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Leadership Growth for Green SOS Council

Region: China
Author: Lu Hongyan, Environmental Volunteer Association
Consortium Member: Sichuan University Environmental Education Center
Status: Completed - Final Report Budget: $1760 Collected: $1760 Needs: $0
Result: To encourage Chinese student initiatives by developing young people's capacity to run a small grants program
Donors: Ford Foundation, through Virtual Foundation's Regional Grant-Making Program [July 2002]

Background

In the early spring of 2002, the Environmental Volunteers Association at Sichuan University in Chengdu received a grant of $2,500. The goal was to to encourage Chinese young people's environmental initiatives, by making "mini-grants" of about $250 available to the groups which designed the most effective projects. To implement this grant, leaders from different Chinese university student groups gathered to publicize the opportunity throughout universities in Western China. They titled it the "Green SOS Fund". They publicized the availability of these small grants, established criteria and deadlines for evaluating projects, and set up a mechanism for online public reporting of the entire process. More information, including their MidTerm Report, can be seen at "Funded Projects - China", "Green SOS Small Grants Fund" on the Virtual Foundation website.

Of the 15 members of the Green SOS Fund Council, there are 9 from provinces outside Sichuan, including: 1 from Xinjing, 2 from Xi'an, 1 from Lanzhou, 2 from Guiyang, one from Kunming (Yunnan Province) 1 from Nanning, and 1 from Chongqing. This diversity encouraged participation from a wide variety of geograhically dispersed groups, rather than limiting it to those in the immediate area of the original grant recipient in Chengdu.

Goals

To bring all the members (15 people) of the Green SOS Fund Council together for two days, in order to:

• review the project and set up improved rules for next year;
• reach a two-year development planning for www.greensos.org;
• build leadership capacity for young people.

Budget

Transportation by train (hard sleeper) of 9 participants from other provinces, to Chengdu	$ 650
Rooms for 10 people for two nights	$ 180
Communications	$150
Food (15 people for two days)	$ 150
Transportation costs for additional participants	$517
Virtual Foundation administrative fee	$ 113
Total Requested	$ 1760