2010 GRASSROOTS ADVOCACY AWARD
Daniel T. Allen Community Engagement Coordinator Friends of Thirteen, Inc.
Nominated by Friends of Thirteen
From December 2009 to February 2010, Dan worked closely with students from the Macaulay Honors College at CUNY to prepare for Capitol Hill Day 2010, when public broadcasters from around the country meet with their representatives and encourage them to support public media. Friends of Thirteen has been involved with Capitol Hill Day for over 20 years, but this has been an unprecedented collaboration, bringing the issues facing public broadcasting into the future.
Students helped to set up and confirm appointments with the thirty-three elected officials representing the tri-state area, promoted and attended an on-campus “Lobbying Crash Course,” and conducted research to provide information about public broadcasting to the college community.
For the “Lobbying Crash Course” advocacy training session that took place at the Macaulay Honors College building in late January, Association for Public Television Stations (APTS) Senior Vice President/Director of Communications Jeffrey Davis traveled from Washington, D.C., to meet with students.
Attended by thirty-five students, the training session lasted three hours and included lunch. Students learned about the federal budgeting process, the specific funding challenges of the public broadcasting system as well as learned about innovative initiatives at THIRTEEN.
From an applicant pool of eleven students who applied by sending in their resume and brief essay describing their interest in advocacy, five were chosen to join the teams of station staff and volunteers that would travel to Washington for Capitol Hill Day. Unfortunately, inclement weather shut down Washington for nearly a week and Capitol Hill Day was indefinitely postponed.
Without Dan’s leadership and close connections to the student body, this project would not have been possible. He is dedicated to initiating the next generation of public broadcasting supporters, and he truly makes it his job to mentor students. His background in production gives him a sharp eye and he is able to design flyers or produce short videos that enhance the impact of our advocacy work on the fly. He is comfortable presenting to large groups. He hopes to continue to build the relationship with the Macaulay Honors College in ways that benefit both the station and the students.
Daniel T. Allen Community Engagement Coordinator Friends of Thirteen, Inc.
Nominated by Friends of Thirteen
From December 2009 to February 2010, Dan worked closely with students from the Macaulay Honors College at CUNY to prepare for Capitol Hill Day 2010, when public broadcasters from around the country meet with their representatives and encourage them to support public media. Friends of Thirteen has been involved with Capitol Hill Day for over 20 years, but this has been an unprecedented collaboration, bringing the issues facing public broadcasting into the future.
Students helped to set up and confirm appointments with the thirty-three elected officials representing the tri-state area, promoted and attended an on-campus “Lobbying Crash Course,” and conducted research to provide information about public broadcasting to the college community.
For the “Lobbying Crash Course” advocacy training session that took place at the Macaulay Honors College building in late January, Association for Public Television Stations (APTS) Senior Vice President/Director of Communications Jeffrey Davis traveled from Washington, D.C., to meet with students.
Attended by thirty-five students, the training session lasted three hours and included lunch. Students learned about the federal budgeting process, the specific funding challenges of the public broadcasting system as well as learned about innovative initiatives at THIRTEEN.
From an applicant pool of eleven students who applied by sending in their resume and brief essay describing their interest in advocacy, five were chosen to join the teams of station staff and volunteers that would travel to Washington for Capitol Hill Day. Unfortunately, inclement weather shut down Washington for nearly a week and Capitol Hill Day was indefinitely postponed.
Without Dan’s leadership and close connections to the student body, this project would not have been possible. He is dedicated to initiating the next generation of public broadcasting supporters, and he truly makes it his job to mentor students. His background in production gives him a sharp eye and he is able to design flyers or produce short videos that enhance the impact of our advocacy work on the fly. He is comfortable presenting to large groups. He hopes to continue to build the relationship with the Macaulay Honors College in ways that benefit both the station and the students.