2020 Vision – October 22, 2017

 Please read each of the following paragraphs to see what is in store at Change University.

0

This one is not new, so it does not have a number.  So far, ChangeU has mainly been “informational” in nature.  We will continue to name Champions of ChangeU.  We might create a new account on FB, Twitter, and Instagram specifically for the Champions of ChangeU as ChangeU evolves to become more than informational.  A co-founder of Runa teas was recently named a Champion as was the founder of Thistle Farms.  The founder of Just Business and Not For Sale is the latest Champion.  (click here to see the latest additions)  Stay tuned on this topic.  But we are also going to share information about more than just Champions of ChangeU at Change University.  We will also be sharing about organizations fighting the world’s problems (like www.speakupforthepoor.org).  And we will be sharing the stories of universities around the world that are making higher education more open to all.  One such is the Asian University for Women in Bangladesh (www.awu.edu.bd).  And we will have stories involving those in #1 and #2 below.  So we will have more stories and more different kinds of stories.  And we invite you to never hesitate to share ideas for stories – or even write stories for us.

1

The foundation of the creation of ChangeU is a group called Game Changers::Difference Makers (GCDM).  I founded it with the top four academic graduates from the 2015 graduating class at Midway High School (where I went to high school a lot of years ago).  All four were also very successful varsity athletes: two females and two males.  We now have about 50 such students in the group from small private schools like UMHB to large state schools like Texas A&M to Ivy League schools like Harvard.  We have about 12 schools represented right now.  We are going to be working with the Student Orgs director at UMHB to understand how to implement a ChangeU “Student Chapter” program for GCDM members to implement at their own institutions.  The plan is to have a chapter at UMHB and to have the program off the ground by the end of the 17/18 academic year.  And while each chapter will have a “local focus” issue/organization, ChangeU is going to have a “global focus” issue/organization to share with each chapter.  We have a few other “action” plans for the GCDM group that will be shared in coming days.

2

Since May, we have been working on the creation of a Global Young Champions Network (GYCN) of young people around the world.  Most of them are in their 20’s.  Most of them have already started impact-focused enterprises.  Social, environmental and some economic development efforts are included.  Some have found other ways to combat social issues in their home countries.  A few of them are pursuing specialized programs in Social Enterprise or Eco Villages or Sustainability or Human Rights Law.  And others are pursuing graduate degrees in law and business through which they plan to make a difference.  They come from over 15 different countries right now.  The plan is to have at least a couple of members from each country in the world.  The light at the end of the tunnel, or the “end-game”, for them is two-fold.  (a) They will participate in what I will share in #3, and (b) they will host academic interns and impact travel groups (for a fee to be paid to them) that wish to get their hands dirty “doing good” and then take the concepts back to their “home” countries.  The hope is to see this come to life during the 18/19 academic year.

3

This is the “biggie”.  We have an expert in I.T.-based education helping us to conceptualize an I.T. framework from freeware for the delivery via the Internet, AND via different SMS services, basic micro-courses to help the marginalized around the world.  The plan is to work with NGO partners around the world to provide to the marginalized access to basic knowledge (and, where possible via the delivery models, skill-sets) about starting micro-businesses, bookkeeping, inventory management, sustainability basics, fair trade, indigenous economic development, leadership, and other topics that will help those with no hope find hope in at least small, and potentially large, ways.  The main target audience will be marginalized young females to try and help break the cycles of poverty and hunger which fuel so much human exploitation around the world.  BUT…the system will be open to all.  Early in November, we will convene virtual groups to discuss operational issues.  After Jan. 1, the hope is to put together a physical gathering of minds that care to help make this a reality.   The hope is to then put something into motion that will see the “system” ready for use by Jan. 1, 2020 – our so-called “2020 Vision”.

“n”

This one does not really have a number.  We use “n” for infinity.  The meaning is that this topic is a continuous undertaking.  The continual undertaking is “Networking”.  We will continue to find GCDM members.  We will continue to find GYCN members.  We will continue to find Champions of ChangeU, impactful universities for the marginalized, and people that want to be a part of ChangeU in a variety of ways.  And we will find others that will do their own networking on behalf of ChangeU.  And we hope to find many others that will assume “work” responsibilities on behalf of ChangeU and the associated other groups.  Finally, we hope that all of you will help us find all of these individuals.  But we really, really want to make sure that you know that we wish for you to direct potential GCDM and GYCN members our way.  The success of campus programs is dependent on us having a larger GCDM group.  The only way to move making a change into developing countries is through a larger GYCN group.  Please send recommendations and reasoning, along with contact information, to jim.king.changeu@gmail.com.

Conclusion

I know that there are not a lot of details here.  Those will be worked out over the next three years…and maybe longer.
Always feel free to email me at jim.king.changeu@gmail.com if you have any questions, thoughts, or suggestions.
God bless each one of you!
Jim King, Head Cheerleader & President
Change University