1) Project Title
Umaine Motivators (UMOtivators?)
2) Group Members
Kelly Rowan
Jane Apple
Joan Oparowski
Ben Welton
Dillon Richards
Katherine Bartos
3) Describe the main goal or outcome desired for your project
The main goal of the Umaine Motivators project is to promote positive attitudes amongst the students here at Umaine. We’re calling ourselves a support system who reaches out the students on campus.
4) Describe the project and how it will achieve the goal you state
Umaine Motivators want to make Umaine a happier place to be. Through our project, we plan to gain knowledge from the students themselves in order to make a conclusion on what exactly they would want to see for a positive change. We are going to start with social media, utilizing the use of twitter and potentially a blog that would feature leaders on campus, giving everyone recognition. We plan to make use of the students by advertising on campus with chalkboards. Each chalkboard will have a varied question prompting the students on what that would like to see to make Umaine a more positive place to be. In these dreary upcoming months especially, Orono is not the most enjoyable place to be. We want to learn what would make it even just a little better. After students express what they would like to see, we plan to make it happen. We will take all of the suggestions into consideration and devise a plan that will satisfy the needs of the students.
5)List research questions and sources
What makes people happy/ positive? http://www.ted.com/talks/stefan_sagmeister_7_rules_for_making_more_happiness.html
What are examples of the interactive piece?
http://www.ted.com/talks/candy_chang_before_i_die_i_want_to.html
6) List tools you would like to learn, use, explore to achieve your goal
We plan to meet with the Alumni who recently worked on a project like this. She now works in Bangor doing something similar and she would be a big help and a great resource. We also want to gain perspective from other people on what they would interact with and what would not seem like an added chore, this is where the idea of the chalkboards came in.
7) Do person skills inventory of your group members–listing any skills they know that will help project, [then in brackets, list any skills they would like to learn]
After discussing our skills and talents, we came up with the following tasks for each group member;
Twitter/ Social Media: Kelly Rowan & Katherine Bartos
Posters/ Art: Joan Oparowski & Jane Apple
Spread the Word/ Advertise: Ben Welton
Researcher: Dillon Richards
7) Finally, create a timeline of 4-5 major milestones points in the project that you will need to achieve to move forward
Step 1: Develop the idea for a creative outlet for students (chalkboards and webpage) Here is when we will decide exactly what we want people to be writing on the boards and we will gather how they can participate. Research into other outlets for students that promotes happiness.
Step 2: Advertise for the hashtag (#umainemotivators) so that students know what is coming and know how to participate.
Step 3: Gather supplies for the interactive chalkboards that will be placed on campus and other potential interactive aspects. (Advertise on twitter and blog)
Step 4: Place the creative chalkboards on campus with necessary supplies so that students can interact with our project. We want to know what would make them happy and what would lift their spirits. (Advertise on twitter and blog)
Step 5: Using the data we gather from the chalkboards, we can establish what students are really looking for that will give them the support and motivation that they need to make it through the semester. (Advertise on twitter and blog)
Step 6: We act upon the data gathered and deliver by making a difference. Through the suggestions that we receive of what would make Umaine better for students, we can conclude what will actually make a positive change for them. We can help with that change by either getting in with the right contact and proposing an idea or we, ourselves can take in into our own hands and help the students with what they think is necessary to make Umaine a better and happier place.
Stefan Sagmeister: 7 rules for making more happiness | Video on TED.com
www.ted.com