APPROACH
The US Fund (USF) for UNICEF is charged with educating, advocating and fundraising for UNICEF within the United States. Specifically, this project will be housed within the Program and Community Engagement (PACE) Division of the US Fund for UNICEF. The role of the Division is to invest in growing the American public's knowledge of global citizenship and providing them an opportunity to support UNICEF where they live and breathe. PACE's mission is to engage individuals and organizations in UNICEF's mission of child survival, protection, and development through education, advocacy, and fundraising volunteer opportunities; to facilitate child survival program coherence between USF and UNICEF; and to support the creation of innovative opportunities that help strengthen and support all USF efforts. The Volunteer and Community Partnerships team within PACE is charged with stewarding education, fundraising and advocacy opportunities for over 40,000 volunteers within the United States.
The UNICEF Campus Initiative is one of the major initiatives developed to formally assist college students invested in children's rights and issues. The UNICEF Campus Initiative is a grassroots movement rooted in the belief that students have a vital role to play in helping the world's children survive, develop and thrive. The UNICEF Campus Initiative has over 120 campus clubs that engage with local communities to promote UNICEF's child survival work in over 150 countries. Clubs participate in national campaigns such as Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF, the UNICEF Tap Project, host and organize dinners, concerts, and forum discussions. They partner with communities advocating for political/legislative change, fundraising, and raising awareness for UNICEF.
The US Fund for UNICEF commits to launch an online Global Citizenship training for UNICEF Campus Club leaders to develop a stronger cohort of campus global citizens invested in eliminating some of the world's pressing development challenges. This training, consisting of an online seminar/conferencing session set, will connect club leaders to the US Fund for UNICEF and UNICEF Campus Clubs nationally. Participating in a series of 8-10 leadership/content development sessions will strengthen UNICEF Campus Initiative clubs in terms of local goals and collective impact on a national level. The ultimate goal is to provide 100 selected club leaders with the support and skills necessary to galvanize other student leaders to think globally and act locally. This project will play a significant role in enabling the organization to meet its strategic goals in building the movement of UNICEF advocates on the ground - ultimately, increasing the education, fundraising, and advocacy programs conducted by college groups across the country.
ACTION PLAN
This Commitment to Action was developed by the US Fund for UNICEF and UNICEF Campus Initiative National Council to strengthen the impact of the UNICEF Campus Initiative in strengthening the level of global citizenship and understanding of student leaders. The National Council, 6 highly engaged and invested youth leaders for UNICEF, will use their expertise as peer-mentors, and effective UNICEF club leaders to create an on-line educational training series for other student leaders to develop a stronger understanding of development issues, global citizenship, advocacy, leadership, and club effectiveness and sustainability. By using available and low-cost technology, a formal online series of training sessions will help the US Fund for UNICEF further achieve its mission of building an engaged constituency educating, advocating, and fundraising in support of the world's children.
From February to March 2013 UNICEF Campus Club Leaders will be contacted to gauge interest and get feedback about the types of sessions and content needed for a successful series. Content of the leadership trainings will be determined in a syllabus by April 1. During the months of April and May the Council and organization will outline the selection criteria for the 100 participants, program outline, goals and impact, develop an application recruitment and selection process, create pre and post assessments, and develop a social media plan. Applications will go live June 15 - August 1. Acceptance letters and emails will be sent August 15 along with materials for the first session. The Global Citizenship webinar training sessions will be conducted on the following dates: 9/16, 10/16, 10/13, 12/18, 1/15, 2/12, 3/12, 4/16, 5/14.
UNICEF was created in 1946 to assist widows and orphans of WWII. Since then it has expanded its mandate and has saved more children's lives than any other humanitarian organization in the world. UNICEF fights for the survival and development of all children in all situations all of the time. In adhering to its mandate, UNICEF provides health care and immunizations, clean water and sanitation, protection, education, and emergency relief to the world's most vulnerable children - no matter where they live. UNICEF works in 190 countries and territories from bustling urban centers to the most remote places on Earth.
UNICEF'S mission can be summed up in one word: ZERO. Two decades ago 33,000 children died each and every day of preventable causes - pneumonia, diarrhea, malnutrition, etc. They died because their families did not have the most basic resources - immunizations, medicine, and not least, clean water. However, over the past two decades, UNICEF and its partners have cut that number to 19,000. From 33,000 deaths each day to 19,000 - this represents a 40 percent decline in under-five child deaths since 1990. This decrease is significant in our generation - however, 19,000 is not good enough, 10,000 is not good enough, 5,000 is not good enough.
American advocates and supporters played an instrumental role in this monumental achievement and will continue to play an important role in helping UNICEF achieve its mission in getting that number to ZERO. This Commitment to Action will assist UNICEF in more strategically empowering, training, and supporting volunteers in developing their global citizenship awareness and skills, as well as those around them, in taking action in eliminating and eradicating some of the world's biggest challenges. It is UNICEF's goal to empower American youth with the resources to be effective global citizens, thinking globally and acting locally.
