Founding executive director Kathy Bigsby Moore chats on a cell phone sometime in the early 1990’s
We are commemorating our 25th Anniversary with 25 posts about our history and accomplishments between now and the Spotlight Gala on September 15. Join us for a celebration of Voices for Children and all of the organizations, lawmakers, and individuals who have supported our work on behalf of children. For details, visitvoicesforchildren.com/spotlight-gala.
A lot has changed in the 25 years Voices for Children has been advocating for Nebraska’s kids. Looking through our photo archives, I still get a giggle out of some of the hair styles and sartorial choices of decades past. Fashion isn’t the only thing that’s changed in the last 25 years. The rise of the internet has transformed how people connect to each other and to causes they care about. Waiting 3 months for the newsletter to keep up with happenings at the organization or calling in to a hotline for the latest legislative schedule is a thing of the past. Today, we have grown to expect instant information – whether that’s live tweeting a legislative hearing or two-minute explanations of government programs – we want the information in a quick, digestible bite.
Last year, Voices for Children made an investment in our new media efforts in order to stay relevant with the times. Today, we produce a weekly video series about the issues facing kids; share news headlines and commentary throughout the day on Twitter; and keep our Facebook friends in the loop on what’s happening at Voices almost daily.
In addition to everything we do on social media, we are changing how we present data and information in our blog posts, legislative testimony and even in the Kids Count in Nebraska Report. We’re leading the way in developing informative infographics to help explain and track data on how kids are doing and put it all in useful, sharable form. While we’re far from perfecting infographics, we’re pretty pleased with the attention our new approach to data is getting in the media and in conversations with decision makers.
While how we communicate has changed through the years, the needs of kids have not. Rest assured that in the next 25 years, we will continue to use the most effective tools for telling the whole story of Nebraska’s kids.
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