During the 2005 Action Week we want to confront politicians and leaders with as many life size cut out "Friends" as possible and ask them to sign a personal pledge to take a specific action(s) during 2005 to work towards the achievement of the education MDGs. Globally we will be counting the number of politicians (and celebrities) who sign a pledge and the total number of "Friends" made.

There are three global actions that count toward the Send my Friend to School action.

1. Politicians Back to School Day - Get as many politicians as possible to visit a school, non-formal education centre, or adult literacy centre on a nationally agreed day during the Action Week and get each visiting MP to sign a pledge and accept the "Friend" as a token of their commitment to the pledge. If you cannot get your local politician to visit your school or centre, why not get a local leader or a celebrity to visit. Anyone who is in a decision-making role or can help to highlight your message can be invited "back to school" - remember, we will be counting the number of pledges signed by MPs, ministers and influentials.
   
   
2. National Pledge Event - Thousands of "Friends" from across the country should be gathered for a national event, similar to the national lobby events that took place during the 2004 Action Week. Children and adult learners should bring along their "Friends", and speak out on behalf of their "Friends" to politicians, media representatives or celebrities. This event could take a number of forms, for example: a march on Parliament; a rally; a Special Session of Parliament. The national event should culminate in asking your Head of State to commit to the global and national pledge to take a concrete action during 2005 toward reaching the education MDGs.
   
   
3. Send my Friend to the President - Get as many people as possible to make cut-outs and send them to the national contact person to be included in national or state level events. Write a letter to the President which begins with the words, "Dear Mr/Madame President, I'm sending my friend to you, so that you can send my friend to school or … so that my friend can learn to read." These cut-outs could include pledges signed by the makers of the cut-out and/or the members of their local community, as evidence of the depth and breadth of popular support for the education goals.

• Click "NEXT" to learn how to make Cutout Friends
• For more information and FAQ's, download the Planning Pack