"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." (sometimes attributed to Margaret Mead)

What a build-up we are having to the 2016 election!  Reading between the lines, we can see fear and racism and xenophobia. Sounds like a great time for International Educators to make our voices heard.

This is definitely time to move outside your comfort zone.

The good news? NAFSAns are experts in moving beyond their comfort zone. Think back to the experiences you've had that were the most meaningful in your life. They all took you outside your comfort zone, didn't they? In our professional lives, we work with this concept every day, whether it's helping people learn a new language or culture, developing programs that encourage American students to take exciting next steps, or easing the way through the thickets of bureaucracy for international students and scholars.

Region XII wants to offer you such an opportunity in the form of support for NAFSA's Advocacy Day which takes place in March of every year. In this three day professional development opportunity, NAFSAns are trained by NAFSA staff to become advocates for International Education goals. Then (here's the outside the comfort zone part), participants make visits to their Congressional delegation offices, meet with Congressional staff members, and discuss a variety of IE goals as they pertain to Congressional action. You would go with fellow NAFSAns on these visits and you have all the help you'll need in the form of background information and leave-behind messages. Get ready to dazzle your boss with this outside-the-box idea.

Region XII is awarding four grants in support of attending NAFSA Advocacy Day. There will be one grant awarded to one individual per district (Hawaii/Pacific District, Southern California District, Northern California District, and the recently formed Nevada District). The Advocacy Day deadline is fast approaching, so please continue reading.

Grant Information

Grant deadline is Friday, January 8, 2016

Region XII Grant application:

In order to be considered eligible for a Region XII Advocacy Grant, applicants must:

• Be current NAFSA members.
• Reside or be employed in Region XII.
• Apply for Advocacy Day attendance through NAFSA.
• Make an Advocacy Day presentation at the home institution (upon return.
• Within one month of the completion of Advocacy Day, create a multimedia presentation (power point, blog, etc.) for the Region XII website.
• Attend the entire program to receive grant funding.
• The recipient will be required to co-present with a NAFSA board or staff member at the regional conference following Advocacy Day attendance. If the recipient is unable to attend the regional conference, s/he will create a multimedia presentation that may be incorporated into an advocacy presentation. (This may be the same multimedia presentation prepared for the Region XII website.)

Reimbursement

Costs will be reimbursed up to the limit of the grant based on the following criteria:

1. Reimbursable items include:
1. Travel, limited to the most economic means of travel
2. Hotel
3. Food, using federal per diem rates
2. Recipient must submit the following in order to be reimbursed for expenses:
1. A Reimbursement Request form (which can be obtained from the Region XII Treasurer)
2. An original receipt for each item for which reimbursement is requested
3. A letter from supervisor or other institutional administrator verifying that an institutional presentation has been scheduled or made.
4. Submission of the multimedia presentation to the Region XII chair and/or other verification determined by the Region XII chair.

No individual is eligible to receive this grant more than once in any five-year period. The grant award will cover one representative per district as follows:

• Hawaii & Pacific Islands - $2000 ($1500 from Region XII and $500 from HI/PAC District)
• Nevada District - $1000
• Northern California District - $1000
• Southern California District - $1000