The YIP Rally Day is a perfect opportunity to earn local media coverage for your organization and help spread the word about the importance of adequate funding for Youth Intervention Programs. Local papers love stories like “Youth met with Legislators at the Capitol.”
Simply fill in the press release template below with your own information and submit it to your local paper. Feel free to change the press release to fit your program and your experience. You can also distribute it to your local TV and radio stations, especially in Greater Minnesota.
Be sure to take good digital photos during the YIP Rally Day that you can include with your press release. Take pictures of young people and legislators together at the meetings. Most legislators love to be in photos, and adding a picture will greatly improve your chances of having your story published.
Create and customize your press release; simply copy and paste the press release template below into an email. Enter your information where you see red font then turn it black. Include your contact information (email signatures works great) and attach a good YIP Rally Day picture. It's that easy to create!
Then send your press release as an email to your local media outlets. Find them via a Google search and on their website, search “submitting news” to find how they prefer to receive your press release. If you can’t find how to send it, just call them and ask for help to submit it.
When it's published, it’s a great idea to reconnect with the legislator(s) you visited by sending them the link to the story. And, please share it with us at advocacy@yipa.org so we can promote your work too. Good luck and have fun!
Subject line: [organization/program name] Young People Meet With Legislators to Discuss Youth Intervention
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
[date], 2023 – [name of your organization/program] visited the Capitol on April 20, 2023 to help local legislators understand the importance of youth intervention. [insert number of young people and staff] spent the day interacting with legislators at the Youth Intervention Programs (YIP) Rally Day at the Capitol to let them know how their program benefits our community.
“Young people show us daily that they are capable of great things if we just give them proper support,” said [name and title of your organization’s/program’s leader]. “YIP Rally Day is an excellent opportunity to let our legislators know how youth intervention programs positively changes the lives of so many young people in our community, and it empowers them by letting them experience how their voice does matter.”
The Youth Intervention Programs Association (YIPA) organizes the YIP Rally Day annually. “Youth workers are the most passionate people I know. They care deeply for our young people that are growing up in toxic stress, trauma, or abuse. Too many people don’t understand just how important youth workers are to our communities across Minnesota. These are incredible people doing great things to help remarkable young people,” said Paul Meunier, the Executive Director of YIPA.
Youth Intervention programs provide long-term social and economic benefits to [name your city or county] by helping young people become self-sufficient adults. Research shows these programs help young people:
- Do better in school with homework, grades, and attendance
- Improve their decision-making, goal-setting, and problem-solving skills
- Develop a pro-social attitude
- Stay out of the juvenile justice system
[name of your organization/program] is a [briefly describe your program, the services you provide, the number of youth you serve, etc.]
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