What is a team? According to Dictionary.com,
a team is “a number of persons associated in some joint action”. If this is all
I said about INDEVOURS, I would not be doing it justice whatsoever because we
are so much more than that. Yes we have a joint mission and common goals, but each
member of our team is such an asset and compliment to other members that our
work and unity is constantly developing. We understand each other and bounce
off each other’s ideas, we develop these ideas into real ventures, and we will
not stop working on them until we reach the success we desire. This group of
talented, motivated, dedicated and passionate young individuals is very dear to
my heart and I am inspired by each and every one of them.
INDEVOURS Are...
For those of you who do not know we are a group
of 32 International Development students from the University of Waterloo. Come
September, we will be travelling to 7 different countries (Malawi, Botswana,
Ghana, Nepal, Peru, Burkina Faso, and Vietnam) to work with small grassroots
organizations. We will use the knowledge we have acquired over the past few
years to help these organizations achieve their missions and stand on their
feet, all the while learning practical and hands on skill about international
development. We have a goal of raising $60, 000 to fund our field placements
and we think of creative ways to raise these funds, simultaneously getting our
name out to the public.
Structure of the Organization
The structure of our organization revolves
around four major groups – Creative, Fundraising, Events, and Project
Management. Within these major groups, we have subgroups that work on specific
tasks. For example, Creative is split up into three subgroups– Copy, social
media, and graphics. Copy works on most of the written work for the
organization such as the letters we send to potential donors, thank you notes
for those who have donated, and even material for our website. Social media
takes care of our Twitter page, Facebook page, and our Website; they make sure
that INDEVOURS is always on the map. Graphics works on our logo, designs our
posters, and other promotional material. I work within the project management
group, particularly overseeing the affairs of Fundraising; project managers
have further developed the structure of the organization so that there is a representative from each group and subgroup. We gather with them weekly to discuss
important updates from their respective groups, to ensure that everyone is on
the same page and nothing slips through the cracks.
Our Events
Back In June we hosted an Ultimate Frisbee
Tournament that was really successful! Weeks before the event, all of us worked
on recruiting participants, advertising, and getting necessary equipment and facilities,
but it wasn’t until a few days before the tournament that everyone in INDEVOURS
came together to achieve the goals we had set for the event. The night before,
we stayed up late silk screening our tee shirts with the INDEVOURS logo so we matched
on the day of; we really showed the public who we are. Being part of an event
such as this really opened my eyes as to what a strong team is. Yes, we had a
single unified goal but we did whatever we could to ensure that the micro goals
for every group within the greater team were accomplished; everyone worked
together. The event turned out so well and all of the participants had nothing
but great things to say about INDEVOURS and our mission. This week we have
another big event, the Global Gala (we will also be having a silent auction
during the evening). Similarly to the last event, I see everyone working hard towards
making this event successful, whether it be getting people to buy tickets, assigning
tasks for the night, or collecting donations for the silent auction. I am
absolutely ecstatic to see the fruits of our labour and just how well this
event turns out!
INDEVOURS is my team and we will work for change! To learn more about us and our mission, visit our website at www.indevours.wordpress.com. Also, watch this video!
