(Taken from March 1, 2006 e-newsletter.)
Whatever the name, sleep-outs, shantyvilles and shack-a-thons are a frequently used advocacy tool on campuses. Unfortunately, sometimes they fall short of their goal of raising awareness in the community. Here are some ways to ensure that this event is as effective as possible. Check out the Advocacy Toolkit for additional ideas.
Candlelight vigil – Invite individuals to participate in a vigil. You could alternate reading poverty statistics with stories of Habitat families who have purchased their new homes.
Habitat quiz show – Create a quiz game to help students learn more about Habitat for Humanity. You can find statistics and facts in the Advocacy Toolkit, the Habitat for Humanity Web site at http://www.habitat.org or at your local affiliate.
Guest speaker - A sleep-out provides a captive audience. At minimum, your chapter leadership should present a short presentation about your chapter and the purpose of Act! Speak! Build! Week. Why not extend this and invite a representative from the affiliate or a homeowner to talk with participants?
Letter writing – This is a perfect opportunity to take a few moments to write letters to members of Congress. Use the form letter provided by Habitat’s Office of Government Relations and Advocacy and encourage students to write personal letters to their Congressional members.
Community quilt – Invite participants to express themselves artistically. Create a visual representation of experiences from the night. Give each participant a piece of paper and access to craft supplies. Ask them to use words, drawings or images that reflect their experiences from the night or their reactions to what they learned. Paste the pieces together on a large piece of butcher paper and display on campus.
Affiliate project – Talk to your local affiliate and see if they have any needs your chapter could address. Develop a project that sleep-out participants can do. This could include collecting items to make welcome baskets, folding and stuffing a mailing for the affiliate, or building toolboxes.
