Schedule a Presentation
Success comes from making informed decisions about the future and helping Iowans make informed decisions is what ICAN is all about. ICAN has developed a series of programs that address different phases of the planning process. From understanding the basics of budgets, accessing potential career pathways, or comparing and analyzing post-high school education and training options, ICAN has developed programs to meet the needs of today's students.
Scheduling Options
ICAN has multiple options for presenting our programs to students and parents.
- School-Based Presentations.
In-person seminars offered specifically for your school or community. These programs require grant funding, a local sponsor or the school can choose to pay the $350 fee. - School-Specific Virtual Presentations.
A live webinar scheduled specifically for a school at a time of their choosing. May also be combined with other schools for a county-wide or regional approach. Events are recorded and provided to schools to share with students and parents unable to attend the live event. - Statewide Virtual Programs.
Virtual seminars open to any school or student. These events are scheduled throughout the year and you can promote these dates to your students, or host a streamed event at your building, broadcasting the event and live chatting questions to an ICAN advisor. - Pre-Recorded, Topic-Specific Presentations.
ICAN has a library of pre-recorded presentations that can be viewed at any time.
School-Based Presentation Eligibility
To be eligible for a face-to-face presentation, ICAN's scheduling policy is that a school must have grant funding or a sponsor for the event. Sponsorship is $350. ICAN is committed to serving all Iowans and this policy reflects the best use of our limited resources. Every school is eligible to participate in virtual events, which provide flexibility for students and parents. Virtual events are recorded and a link is provided to schools to share with students and parents unable to attend the live event, creating an on-demand availability for career and college readiness information.
Sponsorship
ICAN works to secure funding for as many schools as possible each year through its partnership program and grant work through local community foundations. Sponsorship for community events is a partnership between ICAN and each school. Letters of support for ICAN's work in your school enhance grant applications and make meetings with partners stronger.
If your school is not covered by a current partnership or grant and would like to host an in-person event, consider community members and businesses in your area that could partner with you to cover the cost of presentations in your school. Seek out local sponsors for the event you wish to hold or connect a local sponsor with ICAN. For more information about this process contact Erick Danielson.
Schedule a Presentation
ICAN offers career and college readiness programs that prepare students from 8th grade to senior year for life after high school. In an effort to maximize our program offerings and meet the needs of more students in the most cost-effective manner, guidelines have been developed for each program regarding target audience and the time of year the presentation should be given. Please read the description for each presentation and review these recommendations prior to requesting a presentation. To schedule contact ICAN at (877) 272-4692.
Setting the Date
Presentation descriptions specify the time of year, the length of time and the setting that are best for each presentation. In addition, these strategies will help you determine the date for your presentation.
-
Avoid outright conflicts with other school-related activities. It may be necessary to schedule in conjunction with another activity, such as:
- Before a home sports event.
- In tandem with parent-teacher conferences.
- Before or after another ICAN presentation within your school or in a neighboring community. See the ICAN presentation calendar or talk to an ICAN advisor about possible combinations.
- The day before or after another ICAN presentation in your community or region. See the ICAN presentation calendar or talk to an ICAN advisor about possible combinations.
- Follow your community's tradition regarding event scheduling during evenings of religious activities.
- Be aware of other community-based events, such as:
- Election dates.
- Plays or concerts.
- Fund-raisers.
Ensure Your Presentation is a Success
ICAN offers several tips and resources to help you get the best turnout for your presentations.
- Hosting Best Practices. This resource guide outlines tips for the most successful presentation.
- Free materials to supplement your presentation, distribute individually or hand out in class.
- Promotional materials. Monthly packets are mailed out to help you publicize the presentation to students and parents.
- Online toolkit of promotional materials to download for additional awareness efforts with students and parents.
- Virtual Presentations allow students who can’t attend live presentations to receive much of the same valuable information.
These tips and resources will help ensure a successful presentation.
Promote Your Presentation
ICAN relies on you to ensure your students and parents attend your scheduled ICAN programs. To aid in your efforts, ICAN has developed a promotional toolkit and sends out promotional packets one month prior to your evening presentation. The promotional tools available for the most popular presentations are designed to help you raise awareness of ICAN presentations and events and increase attendance by your students and their families.
- Use the Presentation Checklist (PDF) to plan for and promote your ICAN presentation, starting four weeks before. Visit the toolkit.
- Word documents include suggested text that can be personalized before it’s copied into other documents or programs, such as a letter or e-mail from you. Simply insert the appropriate information in the highlighted areas and copy and paste the text into your document before printing or sending.
Required software: Microsoft Word version 2003 or higher - PDF documents may be sent directly to your printer without customization.
Required software: Adobe Acrobat Reader version 6 or higher.
