American Legion posts across the country are struggling to attract students to compete in the Oratorical Contest.
I was saddened that only two out of the nine posts in our district had contestants participate in the contest held in February.
I’ve been hearing for years about how difficult it is to recruit young contestants to this speech contest. The excuse list is long, and as a Toastmaster with 30+ years of contest experience, I understand the common challenges.

Root Causes
• Media saturation
• Reduced knowledge of or interest in American history and government
• Polarization of political viewpoints

What can we do about it?
1. Update and improve the PR/marketing strategy to connect with Generation Alpha (born after 2010)
2. Highlight the benefits of participating: Cash awards, scholarships and résumé achievements
3. Provide support, coaching to contestants who may not be comfortable with public speaking

One week before my post’s contest in February, I actively recruited two students. Here's what I did:
1) At my weekly Prescott Club Toastmaster meeting, I directly approached a young member and told him that I thought that he was a strong speaker and would make a good contestant in the upcoming contest. I encouraged him to register for the event that morning and texted him the link to sign up. He applied online that day.
2) I emailed a post member who is an JROTC Instructor at a local high school and asked him to talk to his cadets about the contest the following week. I sent him the event flyer and told him we needed participants. He replied quickly that one of his students was interested. I emailed them the registration link, and he applied within two days.

Both students participated in the Post 6 and District 8 contests.

How to recruit more contestants?
• Engage with students in new ways. Influencers and short videos.
• Marketing and Public Relations:
o Share event on Instagram, TikTok and Facebook
o Increase awareness of the event in local newspapers
o Print flyer and post in the library and coffee shops
• Leverage and connect in small, trusted groups: Toastmasters, JROTC, homeschool pods, Scouting troops

Call to Action
Help America’s future leaders learn about the U.S. Constitution by connecting with them and encouraging them to get engaged by:
Modernizing our marketing approach, highlighting the benefits and reaching people directly in trusted settings.