MODEL26

We started off as Bookbags With the Basics, with the goal of providing school supplies for impoverished children. We quickly learned that we could do more than that, and needed to do more than that. The long-term goal of MODEL26 is to motivate and inspire qualified students to pursue careers in public policy, public service, public administration, the non-profit sector, and other related fields. MODEL26 does this through two programs: Campus Leads: Campus Leads are current university students and are the face of the organization on college campuses. They are entrusted with maintaining an effective presence for MODEL26 on university campuses around the country. As current university students, Campus Leads will be the driving force of this organization. Mandatory two-day leadership trainings are held in Atlanta, Georgia in order to train students on how to create effective and educational campus programs, recruit qualified students to apply for internship and volunteer opportunities, recruit organizations to collect school supplies, and to effectively manage supply deliveries and shipments as needed. CL’s will receive a training manual and participate in workshops during leadership training and are eligible to receive up to $750.00 per year in financial assistance for operating costs for on-campus events, shipping needs, and related costs, but should work to raise their own funds. First-Hand: First-Hand is the international volunteer program at MODEL26. Globally, MODEL26 will provide short-term volunteer opportunities for motivated and qualified students interested in international relations and global issues. Through strategic partnerships with established aid organizations, we will work to place students as volunteers and tutors at schools in poverty-stricken areas, giving them the opportunity to personally experience the issues. Ultimately, these experiences will motivate young people to pursue careers in public service and policy making so that they can work to create viable solutions that will lead to lasting change, self-sufficient communities, and educated children, thus creating economically prosperous and efficient societies. Unlike programs like the Peace Corps, First-Hand provides short-term opportunities and has a much less rigorous application process, making it more appealing and accessible to undecided students. General Education and Poverty: Education has become increasingly more important in our world today. Countries that invest in education consistently do better economically, politically, and socially. With technological advances in the workplace, more training and education will be required for most jobs. But some children will never even have access to this. Understanding the cycle of education and poverty begins with recognizing that high poverty rates have been linked to low levels of educational attainment. Likewise, low levels of formal education have been linked to low-wage earning jobs. To complete the cycle, low wages have been linked to subsistence standards of living. This is a perpetual cycle that manifests itself in countries around the world, including the United States. Some economists argue that our country has the level of unemployment that it is experiencing now not because there aren’t jobs, but because there aren’t skilled workers to fill them. Essentially, many of the people that have lost their jobs remain unemployed years later because they do not have adequate education and can only perform well in the job they lost, making them unsuitable and inexperienced for other available opportunities. The GenED program provides opportunities for students to serve in needy communities with poor school infrastructure and low-achievement rates. Girls!: Nearly two-thirds of the 77 million out-of-school children in the world are girls. Girls from marginalized and excluded groups suffer disproportionately; nearly three-quarters of girls out of school are from excluded groups even though these groups represent only 20 percent of the population. Female education consistently demonstrates a positive influence on the health of a country’s economy. Educated girls have fewer and healthier children, and bear them later in life. Educated women have greater control over their financial resources than their uneducated peers, and are more likely than men to spend discretionary resources on health, education and food. Girls! provides international volunteer opportunities for female students to serve communities with high rates of gender discrimination regarding education. Students will have the opportunity to volunteer with organizations abroad whose mission is to increase the enrollment of girls in school.