OPAL Advanced Practice in Advocacy

OPAL Advanced Practice in Advocacy is a short online course designed to build on the themes and education from WCO’s Optometry Program for Advocacy and Leadership (OPAL) for optometrists who are active in vision-based advocacy.

The course’s overall theme is enhancing stakeholder engagement. This theme will be addressed by speakers discussing how to work with NGOs, advanced topics in stakeholder management, and writing/proposing grants and other funding. During one week, each participant will give a 3-minute presentation on current or past advocacy projects. The goal here is to provide each participant with experience in public speaking and to help them see what has worked for others around the world.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact WCO at enquiries@worldoptometry.org.

Participation Requirements

Below is the list of requirements in order to participate in the course:

Interested individuals must submit an online application form (seen at the end of this page).
Successful applicants must be a previous OPAL graduate who has been actively involved in at least one advocacy project since completing OPAL. Please note that those who completed the most recent OPAL program (2025) are not yet eligible to apply.
This is a WCO Member Benefit – only those who are a member of a WCO Country Member in good standing*, employed by a WCO Affiliate Member in good standing or WCO Individual Members in good standing will be eligible to apply. Good standing means you or your organization has paid their WCO Membership fees for the current year.
- If you are not yet a WCO member, you can apply for Individual Membership thru this link OR check if your organization is listed as a WCO Country or Affiliate Member in good standing here.
- Kindly note that being a WCO Member does not guarantee a spot in OPAL Advanced Practice in Advocacy since we have a limited number of slots available, and all applications are screened and reviewed by the OPAL Selection Committee.
Successful applicants are required to give a 3-minute presentation on their current or past advocacy projects. There will be a presentation template available for use.
Successful applicants must actively participate, share comments and insights since the program is interactive.
Successful applicants must be able to participate in English and have reliable access to the internet.

Selection Process and Course Timeline

The OPAL Advanced Practice in Advocacy Selection Committee will review all eligible applications received based on:

Application strength
Activeness in advocacy work
Need for further support (i.e., facing significant challenges in advocacy work)

All applicants will be informed via email regarding the results.

Number of Participants and Course Timeline

We are accepting up to 20 applicants for this advanced course.

The course will start on May 04, 2026 (Monday) until May 26, 2026 (Monday).

OPAL Advanced Practice in Advocacy Application Form

Please kindly fill out the form below if you are interested in applying for OPAL Advanced Practice in Advocacy.

The application period is open from January 12, 2026 (Monday) until February 02, 2026 (Monday, 11:59PM US Central Time).

If you encounter any issues or have questions, please contact WCO at enquiries@worldoptometry.org.

Please note that the application period for OPAL Advanced Practice in Advocacy has already closed.