Many community advocates are elected or appointed officials, and many are private citizens. Regardless, you want to make your Kansas community a better place to live. Perhaps you serve on your local school board, volunteer to raise money for a cause, or donate your time to something you believe in. Your community may be as small as Longford or as large as Wichita. It's yours, so you care about it!
As a community advocate, you're concerned about the long-term good of your friends and neighbors. And you're in a great position to influence others toward healthier eating and a more active lifestyle. Take a look below at some of the ways you can help make your Kansas community a healthier place to live.
- Strategies for Change
- Whether you're a private citizen or an elected official, there are lots of simple strategies you can use with your friends, neighbors and constituents to raise awareness of the benefits of healthier choices.
- Communicating with State or Federal Elected Officials
- If you're a private citizen and you have something to say to one of your elected officials, make sure your message gets through loud and clear! Take a look at these tips for making yourself heard.
- Communicating with City and County Elected Officials
- Many important health and wellness initiatives get started at the local level. Use these handy guides to get in touch with your local elected officials so you can help them carry out their important civic duties.
- Forming a Coalition
- As a private citizen or an elected official, there are lots of ideas out there that can help you build momentum for change in your community. Check out some of these resources—this isn't as hard as you might think!
- Good Science = Good Health
- Whether you're a private citizen or an elected official, it always helps to have solid information on your side! There are all kinds of evidence-based approaches to help your community acquire the healthy-lifestyle habit. Use practical research to make changes today.
- For Instance...
- Take a look at these concrete strategies to get your community moving toward better health. Whether you're a private citizen or an elected official, community advocates like you have a key role to play.
- Social Marketing as a Grantmaking Strategy for Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity (Adobe Acrobat)
- Developed by the Sunflower Foundation, this document explains how you can use the principles of "social marketing" to influence the health choices of young people. For instance, social marketing practices have been applied successfully to help reduce the number of teen smokers. Many believe these same strategies can be applied to the promotion of good nutrition and physical activity.
For more information and resources visit the Kansas Action for Children's Tool's for Advocates.