and advocate for my child's health
ADVOCACY TOOL KIT
RESOURCE 1- Op-ed Article
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The purpose of an op-ed article is to express a view point. Op-ed atricles can be featured in news papers, newsletters and magazines. When creating an op-ed article it must be between 700-800 words and under a 7th grade reading level. Key elements to an op-ed article are facts, stories and action steps. Some important things to keep in mind when creating your op-ed article is to grab your audience's attention, get to the point, only address one argument and keep your sentences short and jargon free. Lastly, you want to end your article with a strong message that the audience will remember. Attached below is an example of an op-ed article and how to check the grade level of a document.
RESOURCE 3- Radio PSA
A radio PSA is a radio public service announcement regarding your specific topic. A radio PSA is usually created in GarageBand and converted to a MP3 file. A radio PSA can get your message and specific action out to a lot of people. The PSA includes music, information about your topic, where to find more information and repeat where your audience can get "more information." One's PSA should include their campaign's "catchy" slogan or message. Make sure your PSA's message and music are appropriately audible. The first box is a radio PSA advocating for physical education alone and the second box is a radio PSA advocating for health and physical education.
RESOURCE 5- Fact Sheet
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A fact sheet is helpful because its gets information out to the public quickly and efficiently. It gets straight to the point and is quick to read. One's fact sheet must be only one page and under a 7th grade reading level. It uses bulleted or heading format. A fact sheet should have a appropriate balance of text and white/dead space. It is cruical that your text is free of spelling and grammatical errors. Attached are tips regarding creating print material and a example of a fact sheet.
RESOURCE 2- Pitch Letter
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The purpose of a pitch letter is to ask for media coverage. The maximum length is 1 page. Important factors for a pitch letter address what the story is and why the radio stations should care about your issue. Your pitch letter content should grab attention, have a unique angle and details regarding place and time you would like your PSA to be played. Lastly, your pitch letter should close with contact information. Your pitch letter should be on one's personal, business or coalitions letter head. Attached below is an example of a pitch letter.
RESOURCE 6- Poster
A poster emphasizes a particular behavior/action of to promote a specific event. The poster size should be a minimum size of 11 x 17; there is no maximum size limit. Poster templates can be found in Publisher. When printing a poster one should consider having the poster professionally printed. Criteria for a poster are similar to a fact sheet. The poster must include appropriate information or instruction, include appropriate text and white space, layout is easy to read and follow and the color scheme is visually appealing. When creating a poster you want your poster to be able to read from at least five feet away. Some posters include a QR code that an individual can scan via their phone and it takes them straight to a website or video. Creating a QR code is easy, go to http://www.qr-code-generator.com/, then hit "create QR code." Once the QR code is complete download it to your desktop or flash drive. Attached is a poster informing individuals on where they can go to get more resources about advocating for health and physical education.
RESOURCE 4- Podcast
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A podcast is used to inform individuals and can be played on any IPOD or portable music device. Criteria for a podcast are similar to a radio PSA. It is usually created in GarageBand and is played as a MP3. It includes music, information about your topic and direction for more information and then repeated. One's podcast should include their slogan and needs to be appropriately audible. The difference between a podcast and a radio PSA is that a podcast allows for more information. One can go into more detail about the issue or interview professionals regarding your issue. Attached below is an example of a podcast about advocating for health and physical education.
RESOURCE 7- TV Commercial
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A TV commercial gets information out visually to the public quickly and efficiently. One's commercial can be made in IMovie and then converted to a MP4 or a .mov file. The TV commercial should grab the audience's attention, have music that sets the tone of the message and persuade a specific action. One should use visual images to reinforce the audio. It is important that an individual would be able to understand the commercial if there wasn't any audio. Attached is an example of a commercial advocating for physical education.
RESOURCE 8- Storyboard
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A storyboard is a tool to organize and plan a commercial. It maps out all the images, sounds, special effect and words that will appear in a commercial. The line called "audio" describes the music and sound effects being heard in that particular scene. SFX is for special effect such as close-up, wide shots, changing from color to black and white, etc. Superscript regards any words on the screen. Attached is a blank storyboard and one for the advocating for physical education TV commercial.
RESOURCE 11- Press Release
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A press release is written to promote or draw publicity to your event. Press releases are a way for journals, bloggers, TV, radio and other media influencers to hear and cover your event. A press release should be on personal, business or coalitions letterhead. It should be double spaced, include a headline and be no longer than one page. The press release needs to have a release date and contact information. The content should address who, what, when, where and cost. It is crucial that the press release should end with a boilerplate and ends in ### or -End-. Attached is an example of a press release for an advocacy workshop for health and physical education.
RESOURCE 9- Advocacy letter
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An advocacy letter is written to a legislator advocating for funding or passing of a law, ordinance, etc. pertaining to your topic. The press release needs to be on personal, business or coalitions letterhead. The letter needs to open with a request. It needs to have three to four paragraphs and be no longer than one page. Within the letter one factual data and personal story, experience, observation or concern needs to be addressed. Towards the end of the letter one needs to provide the legislator with contact information and request a follow-up decision. Lastly, ones advocacy letter needs to be signed in blue or black ink.
RESOURCE 10- Brochure
A brochure gives readers an in-depth look into your topic through a lot of information. When creating a brochure it should be clear what specific behavior or action you want the reader to do. Within the brochure there must be copyright free photos and the graphics must be appropriate and of high quality. The content must be organized in a logical way that is easy to read and understand. The brochure must be below a 7th grade reading level. Attached is a brochure regarding why parents should advocate for health and physical education in schools, as well as information about HECAT and PCAT.
RESOURCE 13- Newsletter
A newsletter is a great resource to use to keep a large group of people informed. One's newsletter should be informative, visually appealing and fun. The newsletter needs a good balance of graphics, text and white space. Publisher has pre-made newsletter templates. Guidelines for a newsletter are exactly like a brochure. Remember, a newsletter is not just "articles" to read so add crosswords, word searches or quizzes! Attached is a newsletter focused on advocating for health and physical education in schools.
RESOURCE 12- PowerPoint
A PowerPoint is a great resource to have ready when meeting with PTA boards, school administrators or any stakeholder. It is a visual way to give a particular audience a lot of information. A PowerPoint can be persuasive in getting the audience to do a particular action or behavior. Attached is a PowerPoint focusing on the behaviors within a school that can be improved due to physical education, a PowerPoint highlighting the do's and don'ts of presentations and many presentations used to advocate for health and physical education in schools.
