Save Promise Club Toolkit
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SAVE PROMISE CLUB TOOLKIT Essential Elements for a Successful SAVE Promise Club! 2 Sandy Hook Promise Mission Statement Sandy Hook Promise (SHP) is a national, nonprofit organization based in Newtown, Connecticut. SHP is led by several family members whose loved ones were killed in the tragic mass shooting at Sandy Hook School on December 14, 2012. Sandy Hook Promise’s mission is to create a culture engaged in preventing shootings, violence and other harmful acts in schools. History of SAVE (Students Against Violence Everywhere) In April of 1989, over 200 students from West Charlotte Senior High School in North Carolina gathered at a party. A carload of young men from a rival school showed up armed and looking for trouble. As teens panicked, 17- year-old Alex Orange stepped forward. Alex, a fullback on the West Charlotte football team, was a young man who looked out for other people. Alex told the intruders this was no place for violence. Sadly, shots were fired, and Alex fell to the floor. Surrounded by shaken friends and schoolmates, Alex lost his life to gun violence. The following week, students returned to school mourning, yet another young life lost too soon to violence. Joining together in their grief, they vowed that something was going to change, and change for the better! The group formed Students Against Violence Everywhere (SAVE). In 2017, SAVE and Sandy Hook Promise combined efforts to collectively expand our reach and sustain our work on educating and empowering young people to help prevent gun violence and other forms of violence and victimization – BEFORE it happens. Together, these organizations have over 36-years of expertise in violence prevention and building student leadership capacity. Your SAVE Promise Club can join in the efforts of over 2,000 SAVE Promise Clubs across the country to carry on the important work and legacies of SAVE and SHP. SAVE empowers student leaders to help shape school culture Students Against Violence Everywhere (SAVE) Promise Clubs are helping transform school cultures and communities across the country by teaching, modeling, and sustaining Sandy Hook Promise’s Know the Signs programs: Start With Hello and Say Something. Students of all grade-levels can start or join SAVE Promise Clubs to help reduce social isolation, increase student connectedness, and help prevent school violence. For More Information about Sandy Hook Promise and SAVE: Send us an email: [email protected] Website: SHP SAVE Promise Club facebook.com/NationalSAVE instagram.com/NationalSAVE twitter.com/NationalSAVE youtube.com/NationalSAVE SAVE PROMISE CLUBS Educate Empower Encourage Engage 3 Dear Students and Advisors, Thank you for being a part of a movement with SAVE Promise Clubs all over the country who are positively changing school culture and promoting inclusion and connectedness. Young leaders everywhere are making an impact and even saving lives of their peers. In every school and community nationwide, there are young people who suffer silently because they feel left out, alone, or invisible. Those who are isolated can become victims of bullying, violence, and/or depression. Many then pull further away from society, struggle with learning, and social development and can even choose to hurt themselves or others. Students Against Violence Everywhere (SAVE) Promise Clubs is the student leadership initiative of Sandy Hook Promise that aim to cultivate and bolster student leaders to take an active role in increasing school safety and preventing different forms of violence in school communities. Your SAVE Promise Club can be the glue that keeps your school community connected and inclusive and help these individuals before a tragedy occurs. The ideas, activities, and events contained in this Toolkit will help SAVE Promise Club student leaders and adult advisors launch, sustain, and grow SAVE Promise Clubs in schools and community organizations. The Toolkit will also help you to encourage students to “Start with Hello” and “Say Something” when they see someone alone, being victimized, or showing warning signs. Enclosed you will find resources for starting and sustaining a club, including timelines, action plans, recruitment activities, communication tools, lesson plans, and so much more. Your SAVE Promise Club can be the positive leadership your school needs to prevent all forms of violence and self-harm. Please know that we are here to support you in this important work! You can email [email protected] if you want more information, or have other ideas for strengthening the reach and impact of SAVE Promise Clubs nationwide. Grateful for all you are doing to keep your school safe, supportive, and connected. Sincerely, Nicole Hockley Mark Barden Co-Founder and Managing Director Co-Founder and Managing Director Sandy Hook Promise Sandy Hook Promise SAVE PROMISE CLUBS Educate Empower Encourage Engage 4 Table of Contents Simply click on any of the items below to jump to that section of the Toolkit! Overview of SAVE Promise Clubs and Introductions History and Mission of SAVE Promise Clubs Introductory Letter from Mark Barden and Nicole Hockley About the SAVE Promise Club Toolkit Meet the National Youth Advisory Board 1. Part 1 – Nuts-N-Bolts for SAVE Promise Clubs: resources for launching a new SAVE Promise Club or organizing an existing SAVE Promise Club. In this section you will find recommended monthly themes, checklists, action plans, tips for running meetings, and important forms that help get your SAVE Promise Club organized and formalized. You will also meet the National Youth Advisory Board! 1.1. A Checklist for SAVE Success 1.2. New SAVE Promise Clubs – The Essentials 1.3. Sandy Hook Promise Resources List 1.4. Monthly Themes 1.4.1. New to SAVE? Year-at-a-Glance 1.5. Setting-Up Your Bylaws 1.5.1. Sample Club Bylaws 1.6. Club Member Duties and ‘Job’ Description 1.6.1. Informal Application 1.7. Important Forms 1.7.1. SAVE Student Membership Formal Application Form 1.7.2. National Youth Advisory Board Job Description and Application Form 1.7.3. Code of Conduct SAVE PROMISE CLUBS Educate Empower Encourage Engage 5 1.7.4. Parent/Guardian Letter 1.7.5. Parent/Guardian Permission Form 1.7.6. Student SAVE Commitment Form 1.8. SAVE Club Meetings 1.8.1. Sample Meeting Times 1.8.2. Establishing Meeting Norms 1.8.3. General Meeting Outline 1.8.3.1. Sample Meeting Format 1.8.4. Agenda Outline 1.8.4.1. Sample Meeting Agendas 1.9. Create a SAVE Mission Statement 1.9.1. MISSION SAVE: The 5 W’s 1.10. SAVE Action Plans 1.10.1. Big Picture Action Plans 1.10.2. Detailed Action Plans 1.10.3. SAVE Action Plan (longer version) 1.10.4. SAVE Action Plan (shorter version) 2. Part 2 – Sustaining Your SAVE Promise Club In this section, you will find helpful tools to keep your SAVE Promise Club going strong with suggestions for recruitment, fundraising, social media posts, trainings, and presentations all tied to those important Start With Hello and Say Something messages! Want to measure how your SAVE Promise Club is making an impact on the school climate and culture? Use the simple survey also provided in this section. 2.1. Measure Your SAVE Success – School Climate Survey 2.2. SAVE Recruitment Ideas 2.2.1. Printable Recruitment Resources 2.2.2. Sample Recruitment Flyer 2.2.3. SAVE Informational Brochure 2.3. SAVE Club Fundraising Ideas 2.4. Social Media Tips: Keep It Going On Social! 2.4.1. Set Up a Private Social Page SAVE PROMISE CLUBS Educate Empower Encourage Engage 6 2.4.2. The Do’s and Don’ts of a SAVE Social Page 2.4.3. Recommended Social Posts to Align with Monthly Themes 2.5. Sample SAVE Announcements 2.6. SAVE Regional Trainings & the Annual SAVE Youth Summit 2.7. SAVE Trainings and Presentations 2.7.1. Peer Evaluation Form 3. Part 3 – Activities, Icebreakers, and Call-to-Action Weeks Looking for some fresh activities? Check-out this section for best practices and ready-to-go icebreakers, teambuilders, and ideas for Start With Hello and Say Something Weeks. 3.1. Kick-Off SAVE with a Youth-Created Activity 3.1.1. Buddy Search Bingo 3.2. ‘Dip Your Toes Into SAVE’ Quick Activity Ideas 3.3. SAVE Icebreakers & Team Builders 3.4. Sandy Hook Promise Call To Action Weeks 3.4.1. Start With Hello 3.4.2. Say Something 3.5. Student-Created Best Practices 3.5.1. High School 3.5.2. Middle School 3.5.3. Elementary School SAVE PROMISE CLUBS Educate Empower Encourage Engage 7 4. Part 4 – Empowering Your SAVE Members by Developing Leadership Skills In order to motivate and engage your school community in Start With Hello, Say Something, and Advocacy events and activities, develop the leadership and communication skills of your SAVE Promise Club members. Find tips on smart speaking, creating promotional videos, running focus groups, and writing letters-to-editors with implications for real-world application. 4.1. Smart Speaking Tips 4.1.1. Creating Your Own SAVE Elevator Speech 4.1.2. 10 Tips for Smart Speaking 4.2. Create a Club Promotional Video 4.2.1. Storyboard for SAVE Promo Video 4.3. Running a Focus Group 4.3.1. SAVE Focus Group Protocol 4.4. Advocacy 101: Stories and Letters to Editors 4.4.1. Writing Your Persuasive Story 4.4.2. How to Write an Effective Letter-to-the-Editor 5. Part 5 – Engaging Lesson Plans for Meetings or Peer-to-Peer Teaching These detailed lesson plans will give your SAVE Promise Club ways to practice engaging Start With Hello and Say Something activities during meetings and then take them to the larger school community or use them for cross-age and peer-to-peer teaching opportunities.