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Shine a spotlight on your students during Lights On Afterschool

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Shine a spotlight on your students during Lights On Afterschool

By Lucy Maddox Posted: Sep 12, 2024

Put the young people in your afterschool program center stage during your Lights On Afterschool celebration. Hosting a talent showcase is a great way to get students excited about participating in your event and to encourage families to come to the party and see what their children are doing after school!

Whether you host a talent showcase just for your students (and staff!) or include student performances as part of a rally or open house, you can create an event that’s truly unique to your program. Here’s how programs in a few states made student talents the centerpiece of their events last year:

  • Colton, California: Think Together hosted a talent show on October 26 called A Night at Disney: Disney Concert. The event featured students from every grade performing a Disney song or skit, concluding with a grand finale dance number.
     
  • San Diego, California: McKinley PrimeTime celebrated Lights On Afterschool with a spooky-themed talent show, showcasing various student talents—from singing and dancing to magic tricks and storytelling.

Looking for more fun ways to highlight the amazing talents of your youth? Visit the searchable events database to get some inspiration from past Lights On Afterschool celebrations!

October 24 is just six weeks away! Now is the time to send out invitations for your event. Once the invites are in the mail, draft and distribute a pitch letter to local TV and radio talk show producers, including local cable access. Follow up your pitch letter with a call.

Not registered yet? There’s still plenty of time to sign up and get your 10 free posters. Once you sign up, we’ll be in your inbox each week with top planning tips to help you make the most of the time between now and Lights On Afterschool Day.

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