Idea Napkin No. 2

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. 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, food, and miscellaneous gear would be beneficial. On the last day of the trip we also go to a nearby beach and/or waterfall.  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. The most important aspect, however, of what BLUE can offer UF students is a culturally enriching experience. 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 and bring clean water to the community for the first time.

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 many lasting memories with both your peers and the locals. BLUE trips expose you to a culture and living conditions unlike any we come across in daily life in the US. The experiences gained in as short of a time as a week on a BLUE trip will have a lasting impact on the way you think of water conservation and cultures around the world.

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. 

I am confident that all aspects of my opportunity fit together. I have personally been on two trips and even led one of them. It is the most significant cultural experience I have had in my life and many of my peers on the trips have felt the same way. I have had experience with successful BLUE trips in the past so that makes me even more confident that I can recruit Gators to join my cause this coming year. My main concerns would be logistics. I just need to be sure I can provide a flexible date and price for the trip.

"Feedback Memo" 

1) One comment I received elaborated on how UF students could feasibly want to help out communities in need. In my answer to part 4 I wanted to emphasize how BLUE trips are a service to the community.

2) Another thing I wanted to change because of the feedback I received would be to emphasize BLUE trips as a culturally enriching experience in addition to community service.

3) I will also be changing the core of my elevator pitch a bit because of the advice I received. Now, I think my elevator pitch needs to be more focused on the cultural immersion experience that makes a BLUE trip so special.

4) I will also include a few pictures of past trips in this post as per the request of one of the comments I received to give a better understanding of a BLUE trip

5) Two of the comments I received stated that my opportunity makes them want to start volunteering. I found this interesting as most people do not volunteer often. I have thus tried to adapt my Idea Napkin and Elevator Pitch to appeal to those who don't normally volunteer as a hobby.