Welcome to the Student Justice Alliance

Student advocacy Guide

Let’s Get Started:

We’ve broken this guide down into three different sections: speeches, journalism, and organization. Each one has pages of resources, expertise from professionals, and examples to get you started.

Speeches

What goes into an effective speech? Why should people feel compelled to listen to you? How can you effectively communicate your concerns?

Barack Obama speaking at a microphone with arms raised, dark background.

Structure

A good structure for your speech keeps your points focused, your audience hooked, and your argument powerful.

Al Gore speaking at a podium with American and Illinois flags in the background.
Nelson Mandela is raising his arms in the air, surrounded by a crowd, with power lines in the background under a clear sky.
Person giving a presentation with a large Apple logo in the background.
A man giving a speech at a civil rights rally with a microphone in front of him and a "Don't..." sign in the background. Black and white photo.

Rhetoric

The most powerful speeches go beyond making good arguments— they leave a lasting impression.

Where do i Give a Speech?

  • There are so many places you can give a speech! Go to your local Board of Education meeting, your city or county council, or even your state’s legislature. Get a recording of your testimony and post it on social media.

  • Take your speech skills to social media! Condense your idea, theme, speech into a 30 second to 1 minute video and post to Instagram, YouTube, or TikTok.

Journalism

What goes into an effective speech? Why should people feel compelled to listen to you? How can you effectively communicate your concerns?

What is and What isn’t Journalism?

What determines whether something is journalism? What are the best practices? Why is it so important?

Telling your story

Learn about telling your story from beginning to end: identifying, researching, and writing.

Where do i Publish my work?

  • Advocacy organizations are always looking for new voices and perspectives to feature. Find an organization that aligns with what you’ve written, contact them, and pitch how your story furthers their mission.

  • Lots of newsrooms and news organizations are looking for guest commentary in the form of op-eds. Pitch your opinion editorial to a local news organization!

  • Did you write something that reveals groundbreaking information or sheds light on a new story? Pitch your article or writing to a local newsroom to publish it.

Organization

If you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.

Building a movement

Define your cause, build a core team, and create a plan of action.

We Want to Hear From You!

  • Let us know how we can improve our advocacy guide, what you want to see more of, or how you have applied our resources to your own movement!

Credits to Alvin Lee, Hansen Zhang, John Gao, Charan Bala