Project J.U: A New Era of Self and Social Acceptance
Project J.U is a nonprofit organization that helps individuals recognize the great potential they possess because of their uniqueness and personal values.
About You
About You
First Name
J.U
Last Name
Jones
Twitter URL
Facebook URL
About Your Organization
Organization Name
Project J.U
Organization Website
Organization Country
United States, NY, New York, New York County
Country where this project is creating social impact
United States, NY, New York, New York County
Is your organization a
Non‐profit / NGO / Citizen sector organization
Your role in Education
Other.
The type of school(s) your solution is affiliated with
Other
How long has your organization been operating?
Less than a year
Innovation
Select the stage that best applies to your solution
Start-Up (a pilot that has just begun operating)
How long has your solution been in operation?
Operating for less than a year
The Need: What problem are you trying to solve?
People everywhere have moments where they do not feel special. These feelings can be caused by an array of situations including a negative personal outlook or from the opinions of others.
Over the last decade, various studies have been conducted about self-esteem. The time has finally come for us to move forward with these studies through the personification of self and social acceptance. This can accomplish through the help of people’s personal life stories to create a program that helps people learn to love, embrace and accept themselves while respecting and embracing everyone else.
The Solution: What is your solution? Be specific!
The solution is to create “A New Era of Self and Social Acceptance” that says that every person is special with no regards to age, gender, weight, physical attributes, sexual orientation or ethnicity. This can be accomplished using the Project J.U mantra “Just Unique.”
Unique, a noun and adjective, describes a person who is one of a kind or unlike anything else. “Just Unique” describes a person who unconditionally accepts and embraces everything about themselves and others.
When someone says that they are “J.U” or “Just Unique” they are saying that “My uniqueness does not end or stop with me because I unconditionally accept, embrace and respect myself and others.”
The Model: Walk us through a specific example of how your solution makes a difference; include your primary activities
Project J.U has a goal of providing empowerment, education and life skills to the community with a special dedication to at-risk students and adults who need assistance with understanding the importance of being an individual and embracing uniqueness of self and others. We believe that we can accomplish this goal through various workshops, forums, ad campaigns, youtube videos, and through social media messaging.
The key is to teach self and social acceptance through the heart-felt stories of others who endured issues with loving self and/or loving others. These stories will always harp on how the person being interviewed learned to be “Just Unique.”
The Project J.U campaigns will show the spirt of being “Just Unique” by featuring people who are all different from one another. Whether it is the person’s background or their walk-of-life, Project J.U will work to show the audience how this situation made the interviewee “Just Unique.”
The Marketplace: Who are your peers and competitors? Identify others also working to address the needs you are and what differentiates you from them. What challenges could these players pose to your success or growth?
Project J.U believes that the concept of the organization due to the organization's mantra, “Just Unique,” sets it in a special category from other players who might serve as competition. We believe that organizations that are dedicated to anti-bullying could pose challenges to our success because the lines separating Anti-Bullying vs. Self and Social acceptance can sometimes be blurred.
The key is to remember that Project J.U is not dedicated to one specific cause (i.e. bullying) but is dedicated to the message of Self and Social Acceptance in every realm.
Now that you have thought out your entry, help us pitch it.
Define your company, program, service, or product in 1-2 short sentences [136 characters]
Project J.U helps individuals recognize the great potential they possess because of their uniqueness and personal values.
Identify what is innovative about your solution in 1-2 short sentences [136 characters]
Through a organizational mantra, "Just Unique," Project J.U teaches self love and acceptance of others through stories from real people.
Social Impact
This Entry is about (Issues)
What has been the impact of your solution to date?
Having starting the Project online, the major impact of the Project J.U solution has been through social media.
Currently Project J.U reaches over 200 people on its Facebook fan page www.facebook.com/projectju.nonprofit. The highest peak on this page reached people reached 225 people and had almost more that 15 users engaged in conversation submitting three words that make each of them "Just Unique."
Project J.U relaunches fully on April 26, 2012 with a brand new website. This relaunch will assist us with touching more people’s lives with our messaging via social media outlets and in-person campaigns.
A quick and easy microsite was launched January 1, 2012 in anticipation of the relaunch. This microsite will be updated with in-person re-launch campaign dates by April 5, 2012. Re-launch event details will be posted by April 10, 2012.
What is your projected impact over the next 1-3 years?
Within one year, following the April 26, 2012 re-launch, Project J.U plans to reach at least 500 people though in-person events (post carding, forums, workshops, etc) and obtain a following of at least 400 people on Facebook.
Within the next three years following the re-launch, Project J.U sees its’ projected impact at about 2000 to 2500 people. This number would include social media followers and people who attend in person events.
Winning entries present a strong plan for how they will achieve and track growth. Identify your six-month milestone for growing your impact
Project J.U will partner with at least 2 organizations to help spread the message of self & social acceptance.
Identify three major tasks you will have to complete to reach your six-month milestone
Task 1
Launch a quarterly 15 to 30-min Youtube show that advocates the organization's mission.
Task 2
Build a database of 10 to 15 dedicated volunteers who all different and share an appreciation for love of self and others.
Task 3
Create a marketing campaign (2 - 4 different looks) that can be shared on social media platforms and published in print format.
Now think bigger! Identify your 12-month impact milestone
Project J.U will premiere “Being Just Unique in 20XX:” a collective community program dedicated to reviewing the previous year.
Identify three major tasks you will have to complete to reach your 12-month milestone
Task 1
Obtain 501(c)3 status to better serve our community by obtaining grants that will help further the reach of our programming.
Task 2
Launch a Project J.U mobile website to help the community access Project J.U programming almost anywhere.
Task 3
Pilot a 6 to 12 site “road trip” with the goal of advocating self and social acceptance through Project J.U.
Founding Story: We want to hear about your "Aha!" moment. Share the story of where and when the founder(s) saw this solution's potential to change the world [125 words]
During his K - 12 school years, Julius learned self-love the hard way. From not loving himself, all the way to suicidal thoughts, he worked to create a persona that embraced uniqueness & self love. His peers called him JuJu. He later cut that nickname short (Ju) and then started spelling it out (J.U) in an effort to find happiness & define himself. In undergrad, J.U immersed himself in student life. This fuelled his passion for helping others & prompted him to begin his journey as a voiceover professional & Philanthropist. With his definition in hand (Just Unique), J.U started working to help people love themselves & others no matter what hence the new nonprofit call Project J.U.
Sustainability
Tell us about your partnerships
Project J.U is confident that it will build several partnerships within the next six months to a one year.
What type of team (staff, volunteers, etc.) will ensure that you achieve the growth milestones identified in the Social Impact section? [75 words]
Project J.U will need to obtain a main staff of 2 more people with a possibility of up to 20 volunteers. The 2 main staff members will help with maintaining the organization alongside the Founder. One of the two staff members will maintain all program volunteers. This is important as volunteers help drive all of the work Project J.U does. The current Board of Directors will still be actively working on the high level needs of the organization.
Please elaborate on any needs or offers you have mentioned above and/or suggest categories of support that aren't specified within the list
Due to previous work that J.U Jones has done regarding voice performing, he would donate his voice for positive causes. Whether his voice is used for radio or television ads, he would assist in anyway possible.
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