A public service announcement is distributed to all local media to inform the public about upcoming training. The announcement lists the dates and times of the training sessions, briefly describes the duties of volunteers in very general terms, and explains what individuals can gain by volunteering with our agency. We have no local television stations, but good relationships with the three newspapers and the seven radio stations insure that the public service announcement is printed and aired often. Community service is an important part of university learning and instructors are happy to announce the upcoming training and encourage interested students to join our volunteer staff. Current volunteers remind their instructors to make the announcements and talk about their volunteer experience with classmates.
Many instructors even offer credit to the students for their volunteer work.
Flyers announcing our need for volunteers and the upcoming training are posted around both campuses and in the Courthouse. These flyers are posted, by volunteers, in both classroom and dormitory buildings on campus. Sometimes they are also posted in local fast food restaurants and other downtown businesses. While we continue this practice, it is our least effective means of advertising for volunteers. While there are many duties that I would not assign to a volunteer under the age of 18, I believe that it is important for young people to develop a sense of community service.