Decide Model

DECIDE Model

Define the Goal:

This project was created in order to give back to the community. The goal of our project was to promote higher education to students who come from underprivileged homes, and to get them active. By interacting with the students as representatives of Boise State University, we were trying to influence the students to strive for college after they graduate. We thought by interacting with the children it would bring the idea of college to the surface. We wanted to reach this goal by getting the students active and providing them with a memorable experience.

Examine the Constraints:

        There were many constraints we faced when putting this project together. Some of the constraints we faced from the beginning included time, money, and resources. After putting together our project we were faced with many other constraints such as games that target the student’s interests, gaining and keeping the attention of the students when we were at the school, and being able to talk with the student’s one on one about their goals for the future. While we were able to connect with many of the students at times it was very difficult to hold their attention on the topic.

Consider the Alternatives:

        Coming up with the project was little difficult because there were so many different opinions and what we should do and what people’s interests were. The method we used in this stage was writing everyone’s interest on the board (towards a service project), voting on the top 2-3 and then thinking about the remaining projects and interests. We finally came to a decision about a week after the initial brain storming session. As a group we had to find ideas that would best fit our project and the goal of giving back to the community. We discussed such things as a book drive, clothing drive, and a readathon. It wasn’t until we were able to talk with Barbra English the head of the community center of Whitney Elementary that we were able to target exactly what the students needed.

Initiate a Decision:

        After we pick our goal for the project the next step was to initiate what needed to be done. We knew that we wanted to do something that would get the kids active and still be able to reach our goal. After a unanimous vote our team decided on a game day for the students. Barbra thought that this idea was wonderful and it reassured our group that we had come up with a good idea for our project. The first thing our team had to accomplish was coming up with donations that would cover the prizes and materials we would need for the project. At first this task seemed impossible but the more we talked with peoples the more and more donations we started to receive. In the end we were able to come up with all the materials needed for the event, and enough prizes to give to every student that attended. The final step we had to complete was figuring out a time with Barbra that would work best with her community center schedule. In the end we were all able to come together and Barbra was able to provide us with enough volunteers to aid us in our event.