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Educate Yourself
Child-Appropriate
Resolutions
To
establish a community standard in your city, a citizen
needs to present a child-appropriate resolution at his
or her city council meeting. A resolution is
a policy statement that communicates that
the citizens and the city council want to protect children
from inappropriate material.
This
resolution will be a powerful force that shows that
all businesses, schools, and public and private institutions
support family friendly shopping, child-appropriate
advertising, and the removal of explicit materials.
It can be a powerful force in upholding a standard which
protects children.
CFD
volunteers would like to offer you step-by-step assistance
in passing a resolution in your city. Please contact
CFD at projects@communitiesfordecency.org
for personalized help, additional resources, and
copies of other city resolutions.
Suggestions
for preparing and presenting a resolution:
- To begin, contact a member
of your city council or your mayor and ask him or
her to help you sponsor a resolution. As a citizen
in your city, you have the right and responsibility
to encourage the protection of children in your community
by passing a child-appropriate resolution. Many who
have done this say the process was rewarding and positive.
- You may write a resolution
for your city yourself or rewrite your favorite resolution,
inserting the name of your city. It is helpful to
provide copies of one or two other city resolutions,
including one from a neighboring city. Present copies
of these resolutions to each member of the city council,
the mayor, the city attorney, and city recorder before
you speak or before the meeting begins.
- Arrive early for your city
council meeting if possible and sign up on the agenda
as a speaker. Keep your presentation simple and short.
Most cities allow about three minutes for a citizen
to address the council. Be professional and positive.
City councils are concerned about the community; have
confidence in them.
- Explain that you are grateful
for the opportunity to address your city council members;
that you appreciate the service they render; and believe
that they want their city to do what it best for its
children. Explain that you are introducing a child-appropriate
resolution which will help them do that.
- Stick to the issues. Don't
talk about legal matters or lecture on pornography.
In fact, don't even refer to pornography. Use verbiage
such as child-appropriate” and “family friendly”.
You are presenting a child-appropriate resolution
. That is your sole focus. You want your
city council members to pass a child-appropriate resolution
for your city. You want the businesses, schools,
public and private institutions to protect children
in your city. Define child-appropriate at
those things that are appropriate for the eyes of
a six-year old child.
- Tell them you believe that
children in your city should have the opportunity
to grow up in a community where they are not exposed
to inappropriate images. Explain that a number of
cities have already passed child-appropriate resolutions.
Emphasize that your city resolution will not hurt
businesses in any way. In fact, it will help businesses,
for parents will want to patronize stores, businesses,
and institutions which are family-friendly.
- Thank the city council members
for their help. Let them know you appreciate all they
are doing to make your city a safe place for children.
- If any questions are raised,
stay positive. Avoid presenting legal arguments and
precedents. Remind them that the child-appropriate
resolution is a powerful tool to protect the children
and families in your communities. You may remind them
that none of the cities which have passed resolutions
have had legal problems once the resolution was passed.
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