Valentine's Day Outreach Overview / Outreach Tips

All in all,our Valentine's Day Outreach event was quite successful. We went to Union Square and handed out snag bags and shared sexual health information with people in the park. We had a good time and learned a lot about ourselves and others. We also learned tips for more effective outreach in the future. Check out the pictures from the event and read below for more information on effective outreach.

Outreach Tips

• Travel in pairs and approach other people in pairs
  
• Use keywords such as "FREE Condoms", "FREE Snag bag"


• Smile and approach people in a friendly manner


• Plug the event that you are trying to promote
  
• Let people know what you are doing and why - you can say, "We are promoting safer sex practices among youth and adults. Enjoy this snag bag, or if you don't need it, then maybe you can pass it along to someone else you know."


• Explain your organization and what you do. Your explanation will depend on your audience. For instance, you if are trying to explain what SMART Youth is

If speaking to adults, say something along the lines of, "SMART Youth is a development and leadership program for youth living with, affected by, or at high risk for HIV/AIDS. Our goal is to share accurate and youth centered sexual health info, particularly HIV prevention for adolescents in NYC. We do this through community outreach, workshops, and trainings."

If speaking to teens, say something like, "SMART Youth is an after school program for youth between the ages of 13 and 22, were we come together to talk about issues affecting other teenagers and speak the truth about safe sex. We also participate in workshops and perform community outreach to advocate for others and make a difference in our community.

Hope you find these tips useful! Thanks for reading and enjoy the pictures :-)