School Ambassadors

To facilitate collective action and change local tech norms at a community level, we need people power and boots on the ground in every TK-8 school in Marin County, CA! Kids IRL School Ambassadors play a crucial role in mobilizing the hyper-local community action needed to change youth smartphone and social media norms in Marin County. Our goal is to have a Lead Ambassador plus a network of Grade-Level Ambassadors at each school to coordinate outreach and collective action.

Why schools? Why Ambassadors?

Schools are the local communities that children and families are naturally part of. Parents’ choices around tech adoption (e.g., when to roll out a smartphone or social media) are deeply affected by the cultural norms in their respective schools. Cultural change at massive scale can be very slow, whereas local change is swifter because there’s more interpersonal connection, visibility, and accountability.

We believe it’s most effective to mobilize collective action within each school community - at the most intimate and grassroots level possible (e.g., at the grade, classroom, or peer-group level). Ambassadors know their unique school community and how people tend to communicate and connect. For example, some schools have parent-organized WhatsApp groups and informal off-campus gatherings, whereas others have more formal school-provided communication and events. We rely on School Ambassadors to determine the best way to bring Kids IRL’s mission to their unique school.

Ambassadors build community at their schools by bringing together parents who want to slow down tech and delay app-filled smartphones and social media until high school. They do this by inviting parents at their respective school to join the Kids IRL Phone Pact and supporting efforts to sustain commitment! They also connect with key stakeholders (like the school administration and PTA) to create a team effort to address this complex topic.

Our School Ambassadors are the grassroots leaders and conduits of the Kids IRL Phone Pact in their respective schools. Ambassadors believe in the mission of Kids IRL and are part of the growth and success of this community-based effort in Marin County.

1. Recruiting and leading a team of Ambassadors from all grade levels at your child’s school to help drive Phone Pact sign-ups and community. Finding allies at your school helps to make this a fun and collaborative effort. Once your team is in place, you’ll funnel communications and updates from HQ to Grade-Level Ambassadors.

2. Attending a monthly Zoom with Kids IRL HQ and other School Ambassadors.

3. Enlisting support from key stakeholders at your school - e.g., the school administration, PTA, counselors, librarian, teachers. Change happens by building relationships, developing trust, and bringing a team spirit. 

4. Finding ways to spread the word at your school - e.g., school newsletter, PTA meeting, school events. If you can’t communicate via formal channels at your school, don’t sweat it - you can always just spread the word informally as a grassroots effort!  But if possible, find organic moments like Coffee Cart or tabling/speaking at a school event to raise awareness and build support for Kids IRL.

5. Support efforts to encourage continued commitment to the phone pact through middle school.

1. Inviting all parents and caregivers in your grade level to sign the Kids IRL Phone Pact. The goal is to recruit at least 25% of your grade level to sign the pact. 

2. Attending a monthly Zoom with Kids IRL HQ and other School Ambassadors (this is most important for Lead Ambassadors, but Grade-Level Ambassadors are very much welcome).

3. Collaborating as a school-based team (with your Lead Ambassador and fellow Grade-Level Ambassadors) to support Kids IRL goals, actions, and sustained pact commitment as you see fit.

So far we have Kids IRL Lead Ambassadors at the following schools in Marin. Openings for Grade-Level Ambassadors are available! (Last updated: January 2025)

1. Bacich Elementary School
2. Brandeis Marin
3. Davidson Middle School
4. Edna Maguire Elementary
5. Kent Middle School
6. Marin Horizon
7. Mark Day School
8. Mill Valley Middle School
9. Mount Tamalpais School
10. Old Mill Elementary
11. Olive Elementary
12. Park School
13. Saint Hilary School
14. Strawberry Point Elementary
15. Tam Valley Elementary
16. The Cove School
17. Wade Thomas Elementary School
18. White Hill Middle School

Wonderful. We are thrilled and so grateful! We can't wait to meet you! Let us know here or send us any follow up questions!