Examining our Expansion
by Hannah Robbins on March 15, 2010
Every one of our meetings begin with a description of Globemed. We describe the network, the work of partnerships, the passion of our partners and students. At times, GlobeMed is a difficult concept to convey because of our duel strengths: long-term partnerships and a genuine movement built on the dedication of a student network. This conversation always builds to a climax when we enthusiastically announce, ´´And now we are expanding! To fifteen new chapters!´ Until now, this pitch has just been an exciting way to being talks about the potential for colaboration. However, having missed the pivotal fortifying event of our network--the Summit--,we´ve started thinking more deeply about these fifteen new groups that we are promoting every day.We remember how good it feels at the Summit, surrounded by people who share our beliefs and goals for global health equity and have the intelligence and drive to work towards them. With such a large leap of expansion, how will that intimate sense of a close network be maintained? Though undoubtedly the solidarity between a chapter and its partner will continue, we wonder about the solidarity of the network. With such a conscious effort to grow, what conscious efforts must be made to ensure that the powerful closeness of the student network grows as well?
As an organization we have been thinking about and preparing for this expansion for over a year. Coming down from the Summit high, what do you as the network think are the important steps for incorporating these fifteen new chapters into our ´´GlobeMed Love´´? What are the roles of the National Office, the chapter, and the individual in making this happen?
(P.S. we really do wish we could have been at the Summit with you all. Check out the video we made to say hi: click here!)
This post is #8 of an ongoing series for the GlobeMed Partner Search Fellows Program, through which GlobeMed's two PSFP Fellows, Rachel Berkowitz and Hannah Robbins, aim to build partnerships between GlobeMed and 15 new community-based health NGOs in Central and South America. These posts will help us follow their journey, as Rachel and Hannah help GlobeMed expand to new university chapters and community-based partners this coming year. To read the entire series of blog posts, click here.
Lalith says on March 18, 2010 at 10:57am:
Hi Hannah and Rachel, Thank you for this blog post, I actually talked with several people about this at the Summit, so it's on people's minds. I have now had the opportunity to attend three Summits and each subsequent Summit has seen a growth in attendance from the previous year. This has not diluted my experience, but instead enhanced it because I am able to share the Summit with more people. Y'all at the national office have adapted your ideas each year to make sure that there is a balance, and not a tradeoff, between summit size and personal inspiration. This year, small group discussions was that idea. So as the network grows, I imagine Summits will be even more powerful because we will continue to meet the exciting challenge of more participants through ideas like these. LalithVictor says on March 23, 2010 at 3:52pm:
I absolutely agree with Lalith. I think we can use our growth as an opportunity for creating more 'personal' relationships and experiences. First, network-wide events like the Leadership Institute and the Summit should continue to have repeated opportunities for small-group discussions and social events. That's worked really well, as Lalith mentioned. Second, we can use critical milestones and moments in the year to have more cross-chapter dialogue and 'national conversations' or initiatives, like the Facebook challenge. One of the things we've learned from the Obama campaign is that a large movement can indeed still feel intensely personal, if individuals feel like there are enough opportunities for participation. Every 'communication' we make should be an opportunity for 'participation' of some sort, whether its a globalhealthU webinar or launching 15 new chapters and 15 new partnerships. Let's figure out ways to get as many people involved as possible in network-wide and even individual chapter projects. Lastly, continuing to invest in and use technology, like our website, will be critical. Tech/IT will enable our human to human relationships blossom over time, even as we work on our many campuses. Hope these are a few useful ideas.