American Graduate Day Returns

On Saturday, September 28, 2013, American Graduate Day returned for its second year, reaching public television audiences across the country with a call to action to stop the dropout crisis in America.  While American Graduate Day 2012 focused on informing the public, this year's Day focused on action: viewers were encouraged to get directly involved with local organizations and volunteer their time, talents or other resources.

Friends of Thirteen took this call to action one step further:  Friends staff were on the sidewalk outside of the Tisch WNET Studios during the American Graduate Day broadcast, speaking directly to people walking by about how important it is to take action against the dropout crisis in America -- and did so with a special twist.   With the help of Tagkast, a social media and photography marketing service, Friends of Thirteen took fun,  

Red Carpet-inspired photos of these passers-by; using Tagkast's technology, these photos received a digital picture frame with WNET and American Graduate banding and were sent directly to their personal Facebook and Twitter accounts, all with a direct link to the American Graduate website where their friends and networks could easily sign up to become an American Graduate Champion online.

American Graduate Day 2013 premiered live on Saturday, September 28 from noon - 7pm EST, marking a long term commitment to helping communities tackle the nation's dropout crisis and preparing students for success with a high school diploma.  Themes for the day included Expanded Learning Time & After School Programs, Early Education, Mentoring, Career Readiness & College Completion, STEM Programs, Family Support and Dropout Re-engagement & Prevention.