By founding a MEDLIFE Chapter, you and your peers can make a positive global impact and help us grow our movement. MEDLIFE Chapters are dynamic student groups that offer students a rewarding opportunity to volunteer with an international nonprofit, build leadership skills, and most importantly, empower low-income communities through medicine, education, and development.
As a MEDLIFE Chapter member, you can organize Service Learning Trips and recruit people from your school to join the Chapter or volunteer for an SLT. Being a MEDLIFE Chapter member is an excellent way to get involved with medical assistance services for pre-med students who are looking to diversify their resumes.
How To Get Your Chapter Started
One of the first steps you can take to get started is to set a call/meeting with a MEDLIFE Advisor who will guide you through the process of your Chapter creation. After that, you can get started on recruiting people from your school to join your Chapter. You can even ask some faculty members to help you get started and access the resources you need to spread the word. Things like flyers and posters are excellent ways to advertise. They don’t have to be fancy, all you need to do is be clear about what MEDLIFE’s mission is and how someone can get involved. Setting up a time and place to meet for anyone who is interested is a good idea.
You can also utilize social media to get the word out. Set up a Facebook or Discord group for your Chapter and create an event with the details of your first meeting where people can let you know if they are interested. Instagram is a great tool as well. You can start an account strictly for your Chapter and start posting photos and reels of what it is you do and the benefits of joining your Chapter.
Next, you need to plan your first General Body Meeting. The very first gathering can be a general overview of what MEDLIFE is and what our Service Learning Trips look like. Our website is full of resources you can use to show what we have achieved in the past. Visual aids are excellent for showing a group of people what you are aiming for. We have photos and videos available for anyone starting a MEDLIFE Chapter.
While everyone is gathered, it is a good idea to get their contact information as well as establish when the next meeting will be. You can’t expect everyone who attended your first meeting to return, but that is quite customary since the first meeting generally consists of the pitch for joining your Chapter.
Once you have a solid group of people who are interested in joining, that’s when you can start planning your next steps. Fundraising is always a great place to start. Many Chapters fundraise for Moving Mountains. Moving Mountains began in 2020 as an urgent response to the hunger crisis faced by our partner communities when COVID-19 arrived. At that time, months of strict lockdown had resulted in unemployment and financial difficulties for many. Over the last few years, Moving Mountains has evolved into an annual fundraising campaign. Donations support community initiatives that go above and beyond the Development Projects completed during Service Learning Trips. Your Chapter can also fundraise for local activities as well as any SLTs you may be planning.
You and your Chapter members can discuss ways to fundraise. Things like bake sales, bottle drives, dances, pancake breakfasts, and raffles are excellent ways to get others involved, spread the word about MEDLIFE, and raise money for a good cause.
While it can be super fun to start your own MEDLIFE Chapter, it can also be overwhelming, especially if you don’t have much help at first. Luckily, we are here to help with everything and anything you might need. If you are thinking of starting a MEDLIFE Chapter at your school, go ahead and book a call with us where we will answer any questions you may have. We look forward to meeting you!
