board, or is a student/in training on this process, or is retired. 

Fees

Physician: $2500

Nurse, resident, allied healthcare provider: $1000

Student: $250

Program fees are to be paid once accepted into the program and can be paid as one-time fees or in instalments.

The full cost to run the program is about $6000 per participant for a cohort of 50 participants. We are able to subsidize this cost thanks to the generous support of our funders.

This fee includes: 

• Interactive, practical workshops led by experts in media relations and communications
• Training to increase awareness and work to dismantle dimensions of injustice in advocacy
• Mentorship and collaboration opportunities with professional campaigners and peers
• Strategic advice and preparation from government relations experts in advance of meeting directly with policymakers to advance policy action 
• Online learning portal with supplementary material, recorded sessions, and spaces to interact with peers virtually
• Simultaneous interpretation, translation, and accessibility supports for a fully bilingual (FR/EN) and accessible program
• Ongoing training opportunities after graduating the program through the alumni mobilization network 

We are firmly committed to financial accessibility and do not wish for fees to be a barrier to anyone’s participation. If you are interested in the program but require a reduced fee, we encourage you to apply and will make the necessary arrangements. 

How to apply

Cohort 3 applications are now closed.

Questions and support

If you have any questions or need any support, please do not hesitate to contact the Program Director, Kiemia Rezagian, at kiemia@cape.ca. To stay up-to-date with CAPE’s work, please subscribe to CAPE’s mailing list.