Purpose of Global HEED University Chapters

Too often when this organization was being started, we heard the chants of “you’re just students – you can’t do anything to make a difference yet.”We didn’t believe it then, and we sure don’t believe it now.

We are creating the University Chapters program to give a unique voice to students – if you want to make a change in your community, then we are here to make sure that you succeed in doing it.

Simultaneously, we want to grow your interest & knowledge in international development, and groom you to become a major contributor to global social change.

Why  start a Global HEED University Chapter?

What makes our University Chapters Program unique is that we encourage students to pioneer and implement a sustainable Community Project within the healthcare, education, or economic empowerment realm. We see that other organizations make their Chapters fundraise for a cause that is thousands of miles away, and not focus on the problems inherent within the Chapter members’ own community. We want to make sure that if you do fundraise for a project, then you will also be the architects of the project and that you will be able to see the results of your hard work through the implementation of your plans.

Let your passion guide you.

Foundation of Chapter

The Chapters serve 3 major functions:

(1) Cultivate your interest in international development, guiding you through a knowledge program meant to educate you and your peers about its affects on communities without previous access to healthcare, education, or economic support throughout the world

(2) Plan & implement a community program which tackles a systemic problem in health, education, or economic disparity, which can be done with another group on campus. The project will start small, with the goal that it will become larger each year through the University Chapters’ members involvement. Sustainability of the project will be a key factor in its pursuit to assist the community. An example is partnering with the local Latin American Association, and holding blood-pressure screenings every month for their members & spearheading a literacy program where University students teach Latin-American immigrants English.

(3) Host a University Event on campus, which can be held jointly with another group on campus. The event should bring to light a major global concern, and should educate your student body about the issue and what can be done to mitigate it’s effects.  An example is holding a “Water Day” on campus, where you find creative ways to discuss the problem with access to clean water in developing nations, and giving them information about organizations which are building water wells in communities throughout the world.

You won’t be alone.

We know that it can be daunting to start something on your own, we didn’t have a blueprint to follow when we started Global HEED. Many organizations have Chapter programs, though unfortunately they flounder within a few months because not much direction is given by the executive leaders of the non-profit. We will make sure that doesn’t happen with us.

From our end, we will provide a successful knowledge management program, which allows students wishing to start or sustain a Chapter to do the following:

• We have written the Guide to University Chapters as a reference for any immediate questions & answers, providing step-by-step details for Chapter leaders to follow during the start-up period
• Foster a relationship between you and the Director of Domestic Initiatives (a member of the organization’s core Executive Board), so that any questions not answered within the Guide to University Chapters can be answered via email and/or phone
• Develop a seamless relationship network between all Chapter leaders at various universities, so that they can reach out to one another with any questions/ideas for how to start Chapters and also how to create a Community Project