Whether you live in Africa, South America, or right here in the
United States, you don't get to pick where you are born. Some of us live in
places that have enough houses, food, doctors, and schools for
everyone. But some of us were born in places where
some or all of those things can be hard to find.
What if you had to share one room with your whole family? How would your family
survive without enough food, clean water, or medicine? Most important, how would
you solve these problems without an education?
Every day, thousands of people our age around the world face these
issues and more. You might think there's nothing you can do to make a
real difference. But you can do something. That's what Operation
Day's Work - USA is all about. ODW-USA is a national student
organization run by us, the students of the United States. We started
the program because we believe that young people around the world deserve
the chance to have a good life.
The links on this page will tell you more about how we work, what
we've done, and what we are going to do. In the other sections of the
web site, you will find our tools to help you help the world and a
registration area where you can join us by starting Operation Day's
Work at your school.
If you are ready to take the challenge, we can help thousands of young people
and change the world.
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Run by Students
One of the great things about ODW is that students make decisions. You can
form an ODW committee to make decisions about how ODW will work best at
your school. Every school gets a say in determining which projects to fund.
Each year, after the workday, schools select representatives to the ODW
Annual Convention that takes place in the summer. The convention delegates
choose the country or theme for the coming year, elect ODW National
Committee members, and can amend the ODW Constitution.
The members of the ODW National Committee work all year to plan national
activities, recruit new schools, and provide schools with the information
they need to run a successful program.
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Not Just Charity
Operation Day's Work is more than charity. We don't just give away things
we don't need anymore or ask for donations. The ODW Constitution states
that we strive for "unity among all youth through friendship, service, and
worldly financial support." That word, unity, is an important idea.
What we call unity, European young people who work on ODW call
solidarity. No matter what you call it, the
idea is the same. Unity involves being aware of, respecting,
and understanding others. While charity is often an action between people
who are perceived to be on different levels with different rights, unity
involves action between equals.
These principles of unity and respect are the foundation for much of what we do
in ODW. To demonstrate desire for unity and understanding, we work hard to
learn about the people we are trying to help. To show our respect, we work
for every penny that we give.
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Helping Our Communities
Another great thing about ODW is that we can help young people around the
world and make our own communities better at the same time. You can clean
up a park, help younger students read, or plant flowers at a senior center.
You can do almost anything on your workday as long as you find sponsors to
pay you for your work.
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Changing the World
The best part of ODW is that by working together we can do big things.
Imagine thousands of us across the country working at the same time and for
the same cause. There is no question that we can improve the lives of
thousands of people. We can change the world and make a better future. If
we don't, who will?
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