February is CTE Month, meaning DECA members are out in the community, making it known how important Career Technical Student Organizations, or CTSOs, truly are! With the Advocacy Chapter Campaign, chapters must complete 3 school outreach activities, 3 public policy makers outreach activities and 3 community outreach activities. There are many ways to check off the activities, but why not stand out while completing them? Here are 3 ways to spread DECA’s impact:
1. Get on Local TV, Radio, or Podcasts
With multiple forms of media on multiple devices, your chapter could reach hundreds, if not thousands, of people with this method. By looking up local news reporters’ emails, you can have them cover an event or even get the chance to share your message live! If you want to complete this in February, starting the process as soon as possible is important because news stations need time to prepare the story or interview with you or your chapter.
2. Make CTE Month Official
Advocating to policymakers doesn’t have to be scary. Many policymakers love to see young individuals working towards improving their communities. Making CTE Month official in your city or state allows the local government to understand and appreciate CTE’s impact on a student’s education. Having these connections early on with policymakers in your state opens doors for future students to be a part of future bills and resolutions that can help fund and improve CTE in the classroom.
3. Know a Celebrity or Influencer?
We all know celebrities and social media influencers have an impact on buying behaviors as well as advocacy efforts. If you can get in contact with a celebrity or influencer you know, having them make a video or post about CTE’s impact would be quite impressive. If you don’t know one personally, Cameo is a great alternative allowing you to pay celebrities to send different messages. By having other people share the message, CTE’s impact reaches multiple communities digitally and keeps the topic active for future improvement efforts.
