International Officer Editorial
Project Graduation: Changing Lives, Changing Communities
Zahid Arab is the 2004-05 International Vice President for Phi Theta Kappa's Division IV, which includes the Arizona, Colorado, Greater Northwest, Nebraska/Wyoming, Nevada/California, New Mexico, Pacific and Rocky Mountain-Cascade Regions. He is a broadcast journalism major at Mesa Community College in Mesa, Arizona. Contact Zahid.
Eight hundred and fifty-two million people in the world go to bed and wake up hungry. One in every five people throughout the world is illiterate, and millions are below the reading level for their age. Although various organizations work to alleviate these problems, it is not enough. Project Graduation, a civic engagement initiative, calls upon Phi Theta Kappa chapters to help win the fight against hunger and low literacy rates.
"Changing Lives, Changing Communities," the theme for Project Graduation 2005, engages community colleges in their communities by replenishing the resources of local organizations fighting hunger and low literacy rates, whose reserves are growing scarcer each day. Although hunger and low literacy rates have a drastic impact on the individual, the profound negative effect on their communities is frightening. You are a change agent in your community by initiating collections of nonperishable food items and books at college commencement ceremonies for distribution to needy local relief agencies and literacy organizations.
In 2004, Phi Theta Kappa chapters made resonating steps towards achieving the mission of Project Graduation. A total of 534 chapters were enrolled in the program, reporting 124,871 food items and 111,485 books donated to local agencies-both increases of over 100 percent from 2003!
Your chapter's success towards improving the quality of life in your community rests solely on your detailed organization and creative implementation methods. So, how can your chapter impact your community through Project Graduation? Roll up those sleeves and let's get started!
Initial Steps- Meet with your chapter advisor and your college administration to discuss the logistics of implementing Project Graduation on campus.
- Enroll in Project Graduation at www.ptk.org/ProjectGraduation/enrollmentlogin.jsp. Enrolling is an extremely vital step, as Phi Theta Kappa will only send chapters who notify Headquarters of their participation resources that include promotional posters and other helpful items to maximize your college's success.
- Network-Reach out to other organizations on campus as well as other community groups to transcend your efforts. Chapter members at Caņada College in Redwood City, California, reported a 300 percent increase in their accomplishments by engaging local service organizations such as Key Clubs and National Honor Societies at local high schools.
- Develop your plan of action outlining specific goals, dates and jobs for your chapter, including someone to exclusively publicize the event in your local media with a Project Graduation media release available at www.projectgraduation.org/resources/media.htm.
- Publicize! To maximize awareness, talk to your college administrators and graduation committee about having Project Graduation flyers inserted into mailings to all graduating students, personally handing information to those picking up their caps and gowns or making a brief announcement about Project Graduation during commencement rehearsals.
- Identify which agencies will be the recipients of your donations collected.
- Once the event is over, don't forget to fulfill your commitment to your project by completing a success form at www.ptk.org/ProjectGraduation/successlogin.jsp.
Reporting your success is vital too, as only those chapters who report their success will receive recognition sent to their college president.
Last year, 526,833 people were touched by your collective efforts on this civic engagement initiative. However, the best is yet to come under your leadership. Your 2004-05 International Officer Team is challenging chapters to top last year's results by setting a goal of increasing donations by 30 percent, which amounts to approximately 212,000 books and 141,000 food items. Let's strive to shatter these goals and collectively serve as agents of change...one food item and one book at a time!
