Idea Napkin No. 1

1) My name is Joey Carrillo. I am Cuban and I was born and raised in Miami before coming to UF. I speak both English and Spanish and enjoy playing the guitar. I also love nature and athletic activity. I am always ready to joke around and I love meeting new people. I also pride myself in being able to work hard when needed. These qualities are helpful in enjoying a trip to the Dominican Republic with BLUE. BLUE is a nonprofit organization that I first brought to my high school. I led my first trip in the summer of 2016 before my freshman summer b. From the moment I became a leader in the organization I embraced it as my own. My aspiration is to  gather UF students to begin the UF chapter of BLUE so that we can go on our first BLUE@UF trip to the Dominican next year which I will be leading.

2) BLUE's goal is to provide clean drinking water/faucets to poor communities' homes in parts of the Dominican Republic for the very first time. The trip would be next upcoming summer for about 7-10 days. BLUE trips are an incredible immersion experience in which 15-20 young american adults work hand in hand with dozens of locals to complete the water project. Three meals are provided daily in the cost of the trip as well as flight costs and sleeping arrangements. Once more in-depth stages of my opportunity begin to unfold, I will be able to provide detailed packing lists as far as what clothing, footwear, and miscellaneous gear would be beneficial. Lastly, considering that we can not drink the local water, we have sponsorships that provide us with dozens of 5 gallon purified water jugs for the trip.

3) My ideal customers are ages 18-24. Really, anyone in UF undergraduate or graduate programs would be a primary customer. BLUE trips are an exciting and exhausting cultural experience. Spending a week living more simply is an eye-opening experience for many sheltered americans (like myself) but also requires you to be healthy and in relatively good shape. This, along with the fact that our age group is open to multicultural experiences, makes 18-24 year olds my primary customers.

4) I have already gotten dozens of friends and family involved in our organization and it is really inspiring to see the lasting impact that our trips have on high school and college students. By participating in a BLUE service trip you're not only doing community service, but also making so many lasting memories with both your peers and the locals. Moreover, while the trip is exhausting and some of our time is spent either hiking or shoveling, there is PLENTY of time for play, relaxation, mediation, cultural immersion, meeting local children, you name it! Toward the end of the trip we may even go to a nearby beach and/or waterfall. BLUE is a service organization but my experiences have definitely felt like a vacation looking back on it.

5) I have the experience of going on two BLUE trips already and leading one of them. I have the resources in place for my fellow gators to participate on a trip co-led by me and enjoy it to the fullest. I am bilingual which helps me communicate with the local workers in spanish. However, I have friends that speak zero spanish and have had an incredible experience with the locals on BLUE trips as well. 

While I have a clear definition of my opportunity, it is a bit complex so it is hard to describe without speaking directly with a customer and/or showing pictures and videos. Thus, my response to number 2 may leave certain customers still asking questions about what exactly my opportunity is and what it provides for them. Hopefully with some feedback I will be able to refine my descriptions of my opportunity so that customers can get an even better understanding of what BLUE has to offer. Other than that, I feel like I have a clear target audience and great support base to reach my goal of having a BLUE@UF trip next year.