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Acting on AIDS on Your Campus
Acting on AIDS on Your Campus
“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” James 1:27 (NIV)While Acting on AIDS has traditionally been a college-campus movement, it is possible to integrate activities into other church or campus ministries. All it takes is passion and courage to respond. Acting on AIDS has a growing presence around the United States, with approximately 150 campuses involved in Acting on AIDS’ activities. Some campuses develop formal Acting on AIDS chapters/groups, while others integrate Acting on AIDS programming into an existing ministry or organization. For Acting on AIDS to be effective on each individual campus, leaders must be sensitive to campus culture and must take steps to ensure as much awareness, support and involvement as possible. No two campuses look identical, but our purpose is united. Groups exist to engage individuals to respond to the global AIDS pandemic and other issues of poverty and injustice and to reach out to the local community and churches to increase awareness and activism. An effective group typically consists of a team of core leaders who plan and organize efforts as well as a larger membership of the student body or congregation who actively participate in Acting on AIDS campaigns and activities. By collaborating with other groups on campus and within a congregation, groups strive to create and facilitate a grassroots movement of compassionate action the impacts not only the campus but also the surrounding community.
Tips to Get Started
Following are a few guidelines to forming an Acting on AIDS group on your campus:1. Contact the national Acting on AIDS team. We are here to support you and provide resources throughout your formation process. We can often connect you with existing chapters who have faced challenges and develop practices that can help you get started. Let us know you are beginning the formation and registration process by emailing us or calling 888.876.2004.
2. Form a leadership team. The global AIDS pandemic is too big to tackle alone. The vision behind Acting on AIDS is to move beyond individuality and instead form a community of like-minded individuals, mobilized to take action in response to the global AIDS pandemic. In order to begin such a movement, you will need the help of others. As you start your activities, find others who are passionate about demonstrating their faith through serving others. Look for diverse talents and skills that will complement each other and be ready to trust others with significant responsibilities. A leadership team is most successful when members share ownership and serve one another. It is also essential to have leaders or leaders-in-training to ensure your group is sustainable.
3. Find the right chapter adviser. Acting on AIDS promotes ownership and leadership, but as you are developing your group, it will be important to find an adviser who will guide your student leadership team. Your adviser can be a pastor, a faculty or staff member, or a leader of your campus ministry. A good adviser should support your leadership, help troubleshoot challenges and obstacles, be a liaison and advocate wherever possible, guide transitions in leadership changes, and provide historical perspectives to strengthen your sustainability.
4. Complete the registration form and agree to covenant statements. At this point, you should have already made contact with a national coordinator at Acting on AIDS. Once you have selected a leadership team and consulted with your adviser, you will be ready to officially register your chapter. By completing this form and sending it to actingonaids@worldvision.org, you will be connected to the national network and have access to resources and support from the national team. You also need to agree to Acting on AIDS’ covenant statements that help guide our actions and unity the network’s national identity.
5. Gain official recognition. Just as it is important to register your Acting on AIDS group and agree to the covenant, it is equally important to gain official recognition from your campus or ministry. This ensures the support of campus administration as you organize events and can give you access to funds designated for student activities.
6. Recruit members and collaborate with existing groups. As the movement on your campus grows, it’s important to keep a database of new members. Consistently invite members to have a voice in your direction and collaborate with other existing student groups. In order for your AoA chapter to be more than a club, you always need to give new members and external groups an opportunity to lead. It is this integrated, collaborative approach that can successfully begin a movement on your campus and in your community.
7. Begin gathering. Once you are organized, it’s important that you begin to meet regularly. Regular meetings will help you to be unified and strategize how you can engage your campus. As you continue to meet, you will be able to support one another and educate one another on the issues of AIDS, poverty, and social injustice, to determine how to translate your faith into action.