So it's time to really start putting this event together... And while I'm completely thrilled about it and absolutely can't wait to get going, I've encountered some obstacles. One of the challenges I've been running into is a lack of communication with people in almost every way. I didn't realize how hard it was going to be to just get people to answer their emails! Being away on co-op definitely isn't helping, either. I'm not on campus to talk to people face-to-face, and that's a problem.
I have so many great ideas, and luckily I have a wonderful and supportive team who is just as excited about this as me and really wants to see the event happen. Now we just need a little bit more manpower... I've posted an advertisement in the Center for Community Engagement's Weekly Service Update, so we'll see who's interested from that group.
Before anything can really happen, we need to set an event date and reserve a location! But because Beautiful Lengths isn't an official student group, we need to "piggyback" on another group. Last year, that was Colleges Against Cancer. Right now, I'm in the process of getting their stamp of approval once more. I'm pretty confident that they won't have any objection since they seem very willing to help and did this with us last year, but before I can get meetings scheduled and rooms reserved, I need an official "yes." Unfortunately, I haven't heard much in the way of a response from them...
One of my team members is also on the Colleges Against Cancer Relay for Life planning committee so I will need to leverage her more in order to get the kind of cooperation and partnership we would really like to have from them.
Marketing is going to be the biggest challenge for this event. It's extremely difficult to get women to part with their hair, even for such a great cause. Hair is part of our identity--it defines us. Such a dramatic change can be a very emotional process, so it's a very delicate issue to promote. Even recruiting stylists to volunteer at the event is difficult. We're asking them to come in on their day off and work for free. Not many people are willing to do that. Everyone involved in this campaign is incredibly selfless, and it's very admirable.
Now we just have to get things moving!!
I have so many great ideas, and luckily I have a wonderful and supportive team who is just as excited about this as me and really wants to see the event happen. Now we just need a little bit more manpower... I've posted an advertisement in the Center for Community Engagement's Weekly Service Update, so we'll see who's interested from that group.
Before anything can really happen, we need to set an event date and reserve a location! But because Beautiful Lengths isn't an official student group, we need to "piggyback" on another group. Last year, that was Colleges Against Cancer. Right now, I'm in the process of getting their stamp of approval once more. I'm pretty confident that they won't have any objection since they seem very willing to help and did this with us last year, but before I can get meetings scheduled and rooms reserved, I need an official "yes." Unfortunately, I haven't heard much in the way of a response from them...
One of my team members is also on the Colleges Against Cancer Relay for Life planning committee so I will need to leverage her more in order to get the kind of cooperation and partnership we would really like to have from them.
Marketing is going to be the biggest challenge for this event. It's extremely difficult to get women to part with their hair, even for such a great cause. Hair is part of our identity--it defines us. Such a dramatic change can be a very emotional process, so it's a very delicate issue to promote. Even recruiting stylists to volunteer at the event is difficult. We're asking them to come in on their day off and work for free. Not many people are willing to do that. Everyone involved in this campaign is incredibly selfless, and it's very admirable.
Now we just have to get things moving!!