The professional development benefits and skill sets that are cultivated by partaking in advocacy are innumerable - networking, identifying priorities and needs, effectively pressing for change, developing a voice - the list goes on. The Alumni Connect program has developed 5 basic avenues of advocacy to empower you to stay involved and to encourage others to become involved in sustainable development. Each of these overarching methods has various activities so that you can contribute to the active promotion sustainable development work on your own university's campus or within your community. Additionally, you will find a list of downloadable Resources here.

1. Inspire Others to Become Involve
2. Invest in Your Career
3. Advice for Future Participants
4. Share Your Experience
5. Help Build FSD

1. Inspire Others To Become Involved:

Sharing your experience and presenting in front of people is not only an important part of the re-entry experience, its great professional experience. FSD is available to provide you with materials to hand out and a way to gather names of interested individuals with whom we'll follow-up. Simply contact alumni@fsdinternational.org. You can bring photos and memorabilia to share with interested students so that it's easier to share your stories and FSD can even provide you with an easily updated PowerPoint presentation that you can personalize

1. Be an FSD Representative at an event: Every year FSD is represented at college fairs, conferences, and events around the country and we need active alumni to represent us at these events and speak about their experiences. It is incredibly important to get others involved in grassroots sustainable development, and sharing your experiences at these events is a great way to do that.
2. Host an Information Session or Table: Information sessions can be as simple as doing a presentation for friends and having it open to any interested parties, setting up an information table on FSD or service learning in general in a busy place on campus, or just making yourself available for people to stop by and ask you questions. If you are still in college, ask your study abroad or student affairs office how to book a room somewhere on campus, as well as how to advertise the event at your university (FSD can provide you with personalized fliers).
3. Connect with University Programs to be a featured Panelist: By presenting as part of a panel you have the chance to share your experience and knowledge of life abroad with people who are seeking this information. University departments like Study Abroad or International Relations departments are always looking for active students to present about their experience, and it’s a great way to build your resume. Not only will you gain confidence in presenting as you do more of these events, you will make invaluable contacts for references.
4. Present in front of a class or organization: Presenting in front of an audience is a great way to build your skills and is a desired skill in almost any professional setting. Present about your experience to local organizations, like Rotary, a sorority or fraternity, or other small groups that might have an interest in FSD. Another option is to work with professors, academic advisors, or your study abroad office to share your experience with classes on your campus. These presentations can be as formal or informal as you like and FSD can help you prepare for them.

2. Invest in Your Career:

As you gain more development experience and decide where you want your career to go, it’s helpful to network and become involved in initiatives that will not only plump up your resume but give you valuable professional contacts and experience.

1. Use the Alumni Connect resources: We have compiled a list of helpful resources for you from list-serves, job boards, national and international job banks, and general advice for plumping up your resume. We hope this resource is of use to you as you continue on your path.
2. Fundraise for your organization: Just because you are no longer in country doesn’t mean your connection to your organization has to stop. A great way to stay connected with the work you were doing abroad is to continue to fundraise for your project or organization. Check out the Fundraising section for more information.
3. Visit departments and organizations at your University: Contact and find out what is going on with departmens and organizations. Are there partnership possibilities between your university or an organization and FSD? Making contacts at these departments or with local organizations is not only useful to you as you begin to network, but it is a great way to get some quality references.
4. Start an FSD Chapter: More information coming soon...

3. Advice for Future Participants

Remember when you began your search for an internship how hard it was to choose a country, or a program, and then an organization? Well now that you have been through the process of applying, gone abroad, and potentially gone through culture shock you have knowledge that can help future participants.

1. Join the Alumni Referral List: The Alumni Referral List is used to connect potential participants with alumni to help give unbiased answers to some of their questions. If you're interested in sharing your advice, tips, stories, and energy, email alumni@fsdinternational.org and become a referee… no uniform required.
2. Send a letter/email to friends and family: This letter can be as simple as encouraging people to volunteer their time abroad, encouraging your congressional representative to back service learning initiatives, or if you are fundraising for a specific project it can describe the work you are doing and encourage them to get involved.
3. Write a letter to a future participant: This can be completely anonymous if you wish and will be given to participants before they leave. It should contain anything from your fears/concerns before you left and how you addressed them, travel tips, cultural adjustment tips, general recommendations for places to visit, or even as simple as advice. You can submit your letters to alumni@fsdinternational.org.

4. Share Your Experience

Friends and family may be tiring of hearing your stories, but there is a huge community of people out there who not only want to hear them, they need to! Sharing your experiences is an important part of the re-entry process, and at FSD we are always excited to hear about your experiences.

1. Submit an article, essay, poem, or story about your experience: There are a plethora of websites, magazines, and local papers that accept written submission on various topics related to sustainable development and abroad experiences. Not only are your submitted articles beneficial to the reader who will be gaining an understanding of how to get involved in sustainable development work and all the issues pertaining to this work, but its great experience for you and your resume. You can find some tips and help in the downloadable Resource section below.
2. Enter the Photo Contest: Don’t forget to submit your photos to the FSD Photo Contest. The details for the contest can be found in the downloadable Resource section below.

5. Help Build FSD:

1. Be apart of a panel we contact with ideas: As FSD moves forward with different initiatives and grows its programs we are always interested to see what ideas and input our alumni have. By being apart of the FSD Alumni panel you will receive infrequent emails about alumni services, our website, programmatic endeavors, and more. We will test ideas with you during the year and you simple can choose to respond with any feedback you may have. It’s an easy and fun way to stay involved with FSD and share your opinion.

Resources:

• Download the Share Your Experience Guide.
• Download the rules and guidelines for the FSD Photography Contest.
  
  
  
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