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Passing the microphone: Ways to amplify youth voice during Lights On Afterschool

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Passing the microphone: Ways to amplify youth voice during Lights On Afterschool

Lights On Afterschool is the perfect time to pass the microphone to the young people in your community and let them share their thoughts and experiences with a larger audience. From the planning to the execution, youth can be involved in all aspects of your Lights On event.

There are plenty of ways you can amplify youth voice on October 24:

  • If you’re hosting an open house, allow students to give tours of the program! Let them showcase their work and their day-to-day activities to parents and the community.
  • If you’re hosting a rally, give young people an opportunity to speak publicly to policymakers about their views on afterschool and the impact of their program.
  • If you’re hosting an art day, have youth decorate light bulbs to mail to your local elected officials and share why afterschool is important to them.
  • If you’re hosting a letter-writing day, work with the local newspaper to have them publish op-eds by young people that focus on kids' views of afterschool.

Need more inspiration? See how celebrants showcased youth in their Lights On Afterschool celebrations last year:

  • Nashville, Tennessee: Why We Can’t Wait celebrated Lights On Afterschool with an open house and rally at Cleveland Street Baptist Church. The nonpartisan event highlighted the importance of youth voices. Students collaborated on legislation to address issues in their communities such as homelessness, violence prevention, gun safety, and more. The event also included spoken word and musical performances.
     
  • Pawtucket, Rhode Island: Rhode Island Afterschool Network hosted the “Re-Envision, Re-Think, Re-Imagine RIAN” breakfast. The celebration included a presentation by Young Voices youth leaders, who reported on their findings on what young people enjoy about afterschool programs in Rhode Island and what they would like to see more of. These findings shaped the conversation among all stakeholders to re-imagine the role of the Rhode Island Afterschool Network.

There’s still time to plan a fun and effective celebration! Visit the searchable events database for more examples sorted by theme, planning time, difficulty, and more.

With only three weeks left until Lights On Afterschool, now is the time to register your celebration and receive 10 free posters before the October 10 deadline. 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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