student-led free to speak
Be empowered to be yourself and bring your faith with you to school.
Say goodbye to Sunday only Christianity once and for all.
here’s what you do
step 1 - show the video
Show the 3-minute "I Can" video to your student club leaders and watch it together. Find the video on the Orange County (CA) Department of Education’s website by visiting vimeo.com/671272230. You can download it if you need to.
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Think Exponentially! Educate your entire school about their religious freedoms by asking your school administrators to include the video as your club's message during your school's standard announcement time.
We suggest you include an advertisement for club participation either before or after the video when it is shown to your school.
When approaching your school’s administration, remember, as per the Equal Access Act, federal law requires that religious clubs be given the same access to school announcements as other clubs. It’s also important to approach the administration with a respectful and grateful attitude.
step 2 - share the free to speak e-guide
Share the Free to Speak e-Guide with your student club leaders and learn the religious freedoms that students and teachers have on public school campuses according to the U.S. Department of Education.
step 3 - ask teachers to display the religious freedom poster
Club leaders choose a week when they will ask every teacher in the school to display the Religious Freedom poster in their classrooms as a way to signal that their classroom welcomes students to express their beliefs. Invite any other club members to join!
Keep track of those who agree to do it. It will be encouraging to know the number of teachers who support free speech.
There is no cost to order these posters for on-campus clubs. Simply complete the form below.
Student Club Leaders Get a $100 Amazon Gift Card
As our way of saying “thank you” for advancing religious freedom at your school, we will reward the Christian club student leader with a $100 Amazon gift card. Simply follow the steps above and report the results.
step 4 - spread the word
That same week, club leaders share the Free to Speak Guide with as many friends and peers as possible by sharing the QR code or sending the link, so that they can become aware of their religious freedoms on campus.
Additionally, they give the Free to Speak pamphlets to students throughout your school whenever and however you can. Along with the pamphlets, they can give out the Free to Speak wristbands for students to wear in support of the campaign.
Just like with the posters, there is no cost to order the pamphlets and wristbands. You can place your order using the same link in step 3.
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Now that you’ve told your friends about their religious freedom rights, start a conversation about your faith in Jesus. Ask them if they believe in God. Ask them if they know they’re going to heaven. Then share your testimony and the simple Gospel message.
Learn more strategies to reach your friends and campus with our Toolbox.
step 5 - share your stories
Club leaders share how the Free to Speak resources are impacting your campus and how God is moving at your school. Share any stories about how you’re expressing your faith in class or how God is using you to speak boldly about Christ and lead them to Him.
Share your story and the number of friends you have shared Free to Speak with HERE. Post your God stories on Instagram or make a video highlighting what you’re doing to inspire other clubs. Use hashtag #freetospeak and make sure to tag us @studentledfreetospeak.
Watch a video that a high school club in Illinois made by clicking the Instagram icon! You can find more stories on our home page to see what other clubs have done.
Frequently asked questions
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It’s easy and only takes a few minutes! Follow these 3 steps:
Show the 3-minute video and Free to Speak e-Guide to your club.
Give students the posters, pamphlets, and wristbands.
Choose a week when you will do the campaign!
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You can do the campaign anytime throughout the year. But you might consider linking the campaign to these dates:
Week of September 17 - Constitution Week, which last through the week of Constitution Day which is on September 17
Week of January 16 - Religious Freedom Day. Every year the President proclaims January 16th as Religious Freedom Day to honor the freedom we have in America. For more information, visit ReligiousFreedomDay.com
ANYTIME! - Again, you can do this anytime. There is no need to wait for September 17th or January 16th. You can do it now.
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Students are scared to live out their faith at school because they don’t know the freedoms that they have to do so. When students know their freedoms and their friends and teachers are made aware as well, they will be set free to be themselves and express their faith.
Free speech, and especially religious speech, must be promoted and defended. In many countries around the world, people are not allowed to express their beliefs unless the government approves it. Unfortunately in America, because of people’s misunderstanding of the law, religious expression is too often not allowed freely in public school classrooms. Religious freedom isn’t free. It takes effort to maintain it. Join the Free to Speak campaign!
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The Student-Led Free to Speak Campaign can have a real impact in your school in four significant ways:
It softens the soil for students sharing their faith in class.
It activates students to be bolder in expressing their faith.
It dips their toes in the evangelism water with a pre-evangelism activity.
It will help grow the group’s attendance as students speak more boldly about their faith with classmates.
Whether your club is independent or part of an organization like Decision Point and FCA, we know that you have a vision that you want to see accomplished in your club and on campus. We are here to help you reach your goals by laying a foundation of freedom and confidence on which your club can stand.
The Free to Speak Campaign serves as a bridge that empowers students to first become confident in expressing their faith and being themselves at school, so that they can then live out their faith freely and boldly engage in other club activities.
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Use this link to sign your club up for a Free to Speak resource kit. Then, walk through the steps on this page together as a club. Join on-campus Christian clubs across the nation who are impacting their school cultures for the Kingdom of God in a huge way.