Creating Your Vision

What is your vision for the campus and/or community?

We envision a world where access to basic healthcare is universal. We envision a world where individuals are brought together to create a culture of awareness and action for the needs of others while creating networks for action and inspiration. We see a world where those with the access and the ability will recognize and will use those opportunities to save lives in African communities by working with those communities.

Assessing Your Campus and Community

What campus/community problem does your blueprint address? What structures, practices and policies institutionalize the problem?

The colleges/universities and communities near them are largely unaware of the global health crisis and the fact that so many people do not receive the basic care that they need. There is also a wide disparity when education about this issue happens. Information is provided, people become aware, emotional and inspired thoughts are developed, but there remains no outlet to release that power of the knowledge gained.

What communities will you work with?

• Campus community
• Local community
• Statewide community
• Nationwide community

Assessing Progressive Power

Where are your strongest potential resources? Where do progressives have power on your campus or in your community?

Ideas and Information: The State News (MSU), The Big Green (MSU), Amplifx (MSU), The Flint Journal, YP4 Blog, other blogs, youtube, MSU African Studies Center Tuesday Bulletin, Dissent Magazine, Roosevelt Institution, Articulate: Undergraduate Research Applied to International Development, other journals focused on international development, African studies, and health

Resources: Associated Students of Michigan State University, Residence Halls Association (MSU), Office of International Development (MSU), African Studies Center (MSU), Office of International Studies and Programs (MSU), Office of International Students and Scholars (MSU), Development Research Institute (NYU), other departments at other universities

People: Student Government, Spartans Taking Action Now: Darfur , GlobeMed, African Student Union, Multi-Racial Unity Living Experience, Student groups focused on Africa, development, health (i.e. UNICEF, Medical Associations, Physicians for Human Rights, etc.)

Setting Goals and Deliverables

• Goal 1: Become a 501c3 non-profit organization
• Completed IRS paperwork
• Building partnerships with key student groups, business, and organizations
• Developing the capacity to enable individual development projects
• Goal 2: Build capacity in university chapters and communities
• Develop a training model for chapter leaders
• Create programs that are focused on creatively engaging students in activism
• Gather list of resources for student groups and projects (i.e. funding, university departments, speakers, etc.)
• Goal 3: Create a network of student groups, university departments, businesses, and organizations
• Utilize new website tools to foster discussion and debate on development topics
• Build partnerships based on active collaboration instead of sponsor listing
• Develop workshops on best practices, effective activism, responsible development to share with partners or at conferences

Power Mapping

Key Player	Definition	Who is this player/s in your campus or community?
Target/Decision Maker	The person(s) that can give you what you want	Every person.
Constituency/Our Folks	The people impacted by the problem	Our constituency is anyone who will listen and join our cause. Their strengths are passion, dedication, creativity, and knowledge. However as well as being their strengths they also double as their weaknesses as many people feign passion and dedication and knowledge. Their other weakness is that they are not brought together in any way to combine their talents to make a focused and sustainable difference.
Allies/Our Friends	The people and organizations that can help you get what you want	Our allies are anyone and everyone. There are a number of Africa-related organizations that we can partner with. Our opponents are also our allies because many times they can be key to solidifying our values and mission. They can also be educated on the great need of others and can become our greatest allies. Allies: Sarah Alvarez, Young People For, Michigan State University, African Studies Center, Office of International Development, partner organizations, other departments
Demands/The Goods	What you want	Other like-minded organizations, responsible businesses and corporations, students, educators, artists, and activists can give us what we want.
Opponents/Obstacles	Who is against what you want or obstacles you will have to overcome	Our opponents are the people who do not care for the idea of foreign aid and do not want to see efforts not focused in the local, state, or national community. However, those people are far and few between.

What is your primary approach? Organizing

Why did you choose this approach?

This organizing approach was chosen because our goal really encompasses all the different approaches. No one approach is left out of the organizing path. From past experience the most important thing that people need is a place for resources and a entity through which they can operate and implement change.

Did you have secondary approaches? What are they?

The only secondary approach that we could implement is to try again and move on from failures to find the people who will be truly dedicated to our cause.

What are your vehicles?

• Nonprofit organizations
• Campus groups
• Foundations
• Networks
• Coalitions
• Alliances
• Businesses

Timeline

Timing	Tactics and Activities	Notes
Spring Semester	Jan:
	Feb:
	Mar:
	Apr: Print and disseminate undergraduate journal focused on topics in international development. Begin new website development
	May: Hire summer program staff and internet marketers to build network of students, scholars, and activists and target universities to build capacity
Summer	Jun:
	Jul:
	Aug: Have a completed list of target universities and partner organizations with a list of benefits and resources that can be provided.
Fall Semester	Sep: New website up in full. Solid programming staff with target chapters prepared to start the new year off strong. Partially developed Advisory Board.
	Oct: Hold a President's Roundtable to have first training session. Discuss issues in student activism, go over resource list, and launch forum on website for chapter presidents.
	Nov:
	Dec: Successful event at each chapter with at least one community partner group. Launch of fellows program with at least two fellows, one from Africa. Third issue of Articulate: Undergraduate Research Applied to International Development. Full staff, possible unpaid internships, fully developed Advisory Board from diverse areas.

Connecting Back to Vision

How does your strategy contribute to your vision for your campus and/or your community?

Every aspect of the strategy contributes to the development and actualization of the vision. Every step has an outcome that leads us closer to the vision.

Resources and skills you will need

What skills do you need for this approach?

Knowledge of the nonprofit procedure and network of responsible businesses to partner.

What type of support will you need from YP4?

• Media support — story placement, media strategy, press releases
• Connections to resources, fellows and partners
• Funding

Where will you get support other than YP4?

We will get support from the various student groups and university departments working on Africa-related issues on each campus where we work. We will also work to partner with organizations that can help us fulfill our mission of providing access to basic healthcare in Africa. Maximizing our visibility in our campus and local communities will also be an important step to bringing in other interested people.