Objective: Provide opportunities for students to witness extreme poverty firsthand and work with peers, as well as professionals, in the developing world.
Goals: 2007-2008 School Year
- Lead 3 high school field trips
- Provide 25 internships
- Offer 4 fellowships
- Fund 2 youth-led development projects
Alliance of Students Against Poverty (ASAP) believes that it is difficult for most Americans to understand the reality of those living in extreme poverty until they see it firsthand. Accordingly, ASAP will provide numerous opportunities for students to witness extreme poverty through a variety of different experiences, including:
ASAP student members that show the most commitment and progress toward reaching the ASAP’s annual goals will become the top contenders for these student opportunities.
In addition, ASAP wants to help students network with their peers and professionals in the field of International Development through the following:
Since, Alliance of Students Against Poverty is a student organization, it is important that there are numerous opportunities for students to be involved in creating and shaping the work of the organization. ASAP seeks the input and involvement of its student members through the following:
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Field Trips: These 1-2 week trips are designed primarily for high school students, but may include others that have not witnessed extreme poverty. The trip will expose participants to extreme poverty and highlight organizations that are working to abolish it. Trips will usually take place during the summer months, but if there is enough interest, they will also take place during winter and spring breaks.
Internships: Our internship program gives university students the opportunity to spend a summer working with an organization that is fighting to eradicate extreme poverty in the developing world. Students with the Honors membership will have access to an internship database that will include dozens of organizations throughout the world.
Furthermore, Alliance of Students Against Poverty will use student interns each summer to conduct due-diligence on those organizations that have applied for ASAP funding, which will include: 1) a poverty assessment of targeted clients, 2) a social audit of the grantee institution and 3) an evaluation of the project budget and expenditures. In addition, student interns will monitor and evaluate each of the grantees on a yearly basis
Fellowships: Our fellowship program is a 2-3 year commitment for recently graduated graduate students wanting more field experience prior to starting their careers. The program includes 1-2 years working for an organization in the field and then 1-2 years at the ASAP Central office. Their experiences and fresh perspective from the field help maintain ASAP’s awareness-building and fundraising efforts relevant. The overall fellowship experience will hone their recently developed project management, leadership and research skills from graduate school, in preparation for successful careers in International Development.
Youth-led Development Projects (YLD): Alliance of Students Against Poverty firmly promotes the principle of youth-led development—supporting community projects devised and implemented by young people under the age of 25. They are generally grass-roots, small in size, and carried out mostly, but not exclusively, by youth volunteers.
Through ASAP’s world-wide online network, individual students, as well as ASAP Chapters and Clubs from the developed world, will have the opportunity to partner with individuals and ASAP Chapters in the developing world. Together they will envision, organize and implement their own youth-led development projects that further efforts in combating extreme poverty.
Students from both countries will learn invaluable project management, fundraising and leadership skills. In addition, by creating global friendships and partnerships at a young age, students will be in a better position in the future to bring about meaningful change through these relationships, making them more effective and productive global citizens.
These projects will be funded through ASAP grants and will be awarded to those most active in the ASAP movement.
Click here to learn more about YLD.
Annual Conference: Alliance of Students Against Poverty will hold an Annual Conference each fall, hosted by an ASAP Chapter and the corresponding University. It will be a time where we celebrate the achievements of individual members, Chapters and Clubs from the previous school year and from Summer Internships and Youth-led Development Projects. In addition, it is an opportunity for Chapters and Clubs to present their action plans for the year and to aggregate ASAP’s overall goals. Through plenary and breakout sessions, organizations from the field and development professionals will highlight their successes and share best practices. The Annual Conference will give ASAP members the chance to make new friends and contacts, as well as further develop those created through the online network. Through the Internship and Career Fair, students will have the opportunity to network with development professionals and make plans for summer internships or employment after graduation.
ASAP’s Online Social Network: Alliance of Students Against Poverty has created an online network to bring ASAP members from around the globe together. It is a place where ASAP members from neighboring Georgetown and George Washington Universities can create new friendships with members as far away as UCLA and Makerere University in Uganda. It is a place where we share our experiences from the field through photos, videos and blogs and inspire others to have their own experiences. Finally, it is a platform from which individuals and Chapters can create their own Youth-led Development Projects in the fight against extreme poverty.
Student Advisory Committees: Alliance of Students Against Poverty cares about your voice. To ensure each one of our members has the opportunity to contribute to the success of ASAP, we have created Student Advisory Committees, which collect, process and aggregate shared ideas and concerns. These committees help develop our technology, keep us better connected, expand our outreach and make certain we are in the news and that your work is noticed.
Domestic Internships: ASAP’s domestic internship program is offered to all ASAP University members. Interns will work virtually and on a part-time basis, while still in school. The internship program helps accomplish the following objectives:
- Ensures the student voice is heard and acted upon within ASAP.
- Provides students with meaningful work experience and the opportunity to develop project management and leadership skills.
- Keeps ASAP’s administrative budget low, thus ensuring more of your money is going to those that need it the most.
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