THE KIDS’ RIGHT TO READ NETWORK FAQs
The Kids’ Right to Read Network advises and provides resources to local advocacy groups to defend books and connect advocates into a national network defending the Right to Read. Your voice is needed in your community, and we can help you find and mobilize other local advocates in your community.
Does it cost anything to join?
- No! There is no fee to initiate a KRRN group, or to join an existing KRRN group.
- We do ask for your continued commitment through:
- Attending a minimum of six national meetings per year
- Holding one or two meetings of your group per month.
What do KRRN groups do?
- Meet regularly on their own (once or twice a month) to discuss:
- Current challenges (related to school board/library policies or state laws that result in educational censorship)
- Strategies to organize actions to respond to book bans
- Recruiting new members and defining the goals of the group
- Join a national KRRN Zoom call once a month to discuss issues and strategies with other national Network members.
- Mobilize community members (including students) to participate in Board Meetings and other initiatives including:
- Advocacy letter writing
- Filing FOIA requests
- Developing talking points (i.e., from curriculum rationales or other sources) to speak out and defend challenged titles at school board meetings
- Urge School Board members to reject book challenges
- Seek out legal information
- Report book challenges to NCAC
- Organize peaceful protests
- Engage with the media via:
- Press Interviews
- Op Eds, letters to the editor
- Social media
What happens when I create a KRRN group?
All member Group Co-Chairs will attend a KRRN new group orientation meeting. NCAC will provide:
- The KRRN Guidebook, How to Organize Against Book Bans, which provides best practices, tips, and tools for grassroots organizing
- Access to the KRRN Google Groups Listserv, which allows KRRN members to share questions/resources and strategies.
- Access to participate in the monthly KRRN Zoom call, where members can share information about big challenges, wins, and updates.
- Access to participate in periodic workshops, which will focus on building various skills, including recruitment, media training, how to write and place Op-Eds, how to file FOIA requests, and more.
- A packet of digital media assets (logos, digital branding materials, etc.) and guidelines for how and where to use them to advance our shared cause.
- Peer support and mentorship opportunities.
- Organizational tools for tracking local participation and group activities.
- Where possible, referrals for pro-bono legal information.
How do I join an existing KRRN group?
- Check to see if there’s a KRRN group in your city, county, or state
- Review Membership commitments and contact your local group co-chair
Do you have what it takes to be a KRRN co-Chair?
Effective co-Chairs have the following traits:
- Interest in engaging and rallying community members;
- Self-directed, strategic, and creative;
- Clear communications skills;
- Skills in delegating and leading a team;
- Time/availability to consistently commit;
- Good under pressure.
So you’re ready to launch a group and be a co-Chair? Get started!
- Fill out our new KRRN Group/Provisional Membership application form
- Interview with NCAC staff
- Obtain approval from NCAC
- Attend a new group orientation meeting for co-Chairs
What does it take to launch a new KRRN group?
- A time commitment of approximately five to ten hours a week
- Time/space resources to hold a monthly local KRRN group meeting – ideally in person
- At least three members are required for an official KRRN group to launch
- Individuals who are interested, but who do not (at first) have additional peers to collaborate with, can join for six months as a provisional member. (After six months of provisional membership, there should be enough participation to form an official KRRN group.)
- Two or three co-chairs
For more information, please contact us at [email protected]. If you’re ready to apply to start a new group, please fill out our application form.