11 WAYS TO GET YOUR SCHOOL TO OFFER SNEAKER THEORY
When it comes to deciding what classes your school should offer, as students you might feel like you don’t have much say-so. But Sneaker Theory believes when students organize and take an interest in determining what they should learn, education leaders have to take note. With that in mind, we believe you can get your school to offer sneaker theory in a year or less by taking the following steps:
#1. Start a petition
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Before school leaders offer a new course, they need to know how much interest there is in the course. One way to demonstrate interest is to start a petition.
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You can collect signatures the old school way -- getting a clipboard and collecting signatures in person -- or you can start an online petition. We recommend both.
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Here is a list of websites you can use to create an online petition:
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change.org
ipetitions.com
gopetition.com
Here's some sample language you can use for your petition:
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Given the growing global interest in sneakers and sneaker culture, we, the students of YOUR SCHOOL NAME HERE, hereby call on our school leaders to offer courses in sneaker theory, which is the study of sneakers and their impact on society. We believe sneaker courses will provide a variety of interesting and engaging ways for us to learn and study different subjects, from STEM to social studies. We also believe it will better enable us to discover and develop our creative talents and pursue a variety of different careers, from sneaker designers to entrepreneurs. We respectfully urge you to offer sneaker theory within one year of today's date. For more information on what sneaker theory courses involve, we urge you to visit sneakertheory.org.
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#2. Create an online survey
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Similar to a petition, you can also create an online survey to measure how much support there is for a course on sneaker theory.
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Here are some websites that will enable you to create an online survey.
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#3. Contact your school leaders
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Ask your school principal or district superintendent about the best ways to do a presentation on why you believe your school should offer courses in sneaker theory.
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#4. Contact your school board
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Reach out to members of your local school board and ask how you can get your proposal for a sneaker course on the agenda for the next school board meeting. You can also voice your support for sneaker theory during the public comments portion of the next school board meeting.
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#5. Contact the media
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Reach out to reporters who cover education or sports and invite them to do stories about your efforts to get your school to offer sneaker theory.
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Remember, reporters are looking for good stories, especially visual stories, so you'll have to come up with some innovative and spectacular events.
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Here's one idea: Hire three local college basketball players to stage a dunk contest at your school and invite the media to cover it. Make it clear that the whole purpose of the dunk contest is to get your school to offer sneaker theory.
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Here are some platforms where you can reach college athletes:
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iconsource.com
collegeathleteinfluencers.com
nocapsports.io
inkedsports.co
marketpryce.com
pstgm.com
98strong.com
cleankonnect.com
dreamfield.co
getyougifted.com
#6. Find a supportive teacher
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Few people can help you more than a teacher who believes in your idea and wants to help you succeed. If the teacher actually wants to teacher the sneaker course, then all the better.
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#7. Pitch it as a pre-college course
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Educators are in search of ways to better prepare students for college. If you can articulate the many ways that sneaker theory will make you a better college student, you'll have a much better chance at convincing school leaders to offer various sneaker courses.
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For instance, you can emphasize how sneaker theory emphasizes critical thinking, teamwork and innovation.
#8. Find a university professor who supports the idea
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if you can find a local or regional professor who is into sneakers or who studies various subjects that may be related to speakers, reach out to that professor for ideas on how to get your school to offer sneaker theory.
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There are all kinds of university faculty who have something smart to say about sneakers and the way they influence society and the world. One of Sneaker Theory's informal advisors, for instance, is a "dunkologist" who studies the slam dunk.
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#9. Contact a local sneaker store or sneaker company
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Reach out to managers at a local sneaker store or a major sneaker company to provide resources and support.
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In our experience, it's best to work with people you know and have some sort of relationship with instead of calling out of the blue. But if calling out of the blue is what you gotta do, then call out of the blue.
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#10. Create a social media campaign
Create and launch a social media campaign to raise awareness about your efforts to establish sneaker theory at your school. Whether on Instagram, X or TikTok, there are infinite ways to design an eye-catching campaign to demonstrate how many students would love to have the opportunity to take a sneaker course in school.
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#11. Solicit an influencer to support your cause
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The world is full of influencers who would love to support the idea of establishing sneaker theory in school. You just have to find the right one.
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Our main piece of advice here is think big. Don't think any star is out of reach. You just may be able to get an NBA star or a former Olympian to visit your school.
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At the same time, don't overlook the smaller stars or even more "regular" people from different fields and walks of life who can also lend credibility to your cause. It could be a graphic artist or a doctor who practices sports medicine. As long as the person "gets" sneaker theory and what it's all about, having an outside voice as a collaborator can go a long way to convince school leaders to make sneaker theory a part of the school curriculum.