The Tools

Visual
Media
Event Planning
Social Media
Overview

The Tools

Please use the following toolkits – social media, media, event planning, and visual – to help you get involved in Break the Cycle! A downloadable overview of our toolkits is also provided. For questions, contact communications@aacap.org or development@aacap.org.

Overview

This how-to guide provides an overview of our toolkits – social media, media, event planning, and visual. Download now to develop a start-to-finish plan for how to get involved in Break the Cycle!

Resources

AACAP creates resources for families to better understand problems that their children may be facing. Not all children grow from infancy through their adolescent years without experiencing some bumps along the way. While every child is unique and special, sometimes they encounter emotions, feelings, or behaviors that cause problems in their lives and the lives of those around them.

Check out our most visited Facts for Families below and visit our Facts for Families Guide to view all 120.

In addition to our Facts for Families, we’ve created Resource Centers around issues that commonly affect children. AACAP’s Resource Centers empower consumers like yourself through patient and family education. Visit our Resource Centers on the following topics:

Event Planning

Plan your own event to raise awareness and/or funds for Break the Cycle! Use the provided timeline and example to get started, but be sure to customize your event for your audience!

Plan

Gather your planning team
Choose a date, time, location, and audience
Set goals – raising awareness and/or raising funds
- Decide if you will raise funds via sponsors, by selling tickets, by accepting donations, or through any other method of your choice!
Approach AACAP with questions about Break the Cycle
Make a budget
Determine paperwork to be completed
Reserve the location
Make an event schedule

Promote

Contact potential sponsors (optional)
Advertise - start early!
- Social media
- Flyer
- Radio, TV, newspapers
- Contact related organizations
Take a lot of pictures during your event to post on social media

Wrap up

Submit your total amount raised online at breakthecycle.aacap.org by clicking Make a Donation
Send check to:
- AACAP, Attn: Break the Cycle
  3615 Wisconsin Ave NW
  Washington, DC 20016
Send thank you letters to sponsors, donors, etc.

Event Example: Spin Class

AACAP Staff hosted a spin class to kick off Break the Cycle! Here are the steps we took to get participants ready and excited for the initiative:

Elected members of our steering committee to lead this project
Chose a potential date, time, and local studio
Decided to focus on raising awareness and promoting BTC
Contacted local cycle studio, Zengo, to determine pricing and possibilities
Confirmed date, time, and contract with Zengo
Invited AACAP staff and local DC AACAP Members
Decorated the studio in a Break the Cycle theme on the day of the event
Provided instructor with relevant facts to share throughout the work out
- Ex. Thank you to our participants for raising awareness and support for children’s mental health!
- Ex. Children are currently caught in a cycle of limited access to mental health care, delayed treatment, and worsening illnesses – it’s time to break the cycle!
Took plenty of pictures and shared on social media with the hashtags #AACAPBTC and #WhyWeRide

Media

Getting the word out about Break the Cycle to your community is key to its success! Use this toolkit to learn how to sell your story and who to sell it to by creating a media list, giving a media pitch, writing a press release, and writing an op-ed!

Create a media list

A media list is a list of journalists, reporters, bloggers, or other members of the media; their contact information; and associated outlet
Research:
- Local writers who cover children's mental illnesses and mental health
- Local writers who cover bike-related stories
- Others in your area who will be interested in your story, in relation to the topic and planned event
To identify these writers, search:
- Local newspapers (online or print)
- Local radio stations
- Local television stations
- Blogs
- Social media accounts

Give a media pitch

Contact your media list and sell them on your story by answering the following questions:
- Who? You, with the support of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP)
- What? Break the Cycle - a cross country bike ride from Washington state to Washington DC, Summer 2017, led by Andres Martin, MD, a child and adolescent psychiatrist and prominent AACAP member, in an effort to help raise awareness and support for children's mental health
- When? Your event's date
- Where? Your event's location
- Why do YOU ride? Share your personal story

Write a press release

A press release is a short article that provides background information and key facts of a story
Used to determine whether or not reporters want to learn more and pursue a story
See a sample
Send your press release to your media list

Write an op-ed

Short for "opposite the editorial page"
Includes opinion or commentary on a specific topic that is current in the news, making a direct appeal to your local community
Typically published by newspapers, magazines, and the like
See a sample
Only send your op-ed to one media outlet, so choose the one that will be most likely to publish your piece
Find op-ed requirements by checking the website of your chosen media outlet

Visual

Add Visual Text

The Tools

Overview

Resources

Social Media

Event Planning

Media

Visual