SC3 Personal Action Plan

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Coming in June

The Sc3 Personal Action Plan

One of the goals of the Sc3 Congress is to stimulate and enable effective commitments to action to address 21st century challenges by encouraging exploration, discussion and personal growth. But what happens after Sc3? How will Fellows respond once they return to their school, community and world at large?

Sc3 asks students to develop a concrete Personal Action Plan, that addresses an environmental or ecological challenge that concerns them most. These Plans guide the Fellows to plant the seeds of change in their homes, schools and communities in order to become “the change we wish to see in the world.” Plans  can be small or large, local or global. No matter the size or scope, it is an opportunity to create a project that helps Fellows put their new skills, perspective and understanding into action and create significant and measurable results. What Sc3 Fellows have accomplished:

At Home:

• Change family lighting and lifestyle after presenting the impacts of choices

• Advocate to switch to renewable energy

• Retrofit homes to reduce energy consumption

• Launch a Campaign or Write a Representative

In The Community

• Coordinate a community "Pump 'em up" drive to measure tire pressure

• Host a GSA Regional Resource Fair, conference or workshop to bring together schools and experts

• Make The Case to Decision Makers at the local or state level on policy issues including protecting “Place”

• Host a Green Fundraiser to purchase a Solar Panel

On Campus

• Launch a Green Cup Challenge®

• Green Their School Food Program

• Grow or launch a School Club or Sc3 Corps Chapter

• Coordinate a Green Campus initiative with their Facility Director

• Convert light bulbs at school to CFLs

• Conduct assembly to educate others about climate change and alternative energy

• Installed a green roof or campus garden-to-cafeteria program

• Initiated campus recycling or composting programs

• Construct a wetland

• Conduct a campus energy audit

• Convert a bus to biodiesel

In The World

• Work with faculty to introduce curriculum on global warming and environmental justice

• Collect Computers to send to Columbia

• Work with an environmental group in South America

• Launch a GSA Chapter in Korea

From Commitment to Corps

"Believe you can and you're halfway there."  Theodore Roosevelt

The “ripple effect” of the Sc3 Congress turns Individual Action Plans into collective action and an ever-growing grassroots Sc3 Corps. One century ago, President Theodore Roosevelt articulated a vision for a "global conservation corps" that would reach and motivate every corner of society. Sc3 is responding to this call-to-action. Students, faculty and staff become conscious of the connection between their choices and empowered to take action on campus and beyond school walls.

On the final day of the Sc3 Congress, each Cohort is asked to present to a panel of environmental experts and senior government officials. During the course of the Congress, Faculty instructors and Student Peer Advisors work with the Fellows to help them develop Personal Action Plans that can be implemented in their schools and communities. These Plans become part of the Cohort Group’s final presentation. Some students don't actually know what they will do until they start working in their Cohorts. The Cohort presentations utilize the Fellows’ new knowledge, leadership and presentation skills to express their individual and collective vision of the future, and are evaluated by the expert panel that is always moved beyond measure.

After the Congress concludes, the Sc3 support network continues. During the course of the year, Sc3 Cohort Coordinators check in with their Cohort students to learn about the progress of their projects, help them to probe deeper into their areas of interest and project implementation, and offer guidance. Through Commitments made at the Sc3 Congress, a school might decide to reduce its packaging in the lunch room – saving money while reducing waste. A small group of students might expand their efforts into new areas such as fundraising for compostable lunchroom materials. No matter the Plan size or scope, Sc3 Fellows take simple goals and turn them into significant and measurable results.

The Support Network

Sc3 guides its Fellows through project implementation with online resources and a mentor system throughout the year. GSA’s website, and social media sites, offers virtual meeting places to support  students to realize their Commitments. Through GSA online, students, faculty members and many of our distinguished speakers will be able to continue to connect, and participate in online discussions about ideas, best practices, obstacles and opportunities for greening their schools and communities.

Our Online Resource Center, Ask The Experts discussion forum and SMART School Toolkit provide information on everything from sustainable buildings to climate change science. Users will be able to search the site by state or region, or Topic area, for local resources and contacts to support their efforts and grow the movement.

Each Sc3 Congress Fellow leaves with a faculty mentor who can offers guidance throughout the year. If the mentor believes the student is not upholding the high standard set for our Fellows, that student may be discharged from the Corps. Each Fellow will be part of Regional Division Leadership, composed of their region’s Faculty Fellows and Sc3 Student Coordinators, that can provide further advice and inspiration, and can organize regional events like state petition drives, regional “shut off the power” days, and regional conferences. With these peer-to-peer, informational, and technological resources, Sc3 Fellows are supported to transform their Plan of Action into results.

In Their Own Words >