JSA has the opportunity to channel its delegates' passion for involvement into a positive impact by creating fundraising partnerships with organizations sharing a purpose. These partnerships would be mutually beneficial as they could assist both external causes and JSAF fundraising efforts. Action Plan The Department of Fundraising will identify potential partners and reach out The Convention Coordinators and the Department of Fundraising Department will collaborate to create convention programming to involve delegates in fundraising

In a high-priority effort to create tangible and lasting change in the environments of delegates, the JSA Speak Up campaign would provide resources and support for chapters to engage with systems of politics and change in their areas. By boosting involvement in school board meetings, city councils, and local service organizations, JSAers can take part in reform that they believe is necessary. Action Plan The Department of Activism will create a thorough guide for chapters to identify and address problems within their community and locate the appropriate body to create this change The Department of Publicity will work to create media connections to further the message of delegate impact and increase involvement Chapter Internal Affairs will coordinate with chapters and assist them in navigating the process, pairing them with the resources they need

Pairing delegates with non-partisan activism initiatives that create impact would serve to better align JSA with its mission of accomplishing activism. Making it easier for chapters to identify projects like voter registration drives, food drives, or human rights campaigning and existing organizations to achieve these goals as well as facilitating access at conventions will allow JSA to better affect the world. Action Plan The Department of Activism will locate organizations and resources and compile them for chapters to use Chapter Internal Affairs will distribute these materials to chapter leadership and TAs

To inspire political action, JSA should provide opportunities for delegates to volunteer, organize, and intern with internal and external organizations. Action Plan The Department of Publicity will identify delegate-created initiatives and aggregate opportunities The Department of Activism will find non-partisan involvement opportunities across organizations The Department of Publicity will publish these opportunities to make them available to a larger scope of delegates

The Midwest State has involvement from a number of JSA delegates who are currently unable to take part in conventions. Omitting these valuable voices from such a crucial aspect of the JSA experience is an oversight that needs to be acted on. Action Plan The CIA Director in conjunction with Midwest Exec will communicate with JSAF to achieve a solution to the current policy The Chapter Internal Affairs and Expansion departments will invite unaffiliated and expansion chapters to conventions & provide them with preparation materials

An effective way to cater to the interests and ideas of all members of JSA is to ask for input from them on the structure and activities of conventions. Through this input, we are able to acutely improve the convention experience. Action Plan The Department of Publicity will promote an input form or poll for convention programming Chapter Internal Affairs will ask Chapter Presidents for their input individually After a convention, the Department of Publicity will promote a feedback form to better plan future activities Chapter Internal Affairs will debrief with Chapter Presidents and TAs regarding the success of convention programming

Along with creating diverse and nuanced resolutions, the activism blocks should also be more interactive to engage every member of JSA. Action Plan The Department of Publicity will poll delegates for topics of interest and communicate these to the Department of Activism The Department of Activism will collaborate with the Convention Coordinators to implement their interactive blocks, incorporating learning about a topic into taking action to address the relevant problem, creating stations for delegates to attend, or facilitating discussion between delegates

In order to include the interests and views of all JSA members, resolutions at conventions should be varied and unique. This will engage members to a greater extent. Action Plan The Department of Debate will work with Chapter Internal Affairs to collect successful and desired debate topics from chapters across the Midwest The Department of Publicity will promote a form for delegates to submit resolution ideas

Connecting with local news media will allow JSA to grow larger and reach even more high schools in the Midwest. While serving to greater publicize the conventions themselves, news media connections serve the greater goal of expanding JSA as a whole. Action Plan The Publicity Department will reach out to local news media outlets via email and social media prior to conventions An open dialogue between Publicity and the news media will be kept throughout the year Chapter Internal Affairs will inform Publicity of upcoming chapter events for publication locally

In order to prepare chapters to attend conventions and reduce confusion for new convention attendees, Cabinet will create convention preparation checklists for chapters to use to establish a clearer timeline and outline for chapters to follow. Action Plan Chapter Internal Affairs will distribute information made collaboratively by the Convention Coordinators, featuring information from the Department of Debate.

Respect is a primary expectation for all JSA delegates. Decorum guides can give delegates an example and representation on how to conduct themselves with respect. Decorum guides would include information such as how to respond to a differing opinion respectfully and how to facilitate a debate efficiently. Action Plan The Department of Debate and the Convention Coordinators will compile information regarding decorum The Department of Publicity will format this information for distribution Chapter Internal Affairs will disseminate this guide for delegates to view

Every chapter in the Midwest is vital to improving JSA, and it is our responsibility to make less-populous chapters feel included and supported. To accomplish this, individualized action plans need to be developed and closely monitored to boost attendance. Action Plan Chapter Internal Affairs and the Department of Expansion will discuss with Chapter Presidents of identified struggling chapters the factors surrounding their success A specifically created plan will be checked in on frequently by the CIA agent assigned to the chapter

The Midwest is unable to access large amounts of talent and leadership as a result of inadequate advertising and roles that do not suit the diverse lifestyles of delegates. By introducing a new level of Cabinet participation that requires less commitment than is required of an agent and by considering how Cabinet positions can be restructured, JSA can involve a greater number of people and opinions. Action Plan Midwest Exec will meet with delegates to discuss what kinds of roles would fit them and their lives and work to materialize these roles within Cabinet Midwest Exec will create and oversee a new body of delegates that would meet occasionally to provide input, brainstorm ideas, and assist departments with their workload

Cabinet members are expected to maintain a high level of attendance at events, involvement in fundraisers, and participation in work/social events. This financial barrier limits potential Cabinet members from involvement. Creating additional assistance for Cabinet members would serve to promote diversity within Cabinet and at conventions. Action Plan Midwest Exec will communicate with JSAF to establish an additional scholarship designation

Ensuring that the core values of the Midwest are prioritized in Cabinet should be more closely monitored. Regular anonymous check-in surveys facilitated by the Chief of Staff would provide a better pulse on JSA culture. Creating a disciplinary guideline for dealing with unfair incidents can be formed to guarantee a safe experience for all delegates. Action Plan The Chief of Staff will identify areas of inequity, develop a survey for all Cabinet members to take, and create a disciplinary framework that is communicated to Midwest Exec and Cabinet as a whole Midwest Exec will work to formulate solutions to identified problems

The cost of conventions can pose a roadblock for the attendance of delegates. For these delegates, a lack of promotion and confusion frequently deter them from applying for scholarships that could help them pay to come to the convention. Action Plan Midwest Exec will communicate scholarship availability early to the Cabinet departments The Department of Publicity will create distributable materials for chapters to easily implement explaining scholarships Chapter Internal Affairs will frequently communicate scholarship information and ensure that Chapter Presidents are informing their chapter adequately

Midwest Cabinet creates the programming experienced by all delegates within the state and offers leadership opportunities to JSAers. Having disproportionate representation within Cabinet can lead to a failure to serve the interests of delegates across the entire state. Reconsidering the roles on Cabinet, their scope, and the application process will serve to create a more equitable leadership across demographics and chapters. Action Plan Midwest Exec will facilitate meetings prior to opening applications to draft Cabinet reforms Midwest Exec will meet with delegates to better understand why their chapters experience varying amounts of Cabinet involvement

Having resources provided to chapters can reduce the workload on an executive board while assisting them in gaining members. Using the publicity team available on Cabinet, high-quality multi-medium materials can be released. Action Plan Chapter Internal Affairs will report the needs and concerns of individual chapters to Publicity Publicity will create custom materials for print and digital distributions CIA will distribute the graphics back to chapters

A one-size-fits-all approach isn’t always useful for chapter growth tips. By approaching chapters individually, strategy plans can be developed to better guide chapter leadership in improving chapter success. Action Plan Chapter Internal Affairs will have focused chapter-by-chapter calls with Chapter Presidents specifically to identify chapter-specific problems and solutions and draft a strategy plan

Using the promotional tools available within social media and search engines, JSA can improve its online scope of engagement to promote chapter creation. Action Plan The Expansion and Publicity Departments will collaborate to create a campaign strategy and media materials The Midwest Executive Board and Fundraising Department will work to secure funds to sponsor the online campaigns

Securing a future for JSA starts with creating a strong base of freshman and sophomore delegates. Establishing awareness of leadership opportunities for underclassmen can allow early access to leadership, learning, and ascension to higher positions. Action Plan Chapter Internal Affairs will communicate to Chapter Presidents that underclassmen should be given workshop opportunities and request that Cabinet applications are advertised The Department of Publicity will publish materials catering specifically to underclassmen offering the available opportunities

By creating joint initiatives, social media promotion, and mutually available opportunities, individuals already involved in advocacy, service, politics, or debate can become aware of JSA, increasing involvement and opening the possibility to expansion. Action Plan The Activism department will find organizations already pursuing initiatives that JSA would like to adopt Publicity will reach out and work to create a partnership Convention Coordinators will work mutual initiatives into convention blockings Expansion will collaborate with those interested to open expansion chapters

By creating connections with news organizations, the long-pursued mission of making JSA a household name becomes more attainable Action Plan The Publicity Department can aggregate news providers and create contacts Chapter Internal Affairs can inform Publicity prior to chapter events to assist with local coverage

By hosting debates on the same resolution across Midwest chapters, a broad pulse of the state can be identified, bringing separate chapters together through a common discussion. Allowing chapters to use this common resolution will decrease the workload on chapter debate development and will provide delegates with an interesting data point. Action Plan The Department of Debate will draft debate resolutions on a regular basis that appeal to a large range of chapters Chapter Internal Affairs will provide chapters with the option to incorporate this debate into their programming and will collect back vote counts The Department of Publicity will publish the tabulated Midwest-wide vote results on social media

Working together and sharing ideas is a huge part of what keeps JSA alive around the Midwest. Facilitating collaboration between local chapters for exchanging ideas, having joint meetings, or hosting chapter conventions will allow for more participation and growth within JSA chapters. Action Plan Chapter Internal Affairs will provide Chapter Presidents and Teacher Advisors with the contact information of other CPs and TAs in the area CIA will facilitate a call with local Chapter Presidents at the beginning of the year to meet each other and open communication The Debate and Activism departments will provide written resources for planning joint meetings, Chapter Conventions, and other collaborative events

Chapter executive boards and officers are a vital part of a chapter's success in creating engaging programming and finding membership. Chapter presidents depend on their officers for support and distribute the work of leading a chapter accordingly. Making Cabinet directors accessible to chapter executive board members and officers would allow for greater efficiency and collaboration between members of chapter executive boards and greater implementation of initiatives and coordination between Midwest Cabinet and chapters around our state. Action Plan At the beginning of the year, chapter presidents and teacher advisors will submit the contacts of chapter executive officers to Chapter Internal Affairs to be distributed to their matching Cabinet departments At the beginning of the year, department directors open communication with chapter executive board members and regularly reach out to continue that communication and facilitate a dialogue about their specific position and department Example: The Director of Activism will brainstorm with chapters to create activism initiatives and offer solutions

By exposing schools without JSA chapters to JSA events, more interest can be generated and chapters can have access to a greater number of people for initiatives. Inviting out-of-school clubs or organizations to chapter events can be implemented on a chapter level with Cabinet support. Action Plan Chapter Internal Affairs will work with CPs to find and contact nearby schools, taking input from the Department of Expansion on schools that have expressed interest The Department of Activism will provide initiatives or resolutions to be used The Department of Publicity will provide materials such as fliers or graphics to publicize the event at both schools CIA will interface with school administrations to create these events. After these meetings, Expansion will work with the new contacts to set up expansion chapters