Field Trips

The We Lead! curriculum encourages you to experiment with your own ideas and adjust the curriculum to meet the needs of the individuals in your program. Although we have filled the days with activities we also encourage you to arrange, before the participants arrive, one or two field trips during the program. Field Trips should relate to the goal of developing leadership rather than just a fun event. The scheduling of these events often will depend on the availability of the programs you are visiting and/or the unique make-up and needs of your participants.

Some programs have planned an outing to a rope course during the first week. It is an excellent way for participants to get to know one another and to begin developing community trust. Others have set up site visits to organizations that may be chosen for the community service project.

T-Shirts

Before the program starts it is recommended that staff identify a printing company for the participants to use for their T-Shirts. By identifying this company ahead of time, the company can schedule your print job on their calendar for the number of shirts you will need. To learn more about We Lead! T-Shirts see page 35.

Participant Contracts

We Lead! strongly encourages local sites to offer stipends to participants who fully participate in the program. People with disabilities are asked to ‘donate’ their time and volunteer at jobs. We believe people with disabilities should receive stipend to pay for their hard work and dedication to the program and to their community. At the end of the orientation ask participants to sign a contract (Appendix I p. 110) that spells out terms of completion.

Permission Slips/Emergency Contact Card

If you are sponsoring We Lead! as a youth program or for people with disabilities that have guardians, all participants must have a permission slip signed by a parent or guardian that allows participation (Appendix I p.109).

All participants, regardless of age, should fill out an emergency contact card.

The contact card should include:

• An emergency contact if the participants should need immediate care

• A copy of the participant’s health care card.

• Medical information critical to participants care: medications, dietary needs, allergies, etc.

Make this information available in a central location for staff and volunteers.

Recruiting Participants

Start recruitment for your program two to three months before the start of your program. To recruit people with disabilities target schools, your local Disability Network (Center for Independent Living) affiliate, ARC, or Regional Interagency Coordinating Committee. To recruit people without disabilities, look at groups interested in developing leadership skills such as local scout programs, neighborhood community centers, churches, Chambers of Commerce and the local MSU extension offices. There is a sample invitation letter in Appendix I, p. 109.

We Lead! strives to be all inclusive – participants should vary by disability, gender, race, sexual orientation and other types of community diversity. Contact local groups representing these diverse communities.