ACT NOW!

If someone told you they wanted to help an at-risk student today, what would you tell them? Who could they contact? Where could they go to offer their services as a volunteer? How can they publicize the issue in their community?

Use this section to empower communities to act ... now.

This is an issue of interest to a broad group of individuals working in the community: schools, parents, youth service agencies, higher education institutions, and economic development groups. In our community we discovered that there were many organizations running programs to help students at risk of dropping out or who had dropped out, but they didn’t know about each other. We brought 150 people together for a Saturday Summit at a local college. It was a great opportunity for people to connect and learn about each others programs. We followed up with the creation of a work group and will likely publish and circulate a guide to available programs and resources to the community.

Bringing groups together is a critical first step in building a network of purpose. The database of such organizations can be converted to a web library, with links leading to the web sites of every organization. This graphic diagrams links to Chicago organizations and resources. By creating such a link library, you enable organizations who come to your meetings to connect with each other in between meetings. This leads to more collaboration and shared strategies.

Looking for the right group or individual to help you jump-start a new initiative? We have started a list of over 200 types of civic organizations, events, and public offices that would make perfect partners for any dropout prevention initiative.

Visit our partnerships article and get an idea of just how much opportunity your community has available for you. There is no reason that you have to reinvent the wheel when assets like these already exist!

WGBH-TV and WBUR radio have launched a campaign called Project Dropout. They have been running a series of interviews highlighting efforts of various local groups in Boston such as Project Stopwatch, a truancy prevention program run by the Boston Public Schools, the MBTA, and the Boston Police. They also have this tremendous website which has interviews with students and articles about various initiatives and programs. Project Dropout

The best solutions to the Drop Out Prevention Crisis start with learning more about the problem, and existing solutions. In the Programs and Initiatives Section you can begin to organize your thinking, by building an understanding of the information described in each section. If groups of people – in colleges, churches, high school service-learning programs, businesses, philanthropy, etc.– form discussion groups, and begin to read and discuss sections of this information, they way faith communities meet and discuss scripture each week, these groups will understand the root causes of why kids drop out, and begin to see that there are many school and community-based organizations already working to prevent kids from dropping out by providing building blocks to increase student aspirations, and paths to jobs and meaningful careers.

As these circles begin to understand the problem, they can also begin to look for ways they can use their time, talent and treasure to become directly or indirectly involved in local and national organizations where volunteers, leaders and donors are needed as reinforcements in long-term problem solving.

In the In the Mentorship Section you can read how volunteer based tutoring/mentoring programs can help build student aspirations, expand the network of adult support, and help prepare young people for jobs and careers. This is just one strategy that can be deployed around the country to reduce drop out rates.

Many of these ideas were adapted from essays written by the Tutor/Mentor Connection.

The Tutor/Mentor Connection has put together a great collection of ideas for organizing events around your local school's calendar year. Matching your marketing and outreach efforts to the school calendar is sound advice, check out what TMC has to say for more specifics.

Want to publicize the extent of the dropout problem in your community? We have started a list here but it is only limited by our imagination – contribute your ideas today!

• Organize a seminar and invite participants from as many areas of the community as possible
• Proclaim a “Day of the Dropout” in your community
• Urge your local radio and TV news stations to devote a day of coverage to this issue
• Organize a reading and discussion group
• Write an editorial for the local newspaper
• Create & distribute posters and other illustrated materials that highlight the problem
• Sponsor an essay or poster contest for children
• Hold a film festival centered around education and community
• Design buttons, armbands, balloons, or buffs to call attention to the issue
• Work with local theater groups to create a dramatic work based on dropping-out
• Start a speaker series
• Write a letter to your local, state, and federal representative
• Use annual local events like parades, fairs, and festivals as opportunities for outreach
• Create & distribute electronic materials like a Powerpoint or video
• Ask companies with ad space to run brief PSA’s about dropouts
• Run a raffle or similar contest to raise money (and awareness) for local dropout prevention groups
• Design and print a dropout calendar with information and stories from dropouts
• Conduct a poll
• Create a monument or parade float that calls attention to the dropout crisis

Many of these ideas were adapted from this resource created by the American Library Association.

There are plenty of good ideas of what to do to reduce the drop out problem, but how many of these solutions are not being acted on because of lack of resources, or lack of understanding. How many people actually use on-line resources like this as part of their own learning and strategic planning?

What might we do to change this? How about a consistent strategy of giving public recognition to those who innovate better ways to help non profits working with youth get the resources the need to sustain and constantly improve efforts from year to year. Use the same ideas from the list above, but focus on recognizing companies, foundations, leaders who encourage employees to donate time, talent and money to youth serving organizations. What about recognizing hospitals, universities or faith groups who create learning circles, using the knowledge on Act Now, as the library they learn from? How about recognizing technology companies who create access for people in poverty, and host learning communities that draw more people together to understand these issues? The Tutor/Mentor Connection uses its http://tutormentor.blogspot.blog blog to encourage these types of leadership roles.

If you’re using your web site or blog to providing this type of recognition to organizations helping multiple organizations grow in the same city, or in many cities, why not add your blog to a list on this wiki.