Use School or Community Events to Raise Awareness

You can take advantage of special events at school or in the community to increase people's awareness about a project, cause or event. You can also use events as an opportunity to engage people in discussion and pass on information in person.

Steps

  1. Decide whether you will hold an event or use an event organized by somebody else. Organizing your own event may be even more effective, but it will involve a lot of effort and organization. You may find it more effective and time-saving to join an event that is already planned.
  2. Ask for permission to hold an event or to be a part of another event. You will also need to discuss whether you can display posters, distribute fact sheets and pamphlets, and perhaps even have a stall with games and prizes.
  3. Choose a type of event. Here are just a few ideas for events at which you can raise awareness and communicate information, whether or not you organize them yourself:

    • Rallies and fairs: these are (you hope!) large gatherings with lots of stalls, activities and games.
    • Walks and marches: organized walks and marches are another good way of attracting attention. You can carry posters or banners and hand out information leaflets. You could also arrange a sponsored walk to raise funds.
    • Concerts: stage your own or ask for permission to hand out material at public concerts.
    • Sports events: many successful groups use sports as a focal point for activities
    • Theatrical events: short dramas, comedy sketches and puppet shows are a good way of communicating information without boring people!
  4. Make or assemble the items needed to help send out your message. Make posters, flyers, badges, Make a Small Banner, signs, costumes and other informational material or display items to hand out and display at the event.
  5. Think of a special edge. Is there something different that you can do apart from the rest of the event to alert others to your presence? Maybe stage a skit, float 100 balloons above your table, present an award to someone special? Consider possible avenues for making your cause or project the centre of attention for at least a portion of the whole event.
  6. Build a dedicated team of volunteers. Seek volunteers from your class, school or community group to join in and make the awareness raising event a success. You will need people who can make the display items, people who can write and print the information and people who are willing to stand around at the event and actively engage people in discussion and explanation of the cause or project that your are promoting.
  7. Consider basic logistics. There are some things that must be arranged before the event that may seem mundane but are very important to its success:

    • Ensure that everyone can reach the event; arrange transportation or collection of volunteers if necessary
    • Provide means for getting the promotional materials to the event
    • Be sure to have the right equipment. If you want to display things, make sure there will be a table or stand available, or bring your own
    • Check out the venue ahead of time, to make sure you know how to set up your own area
    • Consider clothing - will you be wearing something that distinguishes all of you? For example, you might all wear red t-shirts, or blue ribbons or have special patches on your arms to identify you and your cause to all the people attending the event
    • Ensure that the volunteers have access to refreshments and water; either ask them to bring their own or have some available
    • Check for restroom facilities; overlooking this can result in hardship for somebody!
  8. Be certain of the weather. Always plan for weather contingencies. If the event is indoors, you won't have to worry. But if it is held outdoors and suddenly it starts to rain or blow a gale, you will want to be sure your volunteer team and the promotional material are protected from the elements.
  9. Leave a clean site. Always tidy up after your own event. It leaves a good impression in everybody's mind and you will be asked back again if you leave everything the way that you found it. This is especially important when you want to hold a regular awareness raising event and you are passing down the baton to younger classes or other volunteers.

Tips

  • Sometimes it might be appropriate for the volunteers to bring homemade baked goods, fruit or drinks to serve as a way to encourage people to come to your stand. Offer them a free bite to eat in turn for listening to what you have to say.
  • It might help to ask for donations of items that will assist your event. For example, if you were trying to raise awareness about the right of children to be educated, you might ask a book company to provide donations of books for display, a school supplies company for stationery to make posters with or supply giveaways for people and a local education authority for a donation to cover printing costs for badges and pamphlets.

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Sources and Citations

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