Selling Afterschool

Official Description: Does your afterschool program matter? Isn’t it just babysitting and homework help? Yes, your after school program matters, and no, it is so much more than that! You already intimately know that your program has a deeper purpose than just babysitting and/or homework help…but, does your community actually know that? Attendees in this workshop will learn how to communicate and elevate their afterschool program to their various stakeholders by creating an effective marketing plan through the use of industry-level tools. In this workshop, attendees will explore, practice, and walkaway with a toolbox packed with resources to help take their programs to the next level in branding, communication, and community relations.

Layman's Description: You will use many different awesome software and design tools to create (or refine) your program’s branded communication materials, including visual, social, and digital products. Oh, and the skills you learn and pratice in this session are the same skills you can teach to the students in your afterschool program. BOOM!

DO Conference Hype: People live in a connected world, whether that is online, through social media, and/or via the good old newspaper, radio, and TV. They use these mediums for community news, entertainment, events, and their personal lives. Increasingly though, social media and a la carte video/streaming services (YouTube, Twitch, etc.) are claiming more and more of our human bandwidth. Wait?!? You already knew that? Well, what are you going to do about it? Come to this session to become relevant again. Be visible in a sea of social media and reap the subsequent heaping spoonfuls of support from your community. This workshop will help you stand out as the best thing since [insert your grandpa’s favorite idiom here], and make you meaningful to both the students and stakeholders you serve.

Presenter: Andrew Sayers has worked in 21st CCLC for the past decade, mostly as the afterschool program Site Coordinator at Walla Walla High School. For the past year, he has had the pleasure of serving as the 21st CCLC Program Director for Walla Walla Public Schools’ c14 grant. In addition to his 21st CCLC work, he is trained in quality coaching, SEL-PQA frameworks, and resilience-based initiatives. Andrew has also committed his adult life to the foster care system, fostering several youth over the past few years. Most recently, in the spring of 2022, Andrew accepted a teaching position at SEATECH Skills Center in Walla Walla, Wa. He now teaches the Careers & Media Entertainment class. In his spare time, Andrew values the company of his family; in his other spare time, he works hard to keep his goat-farm going, plays guitar, flies the occasional drone, and keeps up maintenance on his Galaxy-class starship.