The ABC's to Forming a Community Action Group
Because building alliances and networks of advocates is so critical to any lobbying success, the formation of community action groups is an important step towards the implementation of QDPE.
The following steps are designed to act as guidelines to help you set up a local action group.
Assess the Situation
Contact your provincial QDPE chairperson (contact CAHPERD at 613-748-5622 for your provincial contact) and inform them of your interest. They will help you determine the presence of any QDPE action groups in your area.
If an action group is already present in your community, then contact the leader and see how you can get involved.
If there is no established network in place, then you can begin the process of forming an action group for your community! Your provincial QDPE chairperson will have helpful hints and may be able to put you in touch with other interested individuals in your community.
Build Your Support Team
Think about possible sources of support in your community which would help to build an effective and widespread lobbying network for QDPE.
Perhaps you know of individuals who may be interested from the local business community who also have children in your school.
Local health care, recreation and social service professionals may also be interested in a cause such as QDPE. For example, because the Canadian Medical Association strongly supports QDPE, local physicians may be more than willing to join an action group.
Other sources of support include service clubs, churches, the media and politicians.
Another way to start gathering people for an action group is to make a list of all the skills and resources you would want in the group. Then think of people you know who have those skills and resources and approach them with your idea. Some might include:
|
Phys Ed/Recreation Know How
Volunteer Development
Community Connections
Education Trustee Experience
Planning Skills
|
|
|
|
|
Health Care Expertise
Political Connections
Media Relations
Letter Writing Skills
Secretarial/Support Skills
|
Talking about QDPE informally with family, friends, neighbours and co-workers will expand awareness and help you gain volunteer support.
Tallking about QDPE, help people see the links between community issues and the need for QDPE in schools.
Convene Your First Meeting
Spread the word via telephone, computer, personal contact, or notices posted in conspicuous locations.
You might want to begin the first meeting by outlining the need for QDPE in your school or school board. You could even have copies of QDPE fact sheets for those who attend the meeting.
Other topics of discussion for the first or subsequent meetings could include:
- Identifying existing barriers to QDPE;
- Brainstorming for possible solutions (see the Barriers section in this kit for help);
- Setting up an action plan;
- Prioritizing the different items in the action plan.
Conclude your meeting by setting a date for the next meeting!
Develop An Action Plan
When discussing the action plan, you may wish to include the following elements.
- The assessment of the status of Physical Education in your local school -- the Report Card in this kit will help you do this.
- The identification of the extent to which the education trustees are informed on the status of Physical Education - phone, write and/or visit to find out this information.
- The identification of the key individuals you will target in the school system (i.e. the principal, teachers, trustees).
- A list of any influential school board members who may be supportive of QDPE.
- Ways to get your message across to your intended targets (media stories, speaking at parent/teacher meetings, addressing the Board of Education at a trustee meeting).
Once an action plan has been determined, ask volunteers to be responsible for specific elements of the plan. Individuals might volunteer for tasks which they will try to accomplish by the next meeting.
Try to set some time lines for guidance. It is often easier to accomplish a task with a specific deadline. Otherwise, it tends to fall to the bottom of your day-to-day priority lists. Encourage individuals to priorize their time commitments.
Evaluate and Follow-Up
Motivate your volunteers by informing them of successes, thanking them frequently and complimenting them on their commitment. This will help you retain your current volunteers and attract new ones.
Keep an eye and ear open for people speaking out in the local media on issues relevant to QDPE. Write or call these individuals and try to enlist their help. The more people you can involve, the easier it will be to succeed!
Reporters are often looking for relevant stories on educational topics and are usually quite interested in QDPE facts and issues at the local level.
Use your action group and network to get specific tasks accomplished, such as speaking at a trustee meeting. Get to know who can do what and spread the work and responsibility around.
Principals and trustees tend to be the key figures who have the power to implement QDPE. Find out what issues are important to them and try to link these issues specifically to QDPE.
Keep your provincial QDPE chairperson informed of your successes. They will be interested in how your group is progressing.
If you are interested in broadening or increasing your QDPE involvement, contact your provincial QDPE chairperson for more information.
The time for action is now!
