Our experiments with AID- Ann Arbor

Its been little more than a year, since we brought AID to Ann Arbor. None of us had had any previous experience in a community service/voluntary organization. It was a strong feeling of idealism, and commitment to make a positive contribution to India that brought us together. We educated ourselves on AID, its surrounding issues and best practices from other chapters.

Last year has been an exciting, yet enriching experience for us. We did not focus on any particular aspect of AID or an issue of development. We experimented with every available venue of development and volunteerism. We evaluated projects, organized fund raisers, contributed to AID publications, invited social reformers, collaborated with other organizations, participated in activism and engaged in dialog with developmental organizations in India.

We could be a valuable resource for university-based chapters and those chapters which are still struggling to find their feet. We group the results of our experiments in the following categories -

1. Organizational issues - How to structure the AID group? How to foster commitment and maintain a high level of motivation? We will introduce interesting concepts of 'buddy system' for volunteers and 'mentorship' for new members. We will also talk about the importance of 'fun' in a voluntary organization.
2. Process issues - What kind of events are important? What works and what doesn't? Is it important to focus on a particular issue than deal with all aspects of development? etc.
3. Volunteer issues - How to foster the spirit of volunteerism, which is really the heart of AID. We strongly believe that volunteering for local community is important to realize the value of direct involvement and increasing the area influence of AID beyond Indian communities.

Have questions? Please send them to Nishant Jain.