Do Something!

• Educate yourself and others about media literacy. Read, watch programs, attend trainings and/or workshops, watch videos and/or programs about media literacy.
  
  
• Monitor your own use of media.  Begin by creating a log of how much exposure do you have to media. Home? School/work? Community?
  
  
• Talk with the children in your life. How much are they watching/listening to? What messages do they hear? How do they react to media?
  
  
• Sponsor contests, posters, essays, and video production for children and/or adults to create messages about media literacy.
  
  
• Promote and/or sponsor workshops, trainings and speakers on media literacy at your schools, in your community, at your organizations, places of worship and work.
  
  
• Work with libraries (school, public, business, place of worship) to make sure media  literacy materials are in their collections.  Create displays about media literacy topics.
  
  
• Create a campaign to urge your local school board to include media literacy in your districtís curriculum. Write letters supporting media literacy education and adoption of media literacy curriculum. Attend and speak at school board meetings. Bring others to testify at school board meetings. Bring/send petitions. Provide school board members with materials supporting media literacy education and sample curriculum.
  
  
• Write articles and/or editorials for newspapers/newsletters (school, organization, community, business, and place of worship) on media literacy.
  
  
• Lobby officials (local, state, national) to advocate and support media literacy education. Ask perspective candidates their views and understanding of media literacy. Write letters. Attend and speak at meetings and/or legislative hearings. Bring others to meetings and/or to testify. Bring/send petitions supporting media literacy education. Provide officials with material supporting media literacy education.
  
  
• Hold media producers accountable for what they are producing (TV shows, videos, videogames, movies, computers, web sites, radio programs, newspapers, billboards, music, etc.). Call, write, e-mail!  Be as specific as you can about your concern or about what you like.  By taking action and working together, our messages for a more responsible media will become the vocal majority.