-Emily

What challenges did you face as you were starting your ONE group?

Since Hofstra is such a big campus, the hardest part of starting our ONE chapter was getting the word out to all of the students and getting them interested in coming out to our meetings. Also, our school was very activism-oriented already so a lot of the people who were interested in our group already had meetings at the same time for clubs like Progressive Students Union. It was difficult to tailor to everyone’s schedule.

How did you use your individual strengths/demographic to reach out to others, form your group or complete a particular action?

I found that the best way to get people interested in our club when we were facing these challenges was through personal interaction. I would walk up to a table in the student center and tell students what our group was all about and ask them to sign up for the OCC. People are more likely to listen to a person than take the time to read a flier.

What advice do you have for someone who is just getting started leading a group on their campus?

My best advice would be to always keep it fun. We have to remember that we are trying to change the world in a positive way, and focusing on that positive change is so important. We need to know the facts about global poverty in order to fight it, and sometimes the facts can be depressing, and people try to avoid things that are upsetting. So if you keep your focus on how their help will do GOOD in this world, people will become more engaged and excited about your cause.

How did you deal with bureaucracy at your school?

This was one of our toughest challenges once we became an established group on campus. Unfortunately our school can be quite unorganized when it comes to events management, so for most events we held there would be some last minute complication like Events Management giving the same space at the same time to two different clubs. We were also limited in what we could actually do in terms of creativity because there is a lot of red tape at Hofstra. If your school gives you a lot of freedom, I would recommend getting as creative as possible and putting up large displays that will attract students. If your school is similar to mine where there are a lot of borders you must stay within, do your best to get the administration on your side and get as creative as you are allowed.

Why do you think it is important for students to start these groups?

College students should recognize what a powerful voice they have when they come together to accomplish something. Campuses are a great setting to educate a large group of people who will potentially go on to make big changes in the world. There are numerous opportunities for activism on a college campus so it is a great place to start a group like ONE.

Did you have any school funds to work with? If yes, how did you face any challenges with restrictions on those funds? In not, how did you deal with not having funds?

We had to go through Student Government to get funds for our club. It was a difficult process because you had to have your exact outline for what you needed the money for in order to get it, and this made things like OCC weekly challenges difficult. By the time we know what the weekly challenge was, it was too late to request the money from SGA. Also, when we would raise money at events we would always donate all of it to organizations like Keep a Child Alive and a school in Kenya that we have been working with and we would never keep any of the money for our own club. This made it more difficult to hold events in the future. My advice would be to hold some small fundraising events that are specifically for your club funding so that when you hold an event for a charity you can give them all of the money you raised at that event.

How did you balance OCC activities with other commitments?

Between running a club, working two jobs and a full course load, it was sometimes difficult to micromanage everything. I was able to balance everything because I had a very strong e-board that made it easy to delegate tasks. It’s important to make sure that everyone is contributing to setting up events and getting people to join the OCC.

How did you market your club? Did you have any issues competing with organizations with similar missions?

Besides word of mouth we utilized fliers, advertisements, radio interviews and tabling in the student center to market our club. We tried our best to work with clubs with similar missions rather than compete with them. Holding events where clubs with similar goals co-sponsor is a great way to get everyone involved, have more help, and get more people to come to the event. The only difficulty was finding a meeting time that didn’t interfere with any of these similar clubs.

What kept you going when you were really busy or really frustrated?

The cause itself is enough to keep you going through the hard times. When you start getting frustrated about little things when you are coordinating events, you have to stop and think about why you are doing all of this in the first place. Doing this will refocus and inspire you to stay positive and focus on the end goal rather than the obstacles you face along the way.

Did you find any shortcuts?

Unfortunately Hofstra doesn’t really have any shortcuts, you really have to run back and forth from office to office to get anything accomplished. There is a lot of paperwork to get through. There are no shortcuts with advertising either. The more you work to get the word out, the better your chances of having a good turnout.

What was your group’s most creative idea?

My chapter once held a table in the student center where we had free food and water. Students who walked up to our table had to pick the name of an impoverished country out of a hat, and however much an average family had in that country to spend on food for the whole family was how much food the student could take from the table. We used the ploy of free food to attract people to our table and then they learned something important from the experience. A lot of people signed up for the One Campus Challenge that day.

In five steps, what do you think leaders need to do to get started?

First, find at least one person who wants to start the club with you. This will make getting started a lot easier. Second, set up a time for weekly meetings and tell anyone you can about it (in person, through facebook, fliers, etc.) Third, spend the first meeting telling people what ONE is all about, what it means to you, and what you want to accomplish through your group and ask everyone to come back next week with some creative ideas for spreading your message on campus. Fourth, focus on new recruits as much as you can for the first couple of months. The more people you have in your group, the more you will be able to accomplish. These will also be people that can take over for your when you graduate. Lastly, take advantage of the OCC website, the people at ONE like Maisie, and your COA to come up with innovative ideas and get the tools you need to be successful. ONE is about millions of people coming together, it’s about using teamwork to get things accomplished, and you should do the same in your club.

Hey everybody! ONE Webster got off to a fantastic start at the Webster University Involvement fair this past Wednesday. Each year Webster University hosts the Involvement Fair as a chance for students to check out organizations on campus and get involved. Of course we know the ONE Campaign was one of the best! The new members thought so too, since 93 of them signed up to make extreme poverty history!

ONE Webster was also able to network with compassionate organizations in the community such as elementary and high schools, the Red Cross, and environmental organizations.

This year we are so excited to raise the bar and make the most out of every event. The Involvement Fair was a great jump into the school year, but watch out! ONE Webster is on track!

-Kritter Keirnan, ONE Webster President

Fall break. A time for catching up on your soaps and sleep, right? Not for me and three other Webster University students. We decided to trek halfway across the country to lobby for ONE in DC.

On Tuesday, October 21 ONE Webster members Sandra Lemenaite, Dirk Bokeloh, Michelle Overington and I met with Joshua Kremer at Senator Bond’s office next to the nation’s capitol.

We told Joshua about the importance of development aid as part of a national security strategy and thanked Senator Bond for voting in favor of PEPFAR. In May, I delivered more than 700 letters to Senator Bond’s St. Louis office asking him to support the PEPFAR Reauthorization. This legislation has helped to put more than two million African people on life-saving anti-retroviral drugs.

The meeting was the first time I had lobbied in DC. Our meetings in St. Louis were effective, but it was great to meet someone in Bond’s foreign policy department. I look forward to building the relationship from here and hope that ONE’s presence will inspire Senator Bond to co-sponsor poverty ending legislation in the future.

-Nick Stevens, ONE Webster President

With the United Nations Special Summit on the Millennium Development Goals going on this week, it may not be a surprise to say a group of world leaders were gathered in New York City. Yet, they were miles from the UN headquarters. In fact, these heads of state gathered at The Earth Institute at Columbia University for a forum on The Children of Latin America: A Future Without Poverty.

Those in attendance from the Latin American nations were Felipe de Jesús Calderón Hinojosa, President, United Mexican States, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, President, Argentine Republic, Fernando Armindo Lugo Méndez, President, Republic of Paraguay, Elias Antonio Saca González, President, Republic of El Salvador, and Martín Erasto Torrijos Espino, President, Republic of Panama.

At that, Bono isn’t the only rock-star philanthropist taking aim at eliminating poverty. Shakira and Alejandro Sanz graced the floor with their presence along with Jeffrey Sachs, bestselling author and director of the Earth Institute, and activists from the ALAS and Inter-American Development Bank.

So naturally, when student leaders at Sacred Heart University, Emerson College, and Seton Hall University found out about it, we knew we had to be there to represent ONE. After convincing our professors to let us skip class, we traveled from Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New Jersey with ONE bracelets and shirts proudly displayed.

While we loved seeing Shakira and Jeff Sachs, the truly meaningful words spoken at the forum were those of the world leaders. From stating how they themselves focus on the MDG’s to more personal stories, such as the state of emergency in Paraguay to the sacrifice of “beautiful buildings to have happier citizens”, much was shared, and likewise much was learned. Truly, other world leaders aren’t turning a deaf ear to these problems.

Mr. Sachs joked between Shakira’s monologue that “Like Wyclef Jean said, she makes a man want to speak Spanish.” Well, even if you don’t speak Spanish, you can watch a bilingual archived webcast of the thrilling forum available online!

Last week Western Kentucky University celebrated winning the Campus Challenge in grand style with concert featuring Army of Me, Gorgie James, and Martin Royal.

I’ve uploaded a couple of pictures from the show and you can find more in the Flickr pool.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-u88Vr375Y

All of the schools put together some amazing final projects, but after counting all the legitimate votes, and calculating the judges’ scores, Western Kentucky emerged as our winner.The final vote total was:

Each of the judges ranked the projects from 1-10 (1 being the best), so a smaller sum total correlates to a better ranking. Their cumulative scores were:

Additionally, here is what the judges had to say about the projects (in no particular order):

Hofstra did a good job showing the struggles 1 billion people face on a daily basis around the world. Oftentimes it is easier for people to be impacted by a visual rather than a statistic – Great job showing everything from living conditions to limited food resources.

Western Kentucky showed hustle and energy and engaged the entire community which was impressive. Western Kentucky was savvy and the fact that they were able to get, for example, 160 people to send letters in support of the Education For All Act, showed a lot of tangible advocacy.

Kansas State did a great job reaching out to local media to spread more awareness.

The vigil was very powerful visual.

Campbellsville did a great job participating in a variety events that would reach different audiences. It is amazing how many activities you were able to host and be a part of. I hope the ONE group will continue to be involved in the campus and Campbellsville communities.

The fact that the UNLV students understood it was important both to praise a Senator supporting them and to push a Senator who was not was good, smart lobbying. Also, we can’t beat poverty on our own, and you did the best job of pulling other groups into the fight against poverty and got them to use their specific skills and interests to further the cause.

Brandeis – I loved the theme. The catchy theme was a great way to get people’s attention.

GWU did a great job demonstrating how cheap medications are for treatable diseases, it is important for people to understand something tangible like the cost of a pill. The petition delivery was the type of stunt that gets attention and sticks in people’s memories. Grade A advocacy right there.

Princeton did an amazing job inundating the campus with ONE materials the night before your campus event. I am glad you were able to make students comfortable enough to call their congressional members.

Wilmington – Engaging the local community is crucial. Hopefully you can start to build a sustainable group that bridges the campus and the community.

SHU did a great job with the playground and it was inspiring how they all were able to connect the local community to the greater global problem.

Those involved with ONE stand for eliminating extreme poverty and disease worldwide. Why don’t we all look and see what POSITIVE things we can say about the schools in the top ten? Try not to compliment your own school – we already know that YOU love their project.

For one, I LOVED George Washington’s use of the “Fresh African Water” in their final video submission. It was awesome – definitly got the message across. Western Kentucky’s breakdown of all the Millennium Development Goals was incredible as well – super effective. Hofstra is helping to educate children in Kenya – I’d say that’s a worthy cause. Campellsville, Kansas State, and Brandeis all had incredible awareness events as well. Wilmington College’s aspects of planning for their project in itself is daunting.

Post something here so long as you’ve got a positive thing to say. Anyone think of a project that no one did? Anything super creative? Let’s keep it going with some positive reinforcement here…

We’ve put up a use verification to stop the flow of fraudulent votes and are looking into the fairest way to fix this kerfuffle.

Yet we assured the Senator that as his constituents we were not satisfied with the fact that many essential commitments such as funding for maternal and child health programs attracted fewer resources than were justified. To our delight Senator Menendez not only matched our enthusiasm about these issues, but raised us to engage and education more citizens in the vast inequality that exists in our world. Only then, he stated, will all members of the New Jersey delegation to Congress be commanded by voters to take on the challenges of extreme poverty and disease.

Well Senator, we are much closer to that reality than you might think as New Jersey has 10 college campuses engaged in the Campus Challenge, several community based ONE groups, and an ever growing network of voters ready to call and write you to take action against AIDS, hunger, education, and all ONE issues.

Call or write your senator today to thank them for their support of the International Affairs Budget or stress why further funding is needed (report it here).

At the end of January, I organized an informational meeting for anyone interested in learning about the ONE Campaign at Baylor. We had around 25 people show up. The following meeting, we filled out our roster, created a constitution, elected officers, found two faculty sponsors, and finished the paper work to be chartered as an official organization.

 In the past three weeks, ONE has evolved from an idea to a movement sweeping through Baylor’s campus. We were invited to speak in chapel on March 3 in front of 1,500 people where we had students text to join the campaign.

For the chapel, we created a video much like the one that won the weekly challenge for the OCC. In the beginning, we hoped to get a few students to speak in the video. However, our expectations were exceeded when Baylor’s president, Chaplain, Vice President of Student Life, as well as presidents from Student Government, Habitat for Humanity, and several greek organizations all wanted to be a part of the video. When all was said and done, we had adminsitration, Big 12 athletes, and even major Christian artist David Crowder in the video!

However, it did not stop there. The video will be shown on March 5 during the half time of the Baylor men’s basketball game against Texas A&M. This will allow us to promote ONE to a sold out stadium of 11,000+ people! If you get a chance, watch ESPN and keep an eye out for students wearing ONE gear in the crowd.

Finally, ONE Baylor promoted ONE Vote ‘08 and met with three presidential candidates over the past week when they were in Texas. We spoke with Mike Huckabee, Hillary Clinton, and John McCain about ONE. John McCain stopped his speech and asked the crowd and cameras to look our way. McCain publically thanked the ONE Campaign for what we are doing and asked me to inform the crowd about ONE.

I tell you all of this to encourage those of you who have not been able to get ONE going on your campus. Don’t give up and remember this is a cause greater than ourselves. We CAN make poverty history and Baylor is starting to take on the challenge.

Sic ‘Em ONE!