Campaigning at different schools is an effective way to raise awareness and drive change among students, teachers, and the broader school community. The intention of this campaign is to inspire students to see the benefits of sustainable practices firsthand while encouraging them to implement similar actions in their own lives on and off campus.
Instructables provides a platform for users to share detailed, step-by-step instructions for their projects which makes it simple for others to understand and recreate the project, even if they have little experience. Since they provide such a large selection of projects in so many different categories, you can find ideas and directions for practically any DIY project there.
They have a vibrant and engaged community of DIY enthusiasts and makers can be found on Instructables. Users can cooperate with people who have the same interests, ask questions, give feedback, and share their projects. Users have the ability to rank and comment on projects, assisting others in determining the caliber and level of difficulty of a project before they start.
Kickstarter is a popular crowdfunding platform with a vast and diverse user base of backers and supporters which means that your project can potentially reach a global audience, giving you the opportunity to attract people from around the world. Many people trust Kickstarter and are more likely to back projects on the platform compared to less-known crowdfunding websites.
By presenting your idea to a wide audience, you can gauge interest and receive valuable feedback before fully developing or producing your product. Even if your campaign doesn't reach its funding goal, it can still generate attention and interest from potential customers, investors, and the media.
Kickstarter offers tools and resources to help with the logistics and can serve as a pre-sales platform where you can secure initial sales for your product before production starts. It also helps you understand market demand and tailor your product accordingly.
Partners:
California State University, Long Beach
Los Angeles Unified School District,
Rancho Dominguez
Heather Barker
Joseluis Santillan
Monika Kamboures
David Hedden
Miho Ligare
Overview:
-
Define Your Objectives
-
Study Your Subject
-
Ideate
-
Identify Your Target Audience
-
Talk About Funding
-
Develop a Compelling Message
-
Create a Detailed Plan
-
Networking and Collaboration
-
Provide Incentives
-
Monitor and Adapt
-
Evaluate and Reflect
-
Express Gratitude
Define Your Subject
What is the focal point of your sustainability project? Clarify the purpose of your campaign. Are you seeking participants, funding, collaboration, or visibility? Clearly defining your goals will guide your strategy.
Because of how broad the subject of sustainability is, it may be very intimidating. From the consumerism sector to production and packaging, there are many routes your idea might go. Choose a topic that you want to have an impact on.
I made the decision to talk about the three R's of sustainability while also emphasizing my own "R," Rethink. This "R" suggests that people should reconsider how they use and dispose of resources, especially if they have not been fully utilized, and consume in a more intelligent manner.
Study Your Subject
If you are not informed, how will you inform others? Take your time and study. I studied my potential topic for months and even during the campaign I was constantly researching and learning.
Remain informed at all times throughout the process. In order to make sure the information I shared had the most value, I participated in a variety of panels and workshops that were extremely informative. I also saw the manner in which those presenters conducted themselves so that I could do the same when I presented.
Ideate
There are various ways to conduct a campaign. Make it as large or as small as you choose, but consider concepts that can help it succeed. What kind of campaign do you want to run?
Since I collaborated with schools during my campaign, I focused on researching campaigns that did as well. Case studies of recent and past campaigns were a part of my research. They provided a possible starting point for my own events.
Identify Your
Target Audience
Who are you trying to reach? After recognizing your audience, understand your audience! What are their needs, preferences, and communication habits?
The target demographic for this campaign was high school students in grades nine through twelve. Although students were my main priority, I was also able to target teachers and staff. My presentations had to be informative but digestible for the students. I did not want it to seem like another boring lecture or presentation.
Networking and Collaboration
Engage with potential collaborators, mentors, or experts who can offer guidance and support for your project. Networking can help you tap into relevant communities.
One of my required department tasks was assembling a committee of experts and faculty for mentorship and guidance throughout the project. It always helps to get multiple perspectives when assembling a project especially one that involves a community. Reach out to field experts! Many people are just excited to help.
In addition to my committee, I spoke and conducted interviews with other professionals and groups who advised me on various elements of my project. I made connections with several businesses to see if they would be willing to sponsor the presentation events for materials that students would need or fun raffle items, such as backpacks, folders, notebooks, water bottles, chargers, and puzzles.
Talk About Funding
Depending on the type of project, you may or may not have a budget.
I had a limited budget because I am a college student, but it helped that I also wanted to make sure that my campaign was viable. Nothing was purchased; everything was just circulated. Participating sponsors gave me brand-new products that I otherwise could not afford.
I collaborated with a community college whose in-person activities had decreased as a result of the pandemic. Nowadays, most of their classes are delivered online. However, a lot of brand-new school materials were bought prior to the pandemic in the hopes that students would be able to use them, but they are currently only gathering dust as they sit in boxes. They gave us a few boxes of their new supplies to support my campaign.
Though I did not ask for money to support my campaign, your project may need it. Check to see if grants or other sources of funding are available to help you with your project.
Develop a
Compelling Message
Craft a clear and compelling message that explains the significance of your thesis project. Highlight the value it brings to the audience you're targeting.
When reaching out to different campuses, I included a pitch deck that outlined what the thesis project was about and other project details. Campaign event details were depicted in this outline.
During the actual campaign events, each tailored presentation focused on reduce, reduce, recycle, rethink and how to apply it on school grounds. Everyday examples helped narrow the topic in hopes that students could see themselves applying new habits or changing old ones within their daily routine.
Create a
Detailed Plan
Outline a comprehensive campaign plan that includes a timeline, objectives, and tasks. Break down the plan into manageable steps to ensure smooth execution.
For this process, I created an online that detailed what needed to be done each month. I additionally noted events that I planned to attend that would help be during my campaign. To ensure that all the points were met, weekly lists and checklists were also prepared.
I had roughly 5 months to put together this pilot, in addition to other thesis project requirements for my department. What may your timeline be?
Provide Incentives
Why would your audience want to participate?
Campuses that I contacted were eager to take part because, in the end, my campaign might benefit campus property. As an administrator, you want your school's campus and/or classrooms to be as clean as possible so why not be involved in a campaign that encourages students to do so?
Offer incentives to encourage participation or support. The campaign's presentations were designed so that the audience could interact with the presenter. Throughout, there were questions that students could answer to win a sponsored item, and at the end, school supplies were distributed. Students felt compelled to participate and ask questions as a result.
-
Check out presentation space/venue
-
Contact or get well connected with direct contact
-
Figure out the logistics behind presentation set up (screens, wires, chairs, etc)
-
Create a schedule
-
Manage volunteer roles/responsibilities
-
Attendee management
-
How well do you think the presenter communicated the main points of their presentation?
-
How clear were the visuals (slides, graphs, etc.) in supporting the presenter's points?
-
Did the presenter speak at an appropriate pace and volume?
-
How engaging was the opening of the presentation?
-
Did the presenter effectively address audience questions during the Q&A session?
-
Was there overall organization and structure to the presentation?
-
Did the presenter maintain eye contact with the audience throughout the presentation?
-
How well did the presenter manage their time during the presentation?
-
Did the presenter use a variety of presentation aids (videos, images, props) effectively?
-
Did the presenter provide adequate opportunities for questions and discussions?
Presentation Prep checklist
After Campaign Event:
Monitor and Adapt
Regularly monitor the progress of your campaign using relevant metrics, such as sign in sheet numbers and exit survey engagement rates. Adjust your strategy based on the data you gather.
Keeping records of who I served and what they took away was a wiser move. It is challenging to monitor environmental change because there are so many considerations to factor. Additionally, data is gathered on a monthly basis to generate annual figures. Instead, I gathered survey or questionnaire responses from both students and professors after each presentation event. This included inquiries regarding both what they learned and how they planned to apply it.
On the back end of the campaign, be sure to check your outline, list, and notes every week. When you are focusing on other tasks, it is easy to forget things. Monitor your tasks, team, and time. If things are not going to plan, tweak it!
Evaluate and Reflect
After the campaign concludes, evaluate its success against your initial objectives. What worked well? What could be improved? Use these insights for future projects.
Refer to the beginning-created checklists, objectives, and framework. Take a look at it! Did you concentrate on the key ideas you wanted to convey during the presentation? Was the organization of your outline practical enough to follow, or did you miss the deadline? How many items on your checklist were you able to cross off?
Now keep in mind that you can't accomplish it all. This is the purpose of pilots. You use what you've learned from the process and make the following project better.
Express Gratitude
Show appreciation to your supporters, participants, and collaborators. A simple thank-you note or acknowledgment goes a long way in fostering positive relationships.
After the launch of my campaign, everyone who helped make it a success was acknowledged and thanked. This was documented in the thesis project book, done in person, and over email. Recognizing everyone who has assisted you is crucial. Everyone is significant.
Enhance Your Project
In addition to the campaign, I put together a student based waste disposal display project that teachers could introduce to their classroom. This project is a fun approach to include students and motivate them to practice sustainability and maintain a clean campus. The participating teams will have (time allotted here) to ideate, design, and install a waste display on campus.
Base Instructions:
-
1. Choose a Theme
-
2. Ideate
-
3. Gather Materials
-
4. Labeling
-
5. Visual Aids and Elements
-
6. Educational Content
-
7. Arrange the Display
-
8. Spread the Word & Capture
-
9. Reflect and Educate
Reflection Questions:
How did my team work together?
Why did we choose our specific topic?
Did you face any challenges during the process?
What have you learned about sustainability?
Why is it important to implement sustainable practices on campus?
