BUILDING AND SUSTAINING A LOCAL ADVOCACY NETWORK Follow-up leadership meeting: Following the breakfast meeting, the original planning group designs the follow-up meeting. The follow-up meeting capitalizes on the interest generated during the breakfast and initiates the process of developing an advocacy plan. A meeting date should be set within six weeks of the breakfast event. Leadership team meeting invitees: During the breakfast, participants are encouraged to continue their support of arts education by volunteering for the leadership team. All those who step forward in that capacity are invited to the follow-up meeting. If certain sectors are missing or under-represented, others can be invited to serve. For instance, a mayor could be asked to appoint a city representative to act as liaison to city council. Engaging the school district: It is important to include an administrator from the school district on the leadership team, as the sustainability and effectiveness of a Local Advocacy Network is greatly enhanced by this support. Creating a leadership meeting agenda: The goal of the initial leadership meeting is to build on the momentum from the breakfast by developing actionable strategies for a broad-based advocacy effort. Successful LAN efforts typically identify relevant needs within their own communities and then build action plans that address the following areas: communication, media, and partnership. An initial leadership team meeting usually begins with a reflection on the mission of the coalition, and a brief discussion about the reasons for advocacy. This is followed by a review of the breakfast notes, including reflection on the ideas submitted during the small group discussions. The meeting then shifts focus to current realities within the county or district. This is an opportunity to begin identifying potential recipients of the advocacy message (school board, superintendent, service organizations), and the most effective means of delivery. From this discussion, an action plan can be built. Time can be dedicated at the end of the meeting for considering ways of communicating to the larger breakfast group, and planning subsequent meetings. (See Appendix I for a sample agenda.)

Framework for the First Year Advocacy Plan: An advocacy plan can be developed by reflecting on the suggestions made during the breakfast, identifying the greatest needs within a community, and selecting strategic and doable actions that fall into these three categories: communication, media and partnership. Communication – At the heart of an advocacy effort is effective, engaging communication of an identified message. When a leadership team has clearly defined its message, an important means of communicating that message is through public presentations. The message can be delivered to district school board meetings, Rotary Clubs, Chambers of Commerce, etc. Media – Another valuable forum for sharing the arts education advocacy message is through the local media. The leadership team can reach out to the media, with the goal of placing stories about the value and impact of arts education in the community. Partnership - Strong advocacy efforts are dependent on strong partnerships. An important action item for the leadership team is actively building strategic relationships with local businesses and community organizations – e.g. PTA, Chamber of Commerce, private arts organizations, etc. Building an understanding of the mutual benefit of advocating for arts education is an important goal. Documenting the leadership meeting: When developing a grassroots coalition, the local organizer works closely with the program coordinator through all phases of implementation. All meeting notes, including names of those on the leadership team, who participated in the meeting and the results of the first meeting, will be shared with the program coordinator and documented in meeting notes. The LAN is a statewide effort, with each local initiative contributing to a growing understanding of effective, engaging advocacy.