High School Outreach

Through the following campaign, you can reach important segments of your community: high school students, their teachers, and their parents. This is a great way:

• To educate high school students and other members of the community concerning the need to get private money out of politics and people back in.

• To demonstrate that college students are standing up for their belief that the system of campaign financing needs to be reformed.

• To highlight the relevance of campaign finance reform to people’s everyday lives.

Four Step Campaign:

1) Democracy Matters students prepare a 40-minute script to take into the high schools. (Click on the link below for examples from DM chapters, but you also can create your own scripts—make them interesting, funny, and relevant!)

2) Contact several high schools in your area – both private and public.

Send letters on Democracy Matters stationery to the principals of the high schools. You’ll want to contact several schools at once since some won’t respond and others might not be interested.

Follow up the letter with a phone call (or contact the Democracy Matters staff to call for you) speaking with the principal first, and then any relevant teachers. [Note: If they don‘t get back to you, you might try letting DM staff call].

Determine the day and time that is best for the teacher’s schedule to have Democracy Matters students come to class. Confirm this with a written letter; explaining how many students will be coming to the high school.

3) Prepare handout materials for the students (click on the link below for handout suggestions).

4) Practice in front of the whole Democracy Matters group and then….Go For It!!!!