On Outreach and methods

This week millons of citizens share one thing in common: they need to fill out the Census form. As we know, filling out the Census form is important for political representation and federal resources, such as trash collection, public transportation, and education funds to public schools. Numerous organizations on campus are busy phone-banking, canvassing, and general raising awareness. Raising awareness for this decade's census differs significantly from the tools used in the first Census administrations. In Social Outreach we encourage our students to tease out the different avenues for raising awareness and how to approach the differences in those avenues.

Facebook, for example, provides a great method to reaching your closest friends in a quick manner: by enabling users to contact people they have met personally, Facebook allows high response rates. However, most of social outreach focuses on expanding or creating a social program or volunteer organization. While Facebook and other social network sites provide the best method to recruit members, reaching organizations is done the same way now as it was 20, 30, 50 years ago-- letters.

Our middle school children learn quickly that sending e-mails or, better yet, sending hand written messages, require diligence and constant editing. In our speech making week we point out three distinct questions that students should answer when sending letter format messages: why us? why you? why now?

First, students must pitch their cause and explain what issue they are addressing and why they are trying to address it. Second, students ingratiate their audience by discussing how the person or organization can help them in their cause. This method of "why you?" also discusses why that particular organization would be the best one to assist in the student's goal. Finally, the "why now?" question mainly deals with the necessity to act quickly to advance the student's goal. These three questions, instead of limiting the students, provide a great outline from which they can expand and better achieve their goals.

Interestingly, in Homer's Iliad, Odysseus mirrors this method in his speech meant to persuade Achilles to re-enter the Trojan war. Odysseus answers why the Greeks must win the war, why Achilles must fight, and why refusal would put all the Greeks in danger. While I hope our students will not need this method of letter composition for war, I hope they remember that antiquated tactics never lose their shimmer.

Your Social Outreach Team

Post by: FDM