On October 25
- Use the hashtag #LightsOnAfterschool in your tweets and Instagram posts.
- Take lots of photos and videos! Share some of these during the event or, if possible, "livetweet" to show members of your audience who couldn't attend the celebration what's happening in real time.
- Use a live streaming video platform like Periscope or Facebook Live to broadcast student performances, exciting guest speakers, or other dynamic components of your event. It's a surprisingly easy way to provide a window into your celebration, and all it takes is a smartphone and a strong internet connection!
- Periscope best practices: http://blog.ketchum.com/15-periscope-twitter-tips/
- Facebook Live best practices: https://www.facebook.com/facebookmedia/best-practices/live
- Share kids' and families comments. Your students and their families can be some of the best spokespeople for your program. Ask them to share tweetable sound bites about what afterschool means to them and retweet and share social media posts from attendees. Take note of any great comments you overhear during the celebration!
After October 25
- As you wrap up your social media posts, keep using the hashtag #LightsOnAfterschool
- Share photos or videos from the celebration—both on social media and with us! Email your favorite photos to loa@afterschoolalliance.org with your program name and location in the subject line.
- Thank your audience for attending and for their support of your program and afterschool in general.
- Thank your policymakers and local officials, guest speakers, and other individuals who were integral to the success of your event.
- Blog, tweet and post about your event. Too busy to share during your Lights On Afterschool celebration? Reflect on your event in the days that follow to help keep your community interested and keep the celebration going!
Before October 25
- Use the hashtag #LightsOnAfterschool in your tweets and Instagram posts.
- Change your profile picture or cover photo to one of our Lights On Afterschool graphics. It's an easy way to show the world how excited you are to celebrate afterschool!
- When you've got your event date, time, and location set, create a Facebook event, Eventbrite page, or other webpage with all the details about your celebration in one place. Share that link on social media so that people can RSVP and stay updated with any emerging details about the event.
- Tweet or post to announce any guest speakers when you've got them confirmed, and be sure to tag them when possible. Better yet, ask them to post on their own social media accounts to share the date, time, and location of your event and let their audience know they'll be in attendance.
- If your followers include colleagues from the afterschool community, share your favorite planning tips and resources from past years, whether those are from the Lights On event planning kit or just best practices you picked up yourself.
- If your followers include people who live outside your city or town, share a link to our event locator to help them find a celebration in their area: http://www.afterschoolalliance.org/loaFindEvent.cfm
- Get youth involved in your event planning by inviting older youth to serve as social media consultants. Youth are often in tune with the latest online trends: give them a hands-on role in your planning and they'll likely offer some new, creative ideas for your outreach!
We've optimized graphics for use on all the major social platforms. Just click on the above image to use it, and check out the others.
Sample Tweets
We know you're busy planning your Lights On Afterschool event, so feel free to copy this sample language.
#LightsOnAfterschool, the national rally for afterschool, is around the corner! Make sure your event is registered: http://www.afterschoolalliance.org/loaHostEvent.cfm
Facebook Posts
We're gearing up for Lights On Afterschool by getting the word out about our event! Afterschool programs keep kids safe, inspire them to learn, and help working families—and Lights On Afterschool shines a national spotlight on their impact! http://www.afterschoolalliance.org/loa.cfm
Instagram
We can't wait to join in on the nationwide celebration #LightsOnAfterschool. Afterschool programs keep kids safe, inspire them to learn and help working families—and on Oct. 25 thousands of programs will share how they're keeping the lights on afterschool for our children!
Tweets for the day of your event
Customize these tweets by filling in details about your event or America After 3PM data from your state in the highlighted areas.
- We’re thrilled to celebrate #LightsOnAfterschool with [PARTNER/SPECIAL GUEST] and ## guests!
- Our #LightsOnAfterschool; is yours? We challenge @[XX] @[XX] to do the same or donate to help afterschool programs! http://ow.ly/UNoZ30fO9kg
- Join us for #LightsOnAfterschool tonight! We'll celebrate afterschool with [ACTIVITY 1] and [ACTIVITY 2]!
- We're keeping the #LightsOnAfterschool to highlight the impact of afterschool—###K kids in XX rely on afterschool programs every day!
- We're keeping the #LightsOnAfterschool to shine a light on the need for afterschool in XX—###K kids are still waiting to get into a program.
- 2 out of 3 parents agree: #AfterschoolWorks for [THEME]! We’re celebrating [THEME] for #LightsOnAfterschool by [ACTIVITY].
Encourage your peers to sign up
- #LightsOnAfterschool, the national rally for afterschool, is around the corner! Make sure your event is registered: http://www.afterschoolalliance.org/loaHostEvent.cfm
- Want to know how you can help keep the #LightsOnAfterschool? Participate in an event—or host your own!—this Oct. 25: http://www.afterschoolalliance.org/loa.cfm
- We're ready to show the world how #AfterschoolWorks for our kids! Join the celebration at #LightsOnAfterschool: http://www.afterschoolalliance.org/loa.cfm
Encourage your followers to attend events
- Join us (and 1+ million people across the US) to celebrate the programs that support our kids! http://www.afterschoolalliance.org/loaFindEvent.cfm #LightsOnAfterschool
- Afterschool programs help families and keep kids safe and learning. Show the world what they mean to you on Oct. 25: http://www.afterschoolalliance.org/loaFindEvent.cfm
- Want to know why we're keeping the #LightsOnAfterschool? Attend an event and see for yourself how #AfterschoolWorks: http://www.afterschoolalliance.org/loaFindEvent.cfm
Share planning resources with your peers
- We're gearing up for #LightsOnAfterschool 2017—and we'd love for you to join us! @afterschool4all can help you plan: http://www.afterschoolalliance.org/loaEventKit.cfm
- #AfterschoolWorks for thousands of different communities. Find a great #LightsOnAfterschool event idea for yours: http://www.afterschoolalliance.org/loaEventIdeas.cfm
- From family dodgeball to a community fireworks display, #LightsOnAfterschool events can be anything! What's yours? http://www.afterschoolalliance.org/loaEventIdeas.cfm
Day of your event
- Today, join us and [PARTNER/SPECIAL GUEST] to celebrate Lights On Afterschool with [ACTIVITY 1] and [ACTIVITY 2]! Help us shine a light on the impact of afterschool in [STATE NAME]—and the unmet need for programs. ###,000 [STATE NAME] kids rely on afterschool every day, but ###,000 are still waiting to get in.
- Today, join us and [PARTNER/SPECIAL GUEST] to celebrate Lights On Afterschool with [ACTIVITY 1] and [ACTIVITY 2]! Help to illuminate afterschool’s role in developing the leaders and innovators of tomorrow—## percent of [STATE NAME] kids are engaged with [THEME] after school!
- Our #LightsOnAfterschool; is yours? Today is a nationwide celebration of all that afterschool programs do to keep our kids safe and learning. But for every child in afterschool, two are waiting to get in, so we challenge [@XX] [@XX] and [@XX] to help keep the #LightsOnAfterschool or donate to http://ow.ly/UNoZ30fO9kg
Before your event
- We're gearing up for Lights On Afterschool by getting the word out about our event! Afterschool programs keep kids safe, inspire them to learn, and help working families—and Lights On Afterschool shines a national spotlight on their impact! http://www.afterschoolalliance.org/loa.cfm
- For every one child who gets to participate in an afterschool program, two more are waiting to get in. If you think every kid deserves access, join us to celebrate Lights On Afterschool! http://www.afterschoolalliance.org/loaHostEvent.cfm
- We can't wait to join in on the nationwide celebration #LightsOnAfterschool. Afterschool programs keep kids safe, inspire them to learn and help working families—and on Oct. 25 thousands of programs will share how they're keeping the lights on afterschool for our children!
- Every October we (and 1+ million people across the US) celebrate the afterschool programs that support our children, families, and communities during on #LightsOnAfterschool. We're excited to take part again this year and we hope you'll join us by planning or attending an event in your own community to help keep the lights on afterschool for our kids!
- Afterschool programs help hardworking families rest assured that their kids are safe and learning. Help us celebrate them this year with the nationwide event #LightsOnAfterschool! We're excited to be taking part and hope you will join or plan an event in your community.