Making Advocacy Easy

By Linda Warner

IAACE’s recently updated mission is simply “to advocate for adult education in Indiana.” Our vision and values support leading advocacy efforts for adult education in the state and providing assistance for our members to support those efforts in their own communities. Our newly redesigned website and increased use of social media are intended to enhance the delivery of information statewide and to assist you in advocating for adult education in your area.

Please explore our website to see the initial resources posted under Advocacy and Member Resources:

• Under the Advocacy tab, listen to sample student stories linked to our YouTube Channel. Under Member Resources-Advocacy Tools, several other resources are available.
• See detailed instructions to help you record your own student stories to highlight the positive effects of your local program with Tips for Recording Student Stories.

  • Find your state and federal senators’ and representatives’ contact information to communicate about your programs’ value with those who make funding decisions. NOW is a great time to contact legislators and ask them to visit your program. There’s a template letter for that purpose, which you can download and customize for your program.
  • Use the Maps W/O High School Credential to demonstrate the need for adult education in your area. The regional adult education maps show the number and percentage of adults age 25 and over without a high school diploma or equivalency credential for each county in the region.

Soon to be posted, is a template postcard, which you can customize with pictures of your students. These can be used for a variety of purposes, such as having a writing exercise for your students to communicate with their legislators about the program.

Watch for details coming about Indiana Adult Education Day at the Statehouse, scheduled for March 11, 2014, and learn how you can prepare and participate.

As far as social media use is concerned, I’m learning from the many tips provided by Lisa Schriefer, our member benefits coordinator, and hope to expand my communication tools.

Please share how you have used any of these resources and the results. Let us know what other types of resources you would find helpful, as well as resources and techniques you have developed and would like to share for advocacy purposes. We welcome your feedback!