Event Planning Toolkit BROUGHT TO YOU BY

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1 Event Planning Toolkit BROUGHT TO YOU BY

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS 2 About This Toolkit 3 About Make Agent Orange History 4 Getting Started With Your Event 5 Event Suggestions 7 General Event Tips 8 Preparing For a Discussion on Agent Orange 10 Getting the Word Out 11 Planning Checklist About This Toolkit America is at its best when it responds to humanitarian concerns and works to promote hope and dignity among devastated people. We all have an opportunity to do this in Vietnam today and close wounds from the past. By generating awareness and action on both a policy and grassroots level, Americans can be one step closer to making Agent Orange history. As part of the Make Agent Orange History effort, a series of online and offline activities will focus on putting Agent Orange on the public radar, generating support for environmental cleanup and humanitarian aid and, ultimately, providing new hope and greater opportunities for affected children and families in Vietnam. This toolkit is intended for motivated groups that want to host events big or small that are geared toward meeting these goals. Since there is little awareness of the long-term impact of Agent Orange in Vietnam, this toolkit is designed to help individuals and organizations consider ways to introduce the issue to their communities and inspire people to get involved. It provides event ideas, framing suggestions, background information and a checklist to assist in the planning of virtually any type of event. Depending on your scope and target audience, some sections of the kit may be more pertinent than others. Feel free to browse through and pick sections that are most relevant to your needs. Make Agent Orange History is a project of Active Voice. Active Voice uses film, television and digital media to spark social change. Our team of strategic communications specialists works with media makers, funders, advocates and thought leaders to put a human face on the issues of our times. Since our inception in 2001, Active Voice has built a diverse portfolio of campaigns focusing on issues including immigration, criminal justice, health care and sustainability. copyright 2010 Active Voice

3 3 About Make Agent Orange History In spring 2010, the U.S.-Vietnam Dialogue Group released a 10-year Plan of Action that makes policy recommendations geared toward cleaning up remaining toxic hot spots and expanding humanitarian services in Vietnam. Proposing that the United States invest $30 million per year over ten years, the Plan recommends the following: Clean contaminated soils and restore damaged ecosystems, by: Focusing first on airports where toxic materials were stored; Conducting additional research and testing; Promoting safe food practices; and Reforestation. Expand services to people with disabilities and their families, by: Strengthening rehabilitation therapy and facilities; Increasing maternal screening (early detection); Doing a public health information campaign; Establishing bio-monitoring; and Evaluating progress. While the Plan of Action is primarily focused on policy-level strategies, grassroots support will be essential in making the plan a reality. For this reason, Active Voice launched Make Agent Orange History, a national effort to raise awareness of the long-term impact of Agent Orange in Vietnam and to inspire individuals to get involved in the movement for change. Make Agent Orange History seeks to: Elevate this issue as a humanitarian concern that Americans should care about. Connect individuals with opportunities to support current humanitarian efforts. Build grassroots support for the Plan of Action.

4 4 Getting Started With Your Event Define Your Objectives Figuring out your objectives is a key step in planning a successful event or gathering. Think about what you d like to get out of the event, how it can best benefit your community and what outcomes are most realistic. Objectives you might consider include the following (these are not mutually exclusive): Raise awareness of the long-term effects of Agent Orange in Vietnam and highlight solutions to the problem. Spark a dialogue about the role of Americans in responding to humanitarian concerns. Inspire story-sharing among American vets and/or Vietnamese-Americans about their experiences and how they relate to the current situation in Vietnam. Motivate community members to get involved by setting a fundraising goal, organizing a trip to Vietnam or creating a ripple effect of a series of events. Spotlight the work of an organization that is working to address the legacy of Agent Orange in Vietnam. Identify Your Target Audience Once you define your objectives, you ll have a better sense of your target audience. Keeping this audience in mind is essential in strategizing publicity and outreach. Some considerations: Which audiences do you need to reach to meet your objectives? Which audiences can you contact directly (e.g., your current constituents) and how can you build on those to reach others? Which new audiences can you engage to broaden your reach, strengthen your work and build long-lasting coalitions? Potential target audiences may include: American vets Vietnamese-Americans Environmentalists Local leaders/influentials (policy, faith-based, business, etc.) Disability rights advocates College students Peace and Justice activists Baby boomers Doctors, nurses and public health officials Local news and online media Representatives of civic organizations: Rotary Clubs, Kiwanis, etc. Communities of faith Your friends, family and colleagues

5 5 Event Suggestions After you have thought through your objectives and audience, consider your organizing capacity and what you want your event or gathering to look like. For example, if you re an individual doing the bulk of the work on your own, you might consider a smaller, more focused dialogue. If you re part of an organization interested in incorporating this issue into your longer-term programming, you may prefer a large community event. Depending on your capacity and objectives, you might coordinate any of the following: Short Video Introduction Active Voice produced a 2-minute animated video designed to provide quick background on the issue and move people to be part of the solution for a better Vietnam. Consider using the video as a warmup piece to familiarize even a small audience with the issue before the main portion of your program. The video serves as a good lead-in for group dialogue, a panel discussion or expert presentation. Expert Presentations Having knowledgeable speakers not only lends credibility to any event, it also allows your audience to interact personally with an expert and become more deeply engaged. As part of the Make Agent Orange History effort, several U.S.-based experts may be available to attend your event, such as Charles Bailey of the Ford Foundation or Susan Hammond of the War Legacies Project. You might also consider bringing in experts from your own back yard. Do some research to see if your community or nearby college or university is home to any international law experts, global health specialists or Asian American history scholars who might speak at your event. Ideally, a range of perspectives should be represented. Documentary Screening By putting a human face on complex issues, film has the ability to engage people on an emotional level and create a springboard for deeper learning and action. As an organization that specializes in the use of film as a community engagement tool, Active Voice has access to several documentaries that provide greater context on the Agent Orange issue, including history, legal perspectives, environmental impact, scientific analysis, personal stories and more. A screening event is powerful because it gives viewers a shared experience and a common text from which to understand an issue more deeply. If you decide to go this route, we suggest following your film with a discussion led by local experts, as well as supplying the audience with suggestions for action steps. For a full listing of available documentaries, visit Profile of Local Stories Putting Agent Orange in a local context will help make a seemingly distant issue more tangible for your audience. Do some research or ask around to find if out if anyone in your area has been touched by the long-term effects of Agent Orange, or if anyone present at the event has been to Vietnam and experienced the impact first-hand. If so, find out if they re comfortable enough to share their story in front of an audience.

6 6 Fundraising Event Giving your audience a fundraising goal can be great motivational tactic. Many families and organizations in Vietnam could benefit from financial contributions. You can host a yard sale, bake sale, happy hour event or film screening to generate interest and support for Agent Orange relief efforts. Check for a listing of organizations providing direct services in Vietnam that can put your contribution to work. Press Briefing If your community has a great local story about what is being done to help victims of Agent Orange in Vietnam, you might consider doing a press briefing to spark coverage in local media outlets, especially if you have good media connections. If you go this route, make sure to have the Declaration and Plan of Action handy to demonstrate how your work fits into the larger plan. Campus Event If you re a professor, student and/or representative of a campus group, your college or university could be a good starting place to engage potential advocates and supporters. Partner with your campus Vietnamese Student Association (if there is one) and identify other groups on campus that might be interested in joining your effort (such as relevant academic departments, Peace and Justice groups, Amnesty International chapters, the office of multicultural affairs, or even your campus study-abroad office). To really encourage campuswide participation, see if you can get professors to offer students extra credit for attendance at your event. Small Group Dialogue Whether you re convening people in your dorm room, living room or church basement or even if you re doing breakout groups as part of a larger event holding a dialogue with a small group can be a very productive first step in sparking long-term action. Get the conversation started by having everyone discuss what brought them to the gathering and why they think it s important to support Agent Orange relief efforts. Then, as a group, brainstorm ways you might be able to generate greater support in your community, such as writing a collaborative op-ed, holding a bake sale or sponsoring a family in Vietnam. These are just a few suggestions to get you thinking. You might decide to do a hybrid of some of these ideas or something completely different. Anything is possible.

7 7 General Event Tips For Larger Events: If you re doing a panel discussion, it s best to have no more than four speakers. The ideal panel discussion should not exceed 30 minutes. Make sure you have a neutral, experienced moderator, such as a local news anchor or professor. Always leave room for audience participation by doing a Q&A. Most Q&As are about minutes long. Given the issue, some audience members may be compelled to give long accounts of their personal experiences. If their comments exceed a minute or two, respectfully thank them and ask them if they have a question for the speakers. Big auditoriums usually require microphones for maximum audibility. Make sure you have volunteers on hand to help with logistics at the event, such as ushering audience members or passing around microphones for Q&A. For Smaller Events and Gatherings: You can get the conversation started by inviting friends and colleagues over for dinner or simply introducing Agent Orange as a topic of discussion as part of a regular meet-up, such as a book club, Bible study or student council meeting. Read up on the topic by reviewing and print out some copies of the fact sheets available there for background. For more formal small group gatherings, it might be a good idea to have an experienced facilitator on hand to help people process information and relate it to their own experiences. No matter what, be prepared with concrete action steps for your group. Check out for ideas.

8 8 Preparing For a Discussion on Agent Orange Framing the Issue The legacy of Agent Orange in Vietnam is complicated and highly political, and it can be strongly emotional and sensitive for some, especially American military veterans and the Vietnamese-American community. It is important to frame your event as a humanitarian effort that focuses on providing hope and solutions to children and families in Vietnam. For maximum effectiveness, your event should dwell much less on the past than on the current situation and what can be done to address it. Focusing on the history, scientific controversy or geopolitical conflict can overwhelm your audience and paint a hopeless picture. The blame game of criticizing the U.S. government, chemical companies, Vietnam or anyone else will be equally unproductive. We suggest framing the issue as a humanitarian concern and offering your audience ways they can get involved. Suggested Talking Points The following are just suggestions, and should not be interpreted linearly. Depending on your audience and goals, different points will be relevant. We suggest leading with the notion that the legacy of Agent Orange in Vietnam is a humanitarian concern we can do something about. Then follow up with these points, as desired: E Thirty-five years after the end of the war, harmful effects of Agent Orange/dioxin contamination are still being felt by millions in Vietnam, including children: Some 4.5 million people were exposed, and the best estimates are that 3 million suffered health effects. At least 150,000 of today s children suffered birth defects and severe illnesses later in life. The impact is continuing. Some 20 million gallons of herbicide were stored, handled and sprayed over a quarter of the country. It denuded 5 million acres and destroyed crops. Chemicals were sprayed at up to 50 times the concentration recommended by the manufacturer. Chemicals in soil moved up the food chain into food sources; dioxin is still found in high concentrations in hot spots. Agent Orange/dioxin is linked to cancer, diabetes, and nerve and heart disorders in people directly and indirectly exposed, and to spina bifida in offspring. E Recent progress has created a window of opportunity for the U.S. to intensify its effort in a shared commitment to reduce the public health impact in Vietnam. Vietnam has made a significant investment of its own, as have USAID and various NGOs. Assessments have determined the extent of the problem and what needs to be done. Most vulnerable areas (hot spots) have been identified (28 in all). It is now clear that advances in technology and knowhow make it possible to clean up the hot spots and assist victims. All the action so far still only addresses 10 percent of the need.

9 9 E America is at its best when it responds to humanitarian concerns, restores hope and affirms the dignity of a devastated people, and closes wounds from the past. This approach continues the tradition of demonstrating courage, character and concern for others on the world stage. It promotes a spirit of reconciliation aligned with our history. Helping innocent children devastated by their parents exposure to Agent Orange/ dioxin is treatment that can heal us all. E A 10-year Declaration and Plan of Action proposes ways we can address this humanitarian concern, by: Cleaning up contaminated soil and restoring damaged ecosystems, and Expanding services to people with disabilities and their families. E We can help by: Publicly supporting this Plan, and encouraging local influentials to sign on. Donating money to NGOs that are providing services to families in Vietnam. Volunteering our time to families in Vietnam in need of vital healthcare and rehabilitative services. Spreading the word so that this hidden issue becomes more widely known, by talking about it with friends, hosting dialogues, writing op-eds and blogging. For more background and information, refer to

10 10 Getting the Word Out For larger events, getting the word out is one of the most important things you can do in your event planning. Even a well thought-out event with prominent speakers can suffer low attendance if you don t cover your bases here. We encourage you to spread the word by recruiting co-sponsor organizations and announcing the event through their mailing lists, posting flyers in the community and securing calendar listings. Below are some additional tips for getting the word out: Nail down the details Confirm the exact time, location, venue and ticketing/rsvp procedure before you send out notices to anyone. (If you re taking RSVPs, plan to accept 30% more attendees than you have room for and let late responders know you might be able to squeeze them in if people earlier on the list don t show.) As a nod to your partner organizations, mention them in all your outreach (if applicable). Hit the inboxes The simplest thing you can do to promote your event is to create an blast and send it out widely via listservs. Send out two s: the first at least two weeks before your event, and then a reminder several days before. Announce your event There is a Make Agent Orange History Meetup Everywhere group where you can post your event among the other events happening nationwide. We encourage you to post on that site, as well as on your own website or blog. It s also a good idea to get partner organizations to post on their websites as well. Get it on community calendars Try to get calendar listings in your city s weekly publication(s) and on the web. Post flyers Make flyers and post them in high traffic areas, such as college campuses, shopping malls, grocery stores, places of worship and recreation centers. Start the presses If applicable, ten days before your event, send a press release to local newspapers and call to invite local media to your event. Remember to customize your press release to highlight the film s relevance to local issues.

11 11 Planning Checklist Once you have defined your target audience, objectives and framing, begin planning the event. Preliminary planning at least 6 weeks prior Book the venue and date for your event. Pick a place you are sure of filling. *Recruit local organizational partners to broaden your reach, and help identify roles for each one. Determine speakers, panelists and facilitator (if applicable). Logistical planning and initial outreach 3-4 weeks prior Create a flyer to publicize your event that includes date, location and brief information on the speaker(s), film, exhibit etc., written to excite curiosity and interest. *Contact local media. If you re showing a film, confirm the appropriate format (most likely DVD). Secure food for reception (if applicable), chairs, microphones, lights, front table, etc. Draft event agenda. More logistical planning 2 weeks prior Create an blast to publicize your event electronically. *Contact community calendars about your event. Media outreach (for larger community events) 10 days prior Send out press releases to media outlets. Make calls to local television and radio program producers. Final planning several days prior If you re screening a film, test your DVD in advance of the event to make sure there aren t any glitches. Send second round of blasts. *Follow up with media who expressed an interest in covering the story. Finalize agenda. Confirm arrangements for volunteers, food, chairs, other equipment as applicable. Make copies of handouts to distribute at the event (including suggested next steps). At the event itself Take photos! If you have a flipcam or other video camera, try to capture testimonials from participants and remarks of the panelists. Have a signup sheet at the entrance to gather people s addresses as they arrive so you can follow up with them. Put handouts on chairs or give them to each arrival. *Have a timekeeper so that speakers remain within their assigned speaking time. Suggest next steps and have materials available for attendees to use in follow-up. *Recommendation specifically for larger community events. After the event Blog and post to friends about what you did. Follow up with your attendees with updates. Submit photos, an event report, clips of any media coverage and video testimonials to info@makeagentorangehistory.org for possible posting on our website.