| * Remember, you can tailor all of these sample materials to your needs, or you can simply use them as reference tools to create your own community statement of support for afterschool. |
Afterschool for All is a collection of the names of Americans who believe that young people should have access to quality, affordable afterschool programs. Governors, mayors, police chiefs, educators, youth advocates, faith-based organizations, corporate leaders, parents and concerned citizens across the nations have already signed on, lending their support to the afterschool movement.
Find out where the candidates stand by asking them to sign their names to Afterschool for All. Ask your state or city leaders to join you in pledging support for universal afterschool by sending them the sign up form. Let them know how much support afterschool has in your community by sending them a list of local supporters.
Check out the
Afterschool for All webpage for more tools and resources, including sample email invitations that you can send to friends and colleagues, examples of how afterschool providers are using
Afterschool for All to raise awareness in their communities, and much more.
Also → Ask your supporters to sign the Afterschool Alliance's
national petition to ensure that federal funding is not diverted away from afterschool programs.
3. Events
Lights On Afterschool is a great way to introduce candidates and elected officials to the world of afterschool. Candidates want to be visible in the community and
Lights On Afterschool is all about building and demonstrating community support for afterschool programs. Invite the candidates to speak at your
Lights On Afterschool event or issue a proclamation in support of afterschool programs. Check out our
Lights On Afterschool Event Planning Kit for event ideas, sample materials and more.
Candidate Forums
Candidate forums and town hall meetings present an excellent opportunity to raise awareness among candidates and the community about theneed for and importance of afterschool programs. If there isn’t already a candidate event happening in your community, you can organize one!
Give yourself ample time to plan, make sure that you have adequate staffing and/or partnerships to pull together all of the pieces, and give the candidates plenty of notice as to the date and location ofthe forum. It is very important to invite all major candidates in the district where the forum or meeting is held and do everything that you can to generate a large audience. If this means that afterschool will be one of a few issues discussed, that’s OK. Collaborate with other organizations as much as possible.
4. Public Opinion Polling
Polls can help you identify and refine messages and themes that resonate with the public to make for a stronger campaign and more focused messaging.
If you have the resources, conduct polls or surveys to register voter opinions on a variety of subjects, including afterschool. Using the surveys and opinion research, make the case that public concern for afterschool is among the top issues on voters’ minds. This can serve as the “meat” of your campaign.
Consider having the youth in your program conduct their own poll with questions for their fellow students as well as parents and community members. Use this [sample poll] to get started.
If you do not have the resources to conduct polls or voter surveys, you may be able to use existing data to make your point or work with an organization already conducting a poll for this election. Do not reinvent the wheel! Review existing research and polls on afterschool and collate the data to release “new” results from which to base your talking points. If an organization is conducting a poll, discuss adding afterschool-related questions.
Finally, it may be helpful to get feedback from high-level supporters outside your community. Surveying out-of-state advocates and colleagues may give you a better sense of how to present the campaign and what issues might work. Use these people and organizations as resources to help you frame the debate in your community. They may have suggestions of what has worked in their respective areas.
Tools & Strategies
More Questions for Candidates
Candidate Forum Planning Tips