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Lights On Afterschool

Lights On! Afterschool
 

The national celebration of Lights On! Afterschool 2014 is October 23rd . Are you ready? Join us as we launch this year’s campaign to make our state’s Lights On !Afterschool 2014 celebration bigger and better than ever!!  We need each of you to participate this year. Remember, events must be registered with the Afterschool Alliance. (www.afterschoolalliance.org) We will award special incentives to programs who register, plan/host, and report events.

History of Lights On! Afterschool

http://www.afterschoolalliance.org/imgs/loa/Original_2014_FINAL_web(1).gifLights On! Afterschool is celebrated nationwide to call attention to the importance of afterschool programs for America's children, families and communities.
 
 
In America today, 1 in 4 youth -- 15.1 million children – are alone and unsupervised after school. Afterschool programs keep kids safe, help working families and inspire learning. They provide opportunities to help young people develop into successful adults.
 
 
Lights On! Afterschool was launched in October 2000 with celebrations in 1,200 communities nationwide.  The following year 3,600 events took place.  Today, more than 7,500 Lights On! Afterschool rallies are held annually, attracting 1 million Americans and media coverage nationwide.
 
 
Lights On! Afterschool is a project of the Afterschool Alliance, a nonprofit organization dedicated to ensuring that all children have access to quality, affordable afterschool programs. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has served as Chair of Lights On! Afterschool since 2001.
 
 

AOSN Lights On! Afterschool 2013 Challenge

resource type: info    

As communities around the nation are celebrating the importance of afterschool by hosting Lights On! Afterschool celebrations, we want to make sure that Arkansas is well-represented with a strong voice in support of afterschool. This day offers an opportunity for your afterschool community to build relationships and visibility on a local level. Hosting a Lights On! Afterschool event in your community contributes to the strong, unified message about the importance of afterschool in Arkansas. 
This year, AOSN is encouraging all afterschool programs to host Lights On! Afterschool events by sponsoring the “AOSN Lights On! Afterschool 2013 Photo Contest”. We are eager to have a record setting year and increase the number of registered events to 150 and we want to see your photos of the wonderful events you are hosting! 
Click the link below to find out more information and how to submit your photos. Click here to download the information

 
 
Once your event is complete we are anxious to know about your successes.  The “2013 Lights On! Afterschool Event Report” form (Click here to download the report form) is a great way for AOSN to learn about the exciting events that took place in the state.   Download and submit these forms to Laveta Wills-Hale at lwillshale@astate.edu.  At your event did you receive media coverage?  Acknowledgment in your local paper? Capture some great pictures?  We would love to see your celebrations so please hold on to this information and we will inform you where to send media clips, newspaper articles, and photos so that we can post that information to the Lights On! Afterschool Media Gallery following this year’s celebration. 
 
Want to learn more about how to host a successful Lights On! Afterschool event?  Listen to our recent webinar or visit the Afterschool Alliance’s website which gives you detailed information on how plan a successful Lights On! Afterschool Event: http://www.afterschoolalliance.org/loa.cfm
 
Our voices have grown stronger but the gap in afterschool resources is still large in Arkansas.  We appreciate you being a part of this annual celebration and for your willingness to be a part of the AOSN Lights On! 2013 Photo Contest!

Planning Your Event

resource type: info    

Planning a successful Lights On! Afterschool event is easy due in part to the “Lights On! Afterschool Event Planning Kit” developed by the Afterschool Alliance.  This tool kit is full of all the things you need to plan an event that is sure to be a success.  In the kit you can find the following:

·         Lights On! Afterschool Basics – the Who, What, Where and When of planning a successful event.  Just like afterschool programs come in all shapes and sizes so do Lights On! Afterschool events.  This basics section walks you thru the different things to consider when planning an event, be it a small or large scale celebration!

·         Media Tips and Sample Materials

·         Using your Lights On! Afterschool event as a Fundraiser

·         How to Engage Policy Makers

·         Graphics and Printed Materials – See sample invitations, light bulb art, posters, newsletter articles and more! 

·         AND MORE!

To see what great resources are available to you as you plan your Lights On! Afterschool celebration visit http://www.afterschoolalliance.org