National Runaway Prevention Month is spearheaded each year by our friends at the National Runaway Safeline (NRS) and National Network for Youth (NN4Y).
The goals of National Runaway Prevention Month are two-fold: 1) To raise awareness of the runaway and homeless youth crisis and the issues that these young people face; 2) To educate the public about solutions and the role they can play in ending youth homelessness
Here are 10 easy ways to get involved:
- Participate in one of the nationwide National Runaway Prevention Month Events: Check out our list of national events to participate in. Hosting a candlelight vigil, participating in a social media campaign, or by wearing green on November 9 (see our header image!) will be instrumental in calling attention to the runaway and homeless youth crisis.
- Participate in a local event: Contact a local youth services agency to see what they have planned for National Runaway Prevention Month.
- Host a book club or movie night: Here are some suggestions for movies, books, songs, and other pieces of media salient to National Runaway Prevention Month.
- Become a street team member: Join National Runaway Safeline’ Street Team and help pass out wallet cards, pens and brochures in your area; in return, earn cool rewards for your outreach efforts. Register for the Street Team today.
- Host a fundraiser: Organize a fundraiser at your office, place of worship, school, or social club.
- Declare November as National Runaway Prevention Month: Have a proclamation or resolution signed for National Runaway Prevention Month in your
state or city. A proclamation is granted by an elected official such as a mayor, governor, or president. - Develop a “runaway” display: Get permission from your local library, public building, bank, etc. to display free promotional materials in their lobby. Materials could include brochures about National Runaway Safeline and the runaway issue, bookmarks, pencils, and wallet cards. Order free materials online to distribute in your display.
- Create an e-campaign: Tell your online contacts about National Runaway Prevention Month by adding the following message to your e-mail signature or social media network:
“November is National Runaway Prevention Month! Get involved today by visiting 1800RUNAWAY.org.” - Write an op-ed or blog post: Submit an op-ed to your local newspaper, highlighting the importance of National Runaway Prevention Month – or blog about it! Here are some tips for writing your op-ed!
- Adopt National Runaway Prevention Month: Ask your local school student council, sports team, or other extracurricular group to “adopt” National Runaway Prevention Month this year and distribute posters, wallet cards, and other materials in your school, mall, or community center.
Need more information? Download the National Runaway Prevention Month toolkit.