College students as catalysts for social change: a case study
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- Clear Purpose-SLP Goals
Structural IssuesThe founders are committed to a common vision, clear purpose and goals. Collaborative Development and Design The theme of structural issues is the area that really encompasses how the individual founders directly impacted the organizational design. Obviously all of the structure came from the combined efforts of the four but some have a more direct link as to previous experiences or events that happened prior to college or while they were college students. A prime example of this is the design of the Make a Difference tour (MAD) and how their individual experiences influenced the creation. This program model was a collaborative effort with Mackenzie and Roy primarily contributing to the development. Roy describes a major influence on his learning and his contributions to the MAD tour: I went to his [Jack Canfield’s] conference in between my…freshman and sophomore year of high school [called] Living your highest vision and it was like a seven day, really intense event. That’s where I learned a lot of programming and activities, and it was heavy stuff. Mackenzie cited two religious retreats that she attended and helped coordinate in high school, called the Emmaus and Kairos retreats. She mentioned that they were overnight and off-site and that had an impact on her. She used what she learned from these to influence the design of the MAD tour. “The retreat component of SLP is something I am very, very attached to and something that I drove forward, as is the camp component Roy drove forward very obviously.” Roy goes on to talk about the actual creative process: We talked a lot about our past experiences, I mean, I had been to three leadership camps the summer before, and two summers before, and Mackenzie had been to some retreats and we just drew from those experiences. I mean, SLP the way it is ran (sic), is exactly how I ran the Fellowship of Christian Athletes without prayer so, icebreakers, large group activities and small groups. Mackenzie and I put a lot of time into the theory of the trip that first year, and that’s what we went with, that is what we knew, and it worked and you’ve seen it in every program. When asked where the ideas for SLP come from, Mackenzie said, “I often write and a lot of my ideas become tangibly SLP’s, where Roy speaks a lot so he a lot of time creates them, he’s the voice of the organization.” She adds: It’s really weird, but things that were in my head suddenly are in a lot of people’s and you know …a lot of SLP things, personal leadership philosophies, that are going to be ideology of hundreds of people, like that is a powerful tool. The founders were very intentional about the design or how they “create the container” for the MAD experience. The founders met four nights in the first week of the group’s existence, took very extensive notes, and planned aspects of the trip down to the experiences and exercises they would do. This design has changed little from that very first week of planning or the first trip. Mackenzie elaborates on how they came up with the model: (It came) from stuff that we enjoyed. We were our own focus group. We did exactly what we wanted to receive, which is awesome. We met the needs of ourselves as we’re like, ‘I’m in college, I think it would be cool to do XYZ, and 9 times out of 10 so will our peers.’ The founders have used what they felt worked with them to create their model and generate an experience that seems to be effective with these individuals at this time. The founders also set goals for SLP to change stereotypes, change lives and change the world. These again came out of their various experiences and beliefs. Clear Purpose-SLP GoalsThe goal to change stereotypes was prompted by peer pressure that was felt during the founders’ freshman year. Mackenzie mentions some of the issues that were discussed: Stereotypes that guys drink in college and that they should hook up with girls that’s how it started, because it was like, ‘Who are these people who think I'm this, that or whatever?’…and then it was the whole, ‘You’re just a freshman, you can’t do that any way,’ and then we were like, ‘What is with these stereotypes?’ Along with changing stereotypes there is a sense of idealism in the founders wanting to claim their place in society, as seen in this statement from Pete. I’ve seen there is a big disconnect between generations, like I think there always will be, but I think just to represent our generation as doing something positive, and not to say that there’s more to it than going to Cancun and drinking on the beaches. Not to say that’s bad, people have fun doing it…But to say that there are students doing other things too… There are a lot of stereotypes on young people. Society says that young people go through college and then they go out and do what they want to do, you know then they make something happen. Students aren’t waiting to do that…They’re not waiting for society to say its okay now, you can make something happen…Just do it now. Why wait to leave a legacy? Make it happen when you are young. I was doing an observation the day after Roy was in a car accident when he commented that the police gave him a breathalyzer assuming he had been drinking. Pete commented, “See you are still changing stereotypes about young people drinking and driving.” The goal to change lives ties into the group orientation towards possibility rather than problem solving and supporting people in developing their individual passions. Mackenzie describes it this way: “SLP likes to create energy not necessarily meet a negative need.” So rather than choosing one of the many problems that exist in society, they expose students to a variety of issues, thus forwarding the goal of changing lives. Mackenzie explains how she thinks SLP does this. Like inertia, so the ball is rolling one way, obviously its not going to stop rolling that way unless hit by something else. So I think if you’re on a path towards good, bad, the other…until you are interrupted, until your life is interrupted either, a change cannot be made. And so our tour is an interruption: it’s a nine day interruption for a lot of people and it is impossible, in my opinion, to be exposed to that many different issues, people, cities, and not be changed…it’s like literally impossible. The goal to change the world was explained by Mackenzie: By changing the world through changing people…some of the stuff that our students have been able to do and accomplish has been absolutely immense, I mean literal programs that have happened…and then just directly changing the world in terms of going into these communities and revitalizing I can show you an email I got last week from Canton, Ohio hoping that we come back next March. It is September! Pete talks about changing the world from a generational perspective: So I think our generation is going to be the one to solve all our problems, and because our backs are going to be against the wall, we’re not going to have a choice. We’ll have to solve a lot of problems otherwise things are going to get bad. When a generation’s backs get put against the wall, they just step up to the plate. So I think we’re going to step up to the plate, solve some big issues. The statement from Pete supports the Howe and Strauss (2000) Millennial concepts of this generation being special, vital to the nation and the ‘next great generation’. The goals of changing stereotypes, lives and the world were present in the very first vision statement of SLP. This is a clear and concise vision that they share with all of the campus chapters and others affiliated with the organization. In trying to reach their goals the SLP founders have been helped through their ability to network utilizing individual contacts to further the organization. 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