Activism
- ACTIVISM ROOM: There is a broad consensus that activism should be a part of conventions at JSA, but it is logistically one of the hardest things to incorporate. I propose an activism room to help make it an integral part of conventions. Whether you need a break from debating or want to do more networking, an activism room would be a place to meet people, in addition to being a place to help make a change in the world.
- WINTER CONGRESS LOBBYING MISSION: The MAS should take advantage of the location of Winter Congress and of its SAR chapters. At Winter Congress, we will work with South Atlantic Chapters to host lobbying missions to Capitol Hill. This would be an ideal activity for Friday afternoon when there is down time. Students would decide which bipartisan legislation they wanted to lobby for or against and they would be broken into groups based on that.
- ACTIVISM AWARD: The idea of an "Activism Award" was first presented at the 2017 Cab Retreat. Although it was never developed in the 2017-2018 school year, the idea has so much potential. An award of this sort incentivizes activism at the chapter level and would function in the same way that the "Chapter of the Year" does.
- PARTNER WITH NATIONALLY-RECOGNIZED ORGANIZATIONS: The activism fair was a huge success at Winter Congress this year. After the fair, many organizations reached out to me seeking a long term partnership with JSA. Next year, I will ask those political organizations to become affiliated with JSA. Having well-known groups recognize and endorse JSA will help publicize an organization that does not yet have a widely renown name, as well as allow for JSA to have a greater influence in our nation's politics.
Fundraising
- ONLINE STORE: Creating an online store would enable students to purchase JSA merch anytime. Buying merchandise not only helps with fundraising, but also aids expansion. The more the brand of JSA is publicized, the more the word about the organization is spread. In terms of the merchandise that we sell, we will expand it beyond apparel. The new types of merch will include fidget spinners, water bottles, popsockets, key chains, lanyards, laptop/car stickers, etc.
- EXPANDING STAY CLASSY ACCOUNTS: Right now, all students on cabinet are allowed to have Stay Classy accounts. Stay Classy accounts are used for family and friends who want to donate to the MAS Scholarship Fund. However, because there are so many non-cabinet members who are equally as invested in JSA, we should give all students in the MAS the opportunity to help us fundraise in this way. In addition to increasing accessibility to fundraising, we will award a special gavel to whomever raises the most amount of money.
- SELLING SNACKS AT ONE DAYS: One Days have sold donated baked goods for the past few years, but many items do not sell and the profits have only been modest. This coming year, I propose packaged snacks and drinks instead. Doing this kind of sale will generate more money because more people will be inclined to buy them.
- CARNIVAL-INSPIRED GAMES: Raffle contests have been a really successful tactic for fundraising at JSA. Next year, I want to increase the number of "carnival-inspired" games we have at the fundraising tables. One game that would generate a lot of money is Spin the Wheel. Each person would pay a little more than he or she would for the raffle contest, but the prizes would be more valuable, like a JSA hat or sweatshirt. By making fundraising more fun, we will generate more money.