The Odds and Ends of Activism Prep

Castine, Ritney

Wednesday, August 15, 2012: 1:00 PM

2215 ABC (Kansas City Convention Center)

Mr. Ritney Castine, BS , Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, Washington, DC

Ms. Elizabeth Orlan, BA , Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, Washington, DC

Mr. Bennie Patterson, Youth Development Specialist , American Legacy Foundation, Washington, DC

Luke Witkowski, BS , American Lung Association in Wisconsin, Brookfield, WI

Learning Objectives

At the conclusion of this presentation attendees will be able to:

Identify the steps necessary to plan and execute a public activism event.
Explain why tobacco taxes are a successful method to decrease tobacco use.
Demonstrate the skills necessary to engage in successful pitch calls to media.

Cross Cutting Program Area(s): Communications and Media and Tobacco Control Movement – Skills Building

Audience: Youth advocates as well as other conference attendees interested in learning more about how to plan and execute a public activism event.

Key Points: Participants will learn about the steps necessary to plan a public activism event and garner media attention. Attendees will be asked to put those skills to work in helping with last minute details for a public activism event to be held at the conference.

Educational Experience: In preparation for the activism event, attendees will learn why tobacco taxes are a successful method of reducing tobacco use across the country. Additionally, participants will learn practical skills that can be applied to any activism event they may plan in their local communities, including successful messaging, media outreach, and what makes appealing visual materials.

Benefits: Unlike other sessions at the conference, this session will be very interactive. All attendees will participate in a range of activities from pitch calls to mock interviews to construction of materials to be used at the event. This session will also be a great team building exercise, since we will have different participants using their personal strengths to put together a large scale public activism event. It requires organization, creativity and teamwork to put these types of events together.