Inspiring Leadership in Immigrant Communities - ILRC

Inspiring Leadership in Immigrant CommunitiesJanuary 2003b. Ordinarily one would have prepared a press packet for reporters prior to thepress conference, including background material on the story and articlesrelating to the story from other media sources.c. The press conference should start on time.d. Remember that ordinarily one would have any person or family affected bythe problem or issue attend the conference. They are the stars of the show.e. Speakers will make brief presentations. The press can ask questions. Youshould leave lots of time for questions.f. Stay focused on the key point you want to raise concerning the issue and keeprepeating it as often as possible. (i.e. Now is the time to naturalize because ofthe vast numbers of people who are eligible and because it’s an important wayto combat the rise in anti-immigrant activity.)g. One would normally get a list of the reporters attending or collect theirbusiness cards so they can be contacted for follow-up.h. If more than one person will be speaking at your press conference, you mustmake sure to introduce each one, making transitions easier for both thespeaker and the audience.2. Preparing for the Mock Press Conference:a. The previous evening, ambassadors and partner staff should have volunteeredto participate in the mock press conference. One trainer will work with thegroup in the evening between Days 1 and 2 to make the press conference asuccess. Each volunteer will take one of the roles listed in the appendix.b. The group will have 10 minutes to make their presentations, and then the presscorps, being played by the others at the training, will have 5-10 minutes to askquestions. The volunteers must distribute the press release found in theappendix to each person in attendance. The issue for the press conference isthe following:Centro Bilingue, a small nonprofit grassroots immigrant rights organizationin East Palo Alto, Calif., is about to kick off its big naturalization campaign.The first informational presentation on naturalization is coming up onSaturday, May 7, at 10 a.m. at Centro Bilingue’s office at 151 Ralmar Avenue.After that, there will be a presentation on naturalization on the first Saturdayof every month at 10 a.m. For more information, people can call 555-5555. Inthe weeks following that presentation, Centro Bilingue will begin hostingworkshops to help people prepare their application packets for naturalization12-27