The 2007 Back Up Your Birth Control Campaign Day of Activism will be held on Tuesday, March 20 and marks the sixth year of this national initiative to raise awareness about emergency contraception (EC).
Efforts this year will address the new ‘dual-label’ environment, in which adults do no longer need a prescription to obtain EC, but teens younger than 18 do. The campaign will continue the longstanding tradition of EC education and outreach through provider and public education, and policy debates about EC.
The 2007 Day of Activism is dedicated to spreading the word to teens about EC as a safe and effective method of back up birth control, because many women will be excluded from timely OTC access in this new ‘dual-label’ environment, especially young women.
This year, we invite you and your activists to participate in the 2007 Back Up Your Birth Control Campaign by using BUYBC campaign materials, including this toolkit, to direct EC education efforts towards teens and teen educators, dispel the misconception that EC is not safe for teens and distribute information so that all women know how to get EC in the new ‘dual-label’ environment.
The EC 101: Back to the Basics Toolkit contains everything you need to train your activists to become EC educators and experts, including:
#1 Tips for Engaging your Activists (especially teens!)
#2 Materials for Activists
#3 Evaluation Forms
Our tips for engaging activists include a variety of flexible activities: you may decide to have your activists participate in one single activity that is the best fit for your organization, or allow them to choose from a list of suggested activities to teach others about EC. After you have selected your Back Up Your Birth Control activities, please fill out and email the included Evaluation Form so that we are able to promote and track all of our nationwide Back Up Your Birth Control events.
Expanding access to emergency contraception is a hollow undertaking if women don’t know about it, where to get it, or how to use it. We thank you for taking part in this year’s 2007 Back Up Your Birth Control activities and using the EC 101: Back to the Basics Toolkit.
#1 Tips for Engaging your Activists
Here are some suggestions of ways to talk about EC and share Back Up Your Birth Control information with your activists. Activities are flexible; many can be conducted on an individual basis or within a group.
Use the next two pages to determine the best way to take action for the 2007 Back Up Your Birth Control Day of Activism on March 20, or distribute this list to your activists and let them select their own activities. In section #2 of the toolkit you will find sample materials and background information to supplement all of the suggested activities.
After you have looked over the list and materials please fill out and email the BUYBC Evaluation Form. By working with us to document your participation in Back Up Your Birth Control activities we are able to report back to our supporters and the media about the significant impact we collectively make through the Back Up Your Birth Control Campaign.
EC Education with Teens and Teen Educators:
Organize teens to participate in the www.IneedEC.info key chain design contest
Plan an EC educational event with a teenage audience: host a party, Battle of the Bands, and
distribute teen wallet cards to share new www.IneedEC.info web resource.
Post information about www.IneedEC.info on the BUYBC Facebook, Friendster, and
MySpace accounts.
Partner with youth groups in your community to plan a BUYBC EC event: such as “How to
talk to your Dr.” or provide teens with information on becoming an EC resource for their
friends.
Work with medical providers in your community on how to talk with adolescent patients.
Encourage teens to write to their state and federal elected officials, demanding that the FDA
remove age restrictions on OTC sales of EC.
Encourage teens to visit local pharmacies to ask about EC.
Engage teens with the local media by starting a discussion about teenage pregnancy rates in
your area.
Local Media:
Send a press release or local press advisory to media outlets highlighting your Back Up Your Birth Control Campaign and related events.
Invite your local media (TV, radio, newspaper) to attend your Back Up Your Birth Control event.
Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper.
Public Awareness Activities:
Pass out wallet cards or put up posters in your neighborhood to let people know about EC and the Back Up Your Birth Control websites. Set up a table at your local farmers market, street fair or other public events.
Use our graphics to link the Back Up Your Birth Control website in your e-mail signature.
Create a hardcopy or electronic EC resource guide for your community. Include listings of phone
numbers, location, and hours of area pharmacies, clinics, and health centers that stock EC with prices. To see a sample guide visit: http://www.prochoiceny.org/boc/
Write to the sexual assault and domestic violence community in your area and ask them to participate in your Back Up Your Birth Control activities.
Organize an EC Roundtable discussion with local elected officials, clinicians and medical experts.
Engaging the Local Medical Community:
Write to or visit women’s health centers or clinics in your area and ask them to promote the Back Up Your Birth Control Campaign in their waiting rooms. Invite them to participate in
your Day of Action EC activities.
Invite an obstetrician, gynecologist or pharmacist to speak to your activists about the medical facts and the importance of expanding access to EC in your community.
Contact your local pharmacy board or pharmacy association and let them know you are
available to educate pharmacists about EC in the new ‘dual-label’ environment. Offer to
collaborate with these groups to create packets of information about EC or distribute them to
pharmacies yourself.
Ask your doctor to sign up to be an EC provider to distribute EC through the free national
hotline, 1-888-Not-2-Late, by visiting http://ec.princeton.edu/providers/index.html
Build an EC coalition with local sexual assault organizations and obstetricians/gynecologists
and write letters to pharmacies or hospitals to inquire about the stocking and provision of EC.
Include educational materials and conduct friendly, helpful follow-up to work with staff to
inform clients about EC and advance provision.
Campus Activities:
Pass out wallet cards or put up posters on campus to let people know about EC and the Back Up Your Birth Control Websites.
Make and hang large banners promoting the Back Up Your Birth Control Campaign on visible buildings on campus, such as your student union or residence halls and write EC facts in chalk around campus.
Distribute EC fact sheets that include information about where women can access EC in the new ‘dual-label’ environment to Resident Advisors so they can distribute this information.
Urge students to have EC on hand before traveling for Spring Break.
Ask your college’s Women’s Studies department and various student organizations to announce and participate in your Back Up Your Birth Control activities.
Contact and invite a speaker who is knowledgeable about EC to come to your campus and promote your Back Up Your Birth Control Day of Activism. Arrange for campus groups, Women’s Studies classes, and campus newspapers to promote and attend the event.
Organize an EC Speak-Out/Open Mic Session. Book a high traffic area on campus and set up a podium and microphone outside in a highly visible location. Advertise for the event in advance to build a crowd. Outreach to other progressive student groups and invite both students and faculty to give impromptu speeches. Contact a local paper and student paper to cover the session.
Find out if EC is available at your campus health centers in both prescription and nonprescription form:
Send a formal letter to the college administration requesting that EC be made available
through the campus health system. Be sure to include your reasons and a list of your
campus supporters.
Raise the issue of on-campus EC at the next Board of Trustee’s meeting.
Request a campus community referendum on the issue of on-campus EC.
Work with your student health center to expand EC access and train students to be EC
advocates.
Make sure your health center discusses and uses EC materials in peer education
workshops as well as other health education and health center related activities (e.g.
sexual health workshops) and offers advance EC prescriptions.
Legislative Activities:
Send a petition/letter/email encouraging legislators to support state legislation expanding
access to EC. Find out who your elected officials are at: www.congress.org or your state
government’s website.
Send emails to the Federal Food and Drug Administration and President Bush, urging them
to allow over-the-counter access to EC for women of all ages: commission@fda.gov, president@whitehouse.gov
Write a letter to Congress supporting the Prevention First Act. Find out who your
Congressperson is at www.congress.org
Social Activities:
Host an EC Happy Hour or House Party – offer prizes to those who come with a report of
whether their local pharmacy stocks OTC EC and how much it costs.
Hold a letter writing party to write to your elected state and/or national officials asking them
to support expanded access to EC to women of all ages.
Organize a Back Up Your Birth Control Campaign “pub crawl” to spread knowledge and
information of EC.
Key Chain Design Contest for IneedEC.info
To submit your design idea to the IneedEC.info logo contest, visit www.IneedEC.info for information and contest rules. The contest winner will be announced on March 20, 2007, the Back Up Your Birth Control Day of Action.
Download Sample Letters, Fact Sheets and Talking Points
All documents available in PDF form at www.backupyourbirthcontrol.org
2007 Day of Action
The New Dual-Label Environment
Day of Action Info
Back Up Your Birth Control Campaign (BUYBC)
Campaign Overview
Campaign Talking Points
Graphics for Web-links
Information about EC
Talking Points
The Facts
Policy Activities
FDA Petition
Letter to Congress
Public Support for EC Education
Media
Press-Release
Journalist Letter
Press Advisory
Newsletter Articles/ Letter-to-the-Editor
Public Education
EC 101 Toolkit
Sample Invite to your BUYBC Event
Note to Pharmacists
Wal-Mart Action Packet
Wal-Mart Thank You
Wal-Mart Stock EC Letter
EC Quiz
#3 2007 Back Up your Birth Control Evaluation Form
Name ________________________________________________
Address________________________________________________
Organization____________________________________________
Phone_____________________Email________________________
Date(s) of you Back Up your Birth Control Activity(s) ________________
How does the Back Up Your Birth Control Campaign, and the teen focus of the 2007
Day of Action, fit into your organizational goals for 2007?
Do you undertake Back Up Your Birth Control related activities only on the Day of
Action (please specify duration and time period) or at other times?
Please describe any other activities that you undertook or that you would like to
undertake that are not currently promoted by the Back Up Your Birth Control Campaign.
Did you find the EC education materials for teens (www.IneedEC.info website, wallet cards, and key chain design contest) useful? Any suggestions for improvements?
Which of the sample documents or materials did you find the most helpful? Which documents or suggested activities in the Toolkit did you find needed improvement? Why?
Did you use the Back Up Your Birth Control and IneedEC.info websites as EC resources?
