Do or Die: A Student Org In Crisis

Earlier I posted about the concept of Leadership and how I find it difficult to describe or define. It really is something that you just experience. Case in point: 

This evening I took part in the organizational meeting of a student organization and non-profit called Nourish International. As we gathered for our inaugural event, a horrifying situation began to unfold, a situation  that I am sure will repeat itself numerous times across campus over the next week. As the full gravity of the situation became apparent it became do or die time for the organization's leadership... 

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 

Nourish is this absolutely incredible organization I was introduced to by one of my greatest friends at Ohio State during my Sophomore year at OSU. Our motto is to Eradicate Poverty by Engaging Students and Empowering Communities.

Nourish is really what I would say the typical OSU Student Organization is. It isn't one of the student org powerhouses such as the widely known and generously funded OUAB or the celebrated Ohio Staters, nor is it one of the many organizations who exist merely on paper (I'm looking at you Citizens United against Masturbation/Justice for Innocent SpermatoZoa*). We are a relatively small group of students who have been brought together by a common interest in positively impacting the world around us and are working to achieve our dreams NOW.

The organization benefits from the unique opportunities of such an incredible university but also struggles with the bureaucracy and the sometimes inevitable tendency to just become a number. Like many student orgs we have an advisor, but it really is just in name. Everything we do is truly student led and student executed. At the start of this new school year our exec board is filled with both fresh new faces and a couple of seasoned veterans (as seasoned as a three year old organization can provide). 

Every year Nourish fights to gain a little more ground and traction on campus. Over the past three years we have built an orphanage in Bolivia, and a health clinic and clean water system in Peru. Our efforts have made positive and lasting change in the lives of thousands, helping to raise the standard of living in the poverty stricken areas we aim to help.

PICTURED (Nico Mata, OSU Senior, capturing a Kodak moment with Peruvian children during the OSU chapter of Nourish's 2010 Water for the World Project in Peru)

*I didn't actually deeply research this particular organization, but I assure you they exist. I've never seen them marketed on campus, and seriously, just look at the org's abbreviation CUM/JISZ #SMH
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 

As I type this I can imagine the face of Theresa Schmidt, OSU Junior and incoming President of Nourish, as she realizes that OSU's largest student organization, Block O, is already occupying the room that she thought she had set in stone as the location of the informational session to attract new members to Nourish's cause. The well rehearsed meeting with elaborate visual aides and a powerful video on a previous trip was falling apart right before our young leader's eyes. With 30 expectant students and possible recruits knocking at the door, Theresa had to work quickly.

After some quick thinking, member Nico Mata was dispatched to the outdoor Browning Amphitheater on the side of Mirror Lake to find out if it was being used. Not only was it available, but the weather couldn't have possibly been better. The interested students were rounded up from the hallway and marched the short and scenic walk across Neil Ave. and along the banks of Mirror Lake to the old amphitheater.

Even without their visual aides the exec board shined. Each member of the team brought their own charisma to their different jobs in describing the aim of Nourish International. Their passion was inspiring as they spoke of the work that Ohio State chapter of the organization has accomplished through adversity.

By the time the presentation was concluded, the ice breakers were over, and the cupcakes were eaten, you could already feel a new family forming. Of course not every student will return, that's just a part of the game. But after today's meeting I am willing to bet that more will come back for another look at Nourish than a classroom presentation could have attracted. And maybe they will even bring a friend. That's our hope after all. And somewhere in that crowd are likely the next leaders of Nourish International, about to catch fire with the passion that the organization almost always elicits from those it touches.

Nourish now meets Tuesdays in Campbell Hall 209 at 6:30 PM. If you can't wait until next Tuesday to get involved come out to our Nourish Barbecue on Sunday at 5:30. Here's the details!