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Ambassador Training

STUDENTS AS LEADERS  |  AMBASSADOR TRAINING  |  PROGRAMS SUCCEED WHEN LEARNERS LEAD

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AMBASSADOR EMPOWER HOUR

Join COABE’s Students as Leader Coordinator to discuss successes, challenges, and opportunities of the COABE Ambassador program. All are welcome to attend. Ambassador Empower Hour will be held on February 13, at 2:00 pm Eastern. Please register in advance.

BECOME A CHANGE-MAKER!

The Ambassador Program is an award-winning, student-centered advocacy training that empowers adult learners and the programs that support them. The training has four components:

  1. Awareness: This module answers the questions: what is Adult Education, and who are Adult Learners?  What are data and statistics, and why are they important?  Why is Awareness part of Advocacy?
  2. Storytelling: In this section, we discuss what a story is, how to write it, and why it is the most powerful tool to effect change.  
  3. Sharing Your Story: Here, we explore how to identify your audience and the different ways of sharing your story: public speaking, digital storytelling, letter writing, and more! 
  4. Meeting with People with Influence: In the final module, Ambassadors learn and practice all the parts of meeting with public officials: identifying and contacting them, setting up the meeting, facilitating the meeting, and following up.  

After the training, graduates join a national network of Ambassadors working towards excellence in Adult Education.  

Ambassadors posing with their certificates at the national training in 2018.
Ambassadors posing with their certificates at the national training in 2018.
This picture was taken during the last in person gathering for State Ambassadors prior to the onset of the pandemic.

JOIN THE MOVEMENT! 

The Ambassador Program is in 25 states plus DC and Puerto Rico… you’re next! We are excited to give you several options to get involved with the award-winning Ambassador Program and COABE’s advocacy campaigns!

  • Take the Training: The award-winning Ambassador Training is now available to you in several forms!
    • Online: The training is now available for FREE in four online modules—just register here!  You can take this training individually or with your class. We recommend taking the training with a group so you have some support as you go forward!
      • Note: The training is designed to be taken at any level with a teacher facilitating; if you are taking the training independently, you should be reading at an NRS 3 level or above.  If you have any questions about implementation, email ambassadorcoordinator@coabe.org.
    • Facilitated: For each of these options, please email ambassadorcoordinator@coabe.org to find out more and schedule yours!
      • Hybrid: The training can be facilitated over Zoom by trainers who are often Ambassador graduates themselves! In this case, the training is delivered as a full-day or in two half-days. We ask that you pay each facilitator a $500 stipend. 
      • In-Person: Our facilitators can also come to you! In this case, we ask that you pay each facilitator’s travel and hotel expenses in addition to the stipend.  This option is best for conferences and state- or region-level trainings.
  • COABE Advocacy App: Strategize with other advocates and Ambassadors in your state using the COABE WorkReady Advocacy App!  This app can be used via mobile app or desktop browser, so no downloads are necessary.  To sign up, first find and copy your Cohort Code here. Then, create an account by clicking the ‘Sign Up’ button in the upper right hand corner at this link.
  • Educate and Elevate: At the Educate and Elevate campaign website, you can:
    • Take Action by adding your name to letters or sending your own letter to your representative.
    • Spread Awareness by sharing your story! Submit…
      • Here to share a Learner Success Story
      • Here to share a Teacher Success Story
      • Here to share an Employer Success Story

MORE INFORMATION

Still not convinced the Ambassador Program is for you? View the video here and webinar here to find out more about the benefits Ambassadors and their sponsoring programs receive, including a regular raffle!

Contact Erin at erinvobornik@coabe.org for more information.

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New Ambassadors from Utah in a virtual training in 2021.
New Ambassadors from Utah in a virtual training in 2021.
“I’m a huge supporter of the Ambassador Training Program and believe it empowers students to find their voice and tell their story. While this is very powerful for advocacy efforts, even more important for the individual students is that it helps them build important life and employability skills such as confidence, leadership, communication and self-efficacy.”

Sheryl Hart, Arizona State Director