During the course of this effort, you will be asked questions about a range of topics related to the campaign. To help prepare you, we have developed an overview of common questions and suggested answers which amplify the key messages of the overall campaign. Remember that all questions are an opportunity to deliver the Raise Your Voice campaign messages.


Q. Why should my school take part in the Raise Your Voice Campaign?

A. There is a strong and persistent perception that most young people are apathetic and cynical. By taking part in the campaign, your school will help counter this negative perception of our nation’s youth, tell stories about what students are currently doing, and will energize further students to become more active, visible citizens in the community. It is important for students to get involved in the campaign to help define the debate on issues that will impact their future.


Q. How do you plan to get students involved in the campaign?

A. Several events have been planned during Raise Your Voice – A Week of Action, to generate support on college campuses for the campaign. Student leaders have put tremendous energy into publicizing campaign activities through various mediums including public service announcements, campus-wide e-mails, local press, etc. [include information specific to activities on your campus, particularly forums, debates, volunteer programs, etc.]


Q. What does the campaign hope to achieve?

A. Our goal is to encourage as many college students as possible to become active, informed, and responsible members of their communities. We want students to know that they can make a valuable contribution that has real consequences to communities around the world. We want students to know that this involvement comes in many forms – whether it is through registering to vote, voting, participating in a forum, debate, or community meeting, helping a community-based organization or contacting a policymaker on an issue that they care about.


Q. Is there a relationship between volunteering and political activism?

A. Yes. Study after study shows that college students are more involved in community service, but less involved in conventional politics. We want to increase the amount of students contributing to their communities, to build upon the record number of students volunteering and increase involvement in conventional politics.

We also believe that students are involved in many forms of political engagement that are not being measured by many studies. We find that many students see their service work as an alternative form of politics, not an alternative to politics—which we term “service politics.” In addition, a recent study found that political activities such as consumer activism (buying or not buying a product based on its practices) is practiced by over 40 percent of young people.


Q. How is Raise Your Voice different from other student-led campaigns?

A. Raise Your Voice is unique in that it does not advocate for one single cause, but rather promotes student civic engagement of all types. We’re playing a convening role so that for the first time, students involved in activism, service, and politics can work together for a common goal.


Q. Who is coordinating the campaign?

A. Raise Your Voice is an initiative of Campus Compact, a national coalition of more than 850 college and university presidents committed to the civic purposes of higher education. State coordinators are working with colleges and universities, where many have designated student representatives to be in charge of campaign activities. The campaign is supported through funding from The Pew Charitable Trusts.


Q. What do students gain from taking part in the campaign?

A. The campaign will facilitate and enhance existing opportunities for students to speak out and act on issues that they care about. Based on existing research, when young people get involved at an early age in civic life, it increases their likelihood that they will continue to do so as they grow older. By taking part in the campaign, students will experience how their involvement in civic life has a direct and powerful political, economic, and social impact.


Q. Where can I go to get information about campaign activities on my campus?

A. Visit www.actionforchange.org to learn more and how you can be a part of the campaign. [Insert campus-specific information]