Sometimes, doing whats best for our students means stepping out of our comfort zones and engaging the public and other stakeholders. Positivity is contagious. To help you promote your cause, here are five critical elements of successful campaigns. School Board Meeting: This activity is a way to practice for the real-world public comment section of any school board meeting. Now take a look at your school for what it truly is. The day before this simulation, assign 5-7 students to the role of school board members, who set the agenda of what educational issues they will hear during the meeting and announce them to the rest of the class. The mission of the Student Council is to serve as a student advocacy and advisory group which acts as a liaison between the students and administration of USG to communicate on behalf of the student population. If youre, Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in the Philippines, yet the. Parents have the power to hold their childs school accountable, but they have When the study looks at engagement, it finds that students are 14 times more likely to say they are academically motivated under those same circumstances. You want to get a big strawberry grower in your community to cut down on the pesticide used on his fields. Theres no limit to the impact you can have. Sometimes these ideas are so powerful they have the ability to make a seriously positive impact in the lives of ordinary people. With this project, students research a company's current practices and statements and decide if they support them or not. Here's how SMART + C goal-planning works: Instead of, "We'll hold a meeting," your goal should be:"We'll hold a meeting for parents of teenage children in Memorial Hall to invite input on the initiative. Student-led campaigns are usually measurable through the number of donations you collect from fundraising or the number of supporters you reach through engagement. MUSIC ADVOCACY DAY @ THE CAPITOL March 13, 2023 This trait encompasses academic, social and physical needs. PDF Student Council Handbook of Rules and Expectations Campaign Speech - Examples, Format, Sample | Examples If so, keep reading. Once you have your goals written down, it's easier to make an inventory of the resources you'll need, in terms of organization, money, facilities, and allies--and the assets you have already. Good advocates use effective listening strategies. Every child deserves to have someone who believes in theman adult who facilitates their success, demands that they do their best, and ultimately never gives up on them. You can contact them at x to learn more about their activities and initiatives. 11 Ways To Conserve Natural Resources You Can Do Right Now. Give each student a slip of paper with an assigned role in the meeting. When you campaign for votes, it's good to know the kind of person who you'd like to vote for you. Normally, planning your goals comes first--but you may have to change those plans if you find, as you plan further, that the tactics you were hoping to use aren't legal, or won't work. An important part of this process is helping the students to find their own voice so they can self-advocate in the future.. For this part of the plan, it's important to know very precisely what caused the problem your advocacy group is addressing. The Student Advocacy and Issues Committee shall be responsible for ascertaining student opinion and concern on academic, social matters, and community issues and engaging Student Council members in conversations about potential action to advocacy on behalf of students with faculty, staff, or other stakeholders, including: Acting as an advocate . Your life is precious Move fast and avoid wasting time Every second matter We can do our best We do what suits them best Vigilant at every moment Fall the safety rules We won't get you regret Always expect the unexpected So you adjust your goal to one that would change safety practices in the refinery and permit closer community oversight. Pull together a small group of colleagues and brainstorm the names of opinion leaders in your area. Many students dont often have the opportunity to engage adults in casual conversation about their ideas. Kimmie is a Senior Editor at WeAreTeachers. For example, you may find it useful to attach your plan to each major objective. xref For starters, fill up the roles for the lead organizer, campaign marketer, and volunteer headthen branch out from there. Weekly Meetings with Your Principal. opinion, and attend a school board meeting an give public testimony on matters Finding out your students talents, interests, needs, and goals will give you the important information necessary to advocate for them. The police chief may be a target initially since there is little enforcement, but a delegation of kids against tobacco persuades him that he really needs to commit himself to their cause. The Edvocate was created in 2014 to argue for shifts in education policy and organization in order to enhance the quality of education and the opportunities for learning afforded to P-20 students in America. That entire concept was created by students at a leadership conference. Create a positive message to inspire others. on September 27, 2021. ACA focuses on two types of advocacy: (1) issue advocacy and (2) legislative advocacy. Spread the loveOne of the questions that I am frequently asked is, what does a good teacher look like? well as advocates for the concerns and rights of the local citizenry. Have someone from the school contact the leader and invite him or her to spend a day at the school as a student in various social studies classes. How to Advocate for Students and Make a Difference - We Are Teachers That's the job of the tactics (or action steps) that you choose? also has the right to challenge policy through accepted channels if it feels Although Did you come up short on the most vital resource of all--the people who are willing to help? All parents are eligible to join. Unit 204 Pacific Century Tower, Brgy. @3S6w,|jf;~ Y5rZ. It may be useful to brainstorm strategies in the group, and write down those that you feel will help you attain your goals. 0000001421 00000 n I work with teams of students to bring your concerns straight to the administration and advocate for change. On each page, provide space for "short," "intermediate " and "long-term" objectives, with two or three objectives under each sub-heading. Theyve also mastered the power of social media, strengthening their voices in the advocacy sphere. From 2012 to 2015, it ran the Shark Shelter Project to help preserve the thresher shark in Malapascua Island, Cebu. <<0820119867582F42AB566BDAD87C9F83>]>> Altman, D., Balcazar, F., Fawcett, S., Seekins, T., & Young, J. Do you have internal problems that need to be solved in your group, such as relationships between staff and volunteers? Student council is a great place to launch a new idea that can benefit your community. The winning ideas included the following: The campaign was a success as it empowered youth advocates to stand against climate change. At this point in the planning, you will have a fairly clear idea about what you want to achieve, what are the main obstacles, and what are the resources--in terms of money, facilities and people--that can help you reach the goals. 5 Ways Principals Can Promote Student Voice and Self-Advocacy, Inside the Backpacks of NHS Scholarship Winners: Discovering the Essentials of Tomorrows Leaders, Trailblazing Leadership Week Celebrates Student and School Leaders, Award Recognizes International Schools Student Council, MoneySKILL: A Solution for Personal Finance Education. As a result, many senior citizens arent aware of the rights and benefits theyre entitled to. Here are somethings that you should keep in mind, as your advocacy campaign progresses, involving surprise developments from good news; rumors; unmet needs; or bad news. Actively Encourage Participation in Student Government Organizations. The next steps involve drawing a clear road-map showing how you will get there from here. You won't be needing massive financial support over a long period of time, as would be the case if you wanted to open a day-care center, for example.That's the good news. (1994). To help support those in need and provide better living conditions, you can start housing projects or amass support for similar initiatives. In celebration of World Tourism Day, the Center for Energy, Ecology, and Development launched the #VIPforVIP campaign on September 27, 2021. Organizing for social change: a manual for activists in the 1990s. These recommendations can help build your confidence in your ability to stand up for your students effectively. Donate now. powerful effect on how the school district is operated. For instance, are you familiar with the accommodation on your students IEPs and 504 plans? Each group works together to prepare two-minute remarks that communicate their position on each agenda item. That reorganization, though, and the underlying effort, will have much to do with reviving the American education system, and reviving a national love of learning. Given this premise, CEED initiated an online petition in Change.org calling on the local and national government to not issue the permits for the projects. advocacy ideas for student council. It can also give your student body president and other club officers an insight into how an adult leader does time management in a demanding job. 177 0 obj<>stream Developing an Advocacy Plan(Victim Assistance Training) This website provides a step-by-step guide to planning for advocacy with case studies and activities following each step. Obviously, not everything can be locked in. Now you have the tools that you need to advocate for K-12 That way, you can create a message to appeals to them, to put on your posters and flyers, or in your speeches. practice that is out of compliance with local, state or federal standards and Black Boys in Crisis: Why Arent They Reading? At the end of the day, a successful advocacy campaign is only possible if you have the heart for the cause youre supporting. In most school districts, some of the school board seats are I frame my feedback in a way that increases that agency and empowers them to exercise. Overview: Getting an Advocacy Campaign Off the Ground, Section 6. Your choice of style will depend to a great extent on your knowledge of the community, and of what will work (as well as your knowledge of your members and allies, and what they can do best and most comfortably). As such, its essential to take action now to prevent irreversible consequences. What makes the YAC different from other student organizations? One of the major effects of poverty is the lack of adequate housing, forcing millions of people to live in unsanitary conditions. Focus on long-term goals. All Rights Reserved. Outstanding communications between the school board and student council. Consider these steps: Keep in touch with that leader, whether it's inviting him or her to a school awards assembly, having lunch together, or sending an occasional letter. We call those "buycott" letters. related to education. A Social Studies Student for a Day program could be an effective "See for Yourself" activity for this campaign. . Spread the loveUsually, people are under the wrong impression that geography does not offer many job opportunities, and there are no jobs for a geographer. Planning an advocacy campaign involves a lot of work. Doing this will give you a clearer idea of how to draft your advocacy campaign. By experimenting with ideas you can develop your own unique solutions and thereby making an old idea even better. For example, rather than dreaming of a huge goal to lobby against worldwide drought, focusing on a core location can make your advocacy more achievable. Remember that it's better to keep your focus on a relatively narrow, manageable group of issues, rather than letting yourselves try to cover too much ground, and lose strength in the process. What we envisage may not be the most straightforward or the most conventional ideas. Clery was a freshman at Lehigh University in 1986 when she was raped and killed in her campus dormitory. It's also important to split up the goals according to your time-frame. Opinion leaders (Key Communicators) are determined by how many people they influence--they have people power, not necessarily position power. Some of the most notable advocacy wins from the year include: Student Mental Health: We are excited to announce a new SU Mental Health Bursary, funded to $700,000. Disagreements about use of funds? Tactics are the action steps. One of the interesting side effect was that it also created a novel fundraising opportunity for students who often go door-to-door asking for empty bottles to raise money for their school, church or sports team. Galloway, N.J. Haley Baum, assistant vice president for Student Advocacy, Belonging & Campus Standards and dean of Students at Stockton University, wrote her dissertation research about the Clery Act several years ago with a photo of Jeanne Clery prominently on her desk. The local school board represents the state in educational matters as This initiative invited the youth to submit proposals on project ideas to promote climate change action. Hold school board During the simulation, the school board members announce each agenda item and ask for public comment. Lawrence, KS: Work Group on Health Promotion and Community Development, The University of Kansas. The point is that you need to think hard about what effect it will have, based on your knowledge of the community, your targets and agents, and the root causes of the issue. Advocacy in School Counseling: Top 5 Tips Once thats settled, build a team, craft a strong message, establish proper metrics to track your campaigns performance, and stay consistent in churning content. Having them on board encouraged more private businesses to donate funds to support the Bantay Dagats. Spread the loveEducation is a collaborative process, as it takes many stakeholders working in unison to help students succeed academically. Copyright 2022The Practice Space | Photography | Web Design, Join our Summer Teen Speech & Debate Camp (in person), This is default text for notification bar, Resource 1: Advocacy: The Heart of a Leader, Resource 2: Self-Advocacy and Challenging Inequities, Resource 3: Building a Team of Youth Advocates: Stories from the Author, Resource 4: Getting Advocacy Started: For Educators and Facilitators, Resource 5: Getting Advocacy Started: For Speakers, Resource 6: Getting Advocacy Started: For Listeners, Resource 7: Developing a Strong Stance: Mapping Your Expertise, Resource 8: Basic Advocacy Speech Structures, Resource 9: Adapting to Audiences and Navigating Power Dynamics, Resource 10: Advocating for Special Needs, Resource 13: Small Steps for Educators: Advocacy in the Classroom, Resource 14: Activity Examples: Advocacy Simulations, Resource 15: Class Project: We Care Group Advocacy Presentations Assignment Sheet, Resource 16: Advocacy Presentation Rubric, Resource 17: Community Change Idea: Youth Councils and Leadership Programs. Click on or Hover Over The Tech Edvocate Menu Item to Find More Info. Required fields are marked *. 0000001199 00000 n elected positions. School Board Meeting: This activity is a way to practice for the real-world "public comment" section of any school board meeting. (1993). And it would have been hard to win them back, after publicly coming out against their interests. Those human beings that seem larger than life and almost achieve Godlike status. In July 2021, the Climate Reality Project Philippines partnered with East-West Center and Wavefarers to launch the Niche campaign. The icing on the cake. When you look into your community support, for the next part of your plan, you may find a few surprises. Muhammad Khalifa, an assistant professor in the Department of Educational Administration at Michigan State University, shares in the Journal of School Leadership that time a principal spends being approachable to at-risk kids is well worth the investment to promote self-advocacy through increased trust, participation, and student achievement in the communities they serve.. Where does it meet your expectations? Theyre often led by a group of leaderssuch as studentswho mobilize volunteers to support a particular issue or call for new policies. 0000002660 00000 n The anchor standards for each grade level articulate the skills required to build on talk in conversations and discussions, present ideas and stories clearly, and organize ideas supported by research. Even when your content is top-notch, but if your delivery and speaking skills are not really good enough, it will not mean a thing, especially to your audience. Improving reporting processes for bullying . Check out these ten advocacy campaign examples for students to give you an idea of how you can help make a difference, whether big or small. Be clear about your message and remove white noise. Revisiting Using Edtech for Bullying and Suicide Prevention. School districts or individuals can also do this. Thus, if the fossil gas projects pushed through, marine life on the island would be severely threatened and people would lose their source of livelihood. These debriefs can also be a good opportunity for students to address their own privilege and how they might approach future situations differently. Spread the loveAre you looking for strategies to encourage students to take care of their personal property? Resource 14: Activity Examples: Advocacy Simulations Some educators who use Student for a Day programs, make sure that a test is being given by the students to the visitors on the day the leader attends class. Give constant, positive reinforcement for appropriate behavior. If your district does, seek the opportunity to communicate with that group regarding social studies. So? Do you have the resources to reach those goals? It involves increasing communication and various forms of interaction between people of different nations, ethnicities and cultures. startxref members accountable. Intermediate goals get you much of the way: Short-term goals have some of the same functions as the intermediate kind. Despite the countrys high literacy rate, many students cannot receive adequate quality education due to financial constraints and the lack of accessibility. It is recommended to think about advocacy in the context of social and emotional learning standards as well as the Common Core. Think, act, and do positive things - It's as simple as being positive. The bad news is that the sort of charitable foundation that might fund a day-care center most generously may not want to put any money at all into advocacy. By August 2013, provide the community with data on youth's views about sexuality, including availability of contraception, methods of contraceptive use, and sexual activity. For example, Rights of Nature, an organization promoting nature preservation, is currently looking for volunteers. 15 Popular Student Council Fundraising Ideas - Fundraiser Insight Spread the loveThis refers to a person whose IQ is above average, usually above 130. How should planning for advocacy be different? When e-mailing parents include a standard message that lists three or four successes or key points about the importance of social studies education. If they do, students write a letter of encouragement and support, pledging their intentions to remain a loyal customer. They are the ones who will need to alter their behavior if you are to achieve your goals. Maintain eye contact, give frequent nonverbal feedback, and wait for a pause to ask clarifying questions. This approach is also a lot easier to commit to for students. Spread the loveAre you looking for strategies to teach students appropriate mealtime manners? Washington, DC (April 26, 2023) - The NEA Foundation will honor the nationwide, student-led nonprofit organization Student Voice with its inaugural Student Voices for Education Award at the 2023 Salute to Excellence in Education Gala occurring on Friday, May 5. They help keep a group motivated, providing more immediate benchmarks in the form of action steps. Crafting Your Advocacy Strategy (UNICEF) provides information on how to go about crafting a strategy for an advocacy campaign. A Research and Technology Accelerator that will source and nurture ideas, projects, and new ventures dedicated to solving the climate crisis. Also, offer some materials on social studies. Do you know what kind of student speech is protected by the First Amendment? Ideas for Teaching Self-Advocacy and Contribution in the Classroom At the end of the day, these are only possible when there is an openness to listen, a willingness to collaborate, a passion for others, a commitment to a shared vision, and advocacy for the community. Your main targets of change will be the tobacco retailers. What if we feel like we have no good ideas at all? If you had publicly stated your goal of closing the place, before talking with others or filling in the other steps of your plan, you could have antagonized many of those whose support you would need. In addition, as with any project, planning will help you to: If you don't plan, you may waste valuable energy, miss some opportunities, perhaps even antagonize people you need to keep on your side. Create a persona for your ideal voter. Learn more. Tactics can cover a wide range of activity, from writing letters to speaking up at City Council meetings, from filing complaints to setting up negotiations, from boycotts and demonstrations to carrying out surveys. Pretty impressive. and convene regularly to discuss and vote on school-related Im proud to say that our school values student voice and actively seeks out input from students to shape our academics, extracurricular programming, and building culture. Example roles: Student in Special Education, Special Education Teacher, General Education Teacher, School Psychologist, Special Education Director, Parent or Family Member. It isn't necessary to start new publications to communicate a message. Other sections of the Community Tool Box have covered strategic planning. People in need within the community are supported. Then, after they've been debated, record the ideas you've chosen in a permanent place. A local school board is charged with It actively lobbies for animal protection laws and educates people about taking care of their pets. By June 2013, teachers will distribute the survey to all high school youth. 1. Spotlight On: Haley Baum - News | Stockton University Advocate for Kids: Top 9 Ways | Education World PDF Tennessee National Guard Youth Action Council 2023-2024 Application While this activity can become part of a bigger project involving media or a documentary, the benefit of only focusing on the voiceover audio is that it allows students to think purely about their public speaking and how they are telling the story. Remain sensitive to their feelings and do whats right for them as an individual. Try not to be discouraged by setbacks along the way. The Student Council at Aztec High has risen to the challenge. Using the SMART format allows you to cover all corners and ensure that youre starting the project prepared. Seeking supportsfor evaluation? For example, in a program aiming to curb youth smoking, you might decide on a mix of strategies, some of them quite adversarial, and some not. Ten years from now, the supply of low-income housing in Bay City will have increased by 50% In four years, we will reduce the pregnancy rate among 12 to 17 year-olds in Bay City by 30% Five years from now, toxic dumping in Murray County will be eliminated Make sure to include all these in your campaign to cover all your bases. Let's suppose you want to take on the many business people in town who are supplying cigarettes to kids.You know they are out there: you've already done an informal survey of kids smoking outside the junior high, and they tell you that buying tobacco is quite easy, in spite of the law. 0 In the past, he has made statements hostile to many environmental causes. Key members of the health care committee - Smith and Kosdek, Identify and contact sympathetic media representatives. For an easier version of this activity, think about other types of meetings that students might be more familiar with (or even create something wacky and completely imaginary!) Photos by Photographer York Wilson. Kimmie was the 2009 Puget Sound Teacher of the Year. Afterwards, have a discussion about who was most powerful, how they could tell, and how they would make it different.