first things first
(Let's explain who we are)
Welcome to Students in Action! We are a service club where students propose and organize their own sustainable service projects to work at solving problems present in our communities. Basically, we provide a platform for you to tackle community issues that you feel passionately about, supply resources, build connections, and encourage you to take real steps towards changing your community for good - rather than just attempting to prolong the problem by remaining silent or by repeatedly bandaging the wound. So to speak, we're bringing the stitches to problems in our community and leaving the Band-Aids at home.
Here's some essential facts about our club that you should know.
Here's some essential facts about our club that you should know.
- Our Remind is @fhssia2021-22. Go join it and stay up-to-date on club-wide meetings and information. Go. Do it.
- Our Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter is @fisherssia. We will do promotions for events and raise awareness about projects through these platforms, so follow us there to stay up-to-date on club outreach!
- We have a podcast called At Your Service, available wherever you get podcasts (or on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Anchor).
- Our email is [email protected] and it's regularly monitored by the Directors of Communications! Reach out anytime you have questions and don't know any of the leadership members personally.
No worries, we got you
(answering your frequently asked questions)
What's that, you say? Students in Action is confusing and you have a ton of questions? Yeah, that checks out. Students in Action is a fairly complex club to anyone who's first joining. Even us officers had no idea what was happening when we first joined the club! Here's the good thing: You learn fast. The better thing: You've got me to help decode the club for you! Not only do I have a list of committee lingo (which is located in the Committees tab), but I also have a list of Frequently Asked Questions and their Frequently Given Answers for you. You're in luck, my friend.
How do I join a committee?
Find a committee you're interested in on our Current Committees list (a subsection under the Committees tab). Find out who that committee head is. Email or text them using their contact information, or find them at a meeting, and ask to join their committee. Bask in the glory of being in a committee. Simple as that.
Can I be in more than one committee?
Technically, yes. There's no law against it and it is a free country (somewhat). However, I would not recommend it. Most of your committees will be meeting at the exact same time and trying to balance logistics for two different service projects is not easy. If you like, you can participate in the execution of another committee's service project by acting as a manual labor force for setting up an event, tearing down an event, posting on social media, etc. But actually joining another committee is going to be laborious. Not saying you can't do it, but be ready for a lot of work.
What are the roles in committees?
That depends on the committee in question! No committee is required to have any roles except for Committee Head. So each one functions a little bit differently and most don't have clearly defined roles at all. The best way to find out what the roles are in a committee is by asking the committee head.
How do I know which committee I want to join?
Check out the list of committees (again, it's helpfully located under the "Committees" tab!) and see which description you like! (Alternatively, if you just want to work with your friends on a project, see which one they're joining.)
What if I don't like any of the committees that you have?
Harsh, but understandable. Fortunately, that's the very thing this club was created for - so that students can lead their own projects. Yes, even new members of our club can create and lead committees! If you don't see a committee that you like, start thinking about new ideas for service projects. How do you want help your community? What's a sustainable solution to a problem you see today? How do you want to change the world? Your committee should be something that you're passionate about so that you can change the world while also working on something you care about. Here in Students in Action, you're never going to be forced into doing service. It should be something you love doing.
How in the world am I supposed to come up with my own service project?
Try using our Essential Questions to spark your thinking about self-motivated service. If you're really struggling, come find any one of us officers or email us and we're happy to help out.
Here are the Essential Questions:
What if I can't get my project off the ground?
Not every service project can be a success. That's the sad part about being entirely student-led - sometimes projects just don't work, and that's okay. What's most important is to assess the reason why your project failed. Was it that not enough people signed up for an event? Next time, try upping your advertising and marketing game, and force some friends and fellow SIA members to sign up! Not enough donations were received? Maybe you didn't push your drive out hard enough. Go back next time and see if you can get your drive going schoolwide through posters and the school's announcements. You couldn't get enough resources to create sustainable change and lasting conversations? That's okay. You've laid the groundwork and maybe a future group of students will be able to jump off your idea and take it further. Failure is important, even in community service, and it's a great learning opportunity. Don't lose hope.
Wanna hear us talk on our podcast about how vital failure is? Check out episodes like "Service Gone Right (And Wrong)" or "Error 404: Success Not Found".
How do I get help when I need it?
Please don't be afraid to contact your friendly neighborhood officers. If you've got their phone number or email, you can get to them directly. If not, ask at the next meeting, or schedule a meeting with a specific officer that you think may be able to help you based on their job description, or, if you can't wait, send us an email and we'll get you sorted out. Officers can help out with literally anything. Naming a project, raising funds, troubleshooting, calling companies, having tough discussions about equity... you name it, we can do it all. Don't be afraid to reach out when you need help!
You didn't answer my question!
I'm sorry! Maybe it's not Frequently Asked enough. Ask an officer or email us.
How do I join a committee?
Find a committee you're interested in on our Current Committees list (a subsection under the Committees tab). Find out who that committee head is. Email or text them using their contact information, or find them at a meeting, and ask to join their committee. Bask in the glory of being in a committee. Simple as that.
Can I be in more than one committee?
Technically, yes. There's no law against it and it is a free country (somewhat). However, I would not recommend it. Most of your committees will be meeting at the exact same time and trying to balance logistics for two different service projects is not easy. If you like, you can participate in the execution of another committee's service project by acting as a manual labor force for setting up an event, tearing down an event, posting on social media, etc. But actually joining another committee is going to be laborious. Not saying you can't do it, but be ready for a lot of work.
What are the roles in committees?
That depends on the committee in question! No committee is required to have any roles except for Committee Head. So each one functions a little bit differently and most don't have clearly defined roles at all. The best way to find out what the roles are in a committee is by asking the committee head.
How do I know which committee I want to join?
Check out the list of committees (again, it's helpfully located under the "Committees" tab!) and see which description you like! (Alternatively, if you just want to work with your friends on a project, see which one they're joining.)
What if I don't like any of the committees that you have?
Harsh, but understandable. Fortunately, that's the very thing this club was created for - so that students can lead their own projects. Yes, even new members of our club can create and lead committees! If you don't see a committee that you like, start thinking about new ideas for service projects. How do you want help your community? What's a sustainable solution to a problem you see today? How do you want to change the world? Your committee should be something that you're passionate about so that you can change the world while also working on something you care about. Here in Students in Action, you're never going to be forced into doing service. It should be something you love doing.
How in the world am I supposed to come up with my own service project?
Try using our Essential Questions to spark your thinking about self-motivated service. If you're really struggling, come find any one of us officers or email us and we're happy to help out.
Here are the Essential Questions:
- What's something that you're passionate about?
- What is a problem or issue that you have seen in your community at any point in time?
- How do you think your passion and the problem in your community are related? How can you make them related if they aren't? (A Venn diagram can help here!)
- How can you solve the problem in your community? Any ideas are good ideas!
- What can you do to implement this solution into your community? What steps do you need to take? How can you make it tangible?
What if I can't get my project off the ground?
Not every service project can be a success. That's the sad part about being entirely student-led - sometimes projects just don't work, and that's okay. What's most important is to assess the reason why your project failed. Was it that not enough people signed up for an event? Next time, try upping your advertising and marketing game, and force some friends and fellow SIA members to sign up! Not enough donations were received? Maybe you didn't push your drive out hard enough. Go back next time and see if you can get your drive going schoolwide through posters and the school's announcements. You couldn't get enough resources to create sustainable change and lasting conversations? That's okay. You've laid the groundwork and maybe a future group of students will be able to jump off your idea and take it further. Failure is important, even in community service, and it's a great learning opportunity. Don't lose hope.
Wanna hear us talk on our podcast about how vital failure is? Check out episodes like "Service Gone Right (And Wrong)" or "Error 404: Success Not Found".
How do I get help when I need it?
Please don't be afraid to contact your friendly neighborhood officers. If you've got their phone number or email, you can get to them directly. If not, ask at the next meeting, or schedule a meeting with a specific officer that you think may be able to help you based on their job description, or, if you can't wait, send us an email and we'll get you sorted out. Officers can help out with literally anything. Naming a project, raising funds, troubleshooting, calling companies, having tough discussions about equity... you name it, we can do it all. Don't be afraid to reach out when you need help!
You didn't answer my question!
I'm sorry! Maybe it's not Frequently Asked enough. Ask an officer or email us.