REFERENCE MATERIAL Program Benchmarking Tool By Allen and Judi Ruppel I. Program Direction A. Development of a Mission Statement 1. Creation of a formal written mission statement is essential so that any stakeholders such as the Local Spiritual Assembly, participants, parents, etc. understand the reason for the program's existence. 2. The mission statement should be a written, broadly defined statement of purpose that identifies the scope of the program. 3. The mission statement provides a point of focus for times when a changing environment will challenge the program's initial premise. B. Goals and Objectives of the Program 1. Whereas the mission statement defines the purpose of the program, the goals represent the general ends to which the efforts of the program are directed. 2. Objectives can also be created that are specific and quantified versions of a goal. C. Branding of the Program 1. Consideration should be given to the establishment of a name or identity to assign to the program. 2. Determine if the name of the program should be registered with a state regulatory body so that other parties cannot use the name. II. Program Formulation (Pre-implementation Phase) Items to be considered during this phase are: A. Need Assess the need for the program within the Bahá'í community particularly how the product or service provided will meet Bahá'í initiatives. For instance, will the program meet a teaching initiative, a social-economic development need, etc. B. Target Audience Determine the target group for the program. Specific items to consider may be but are not inclusive of the following: age of participants, gender, family versus individual, size of program, educational level of participants. C. Location The location that will be needed to house the program. Consideration should be given to the actual availability of the facility during an allotted time slot in addition to space availability within the facility. D. Funding and Pricing Consider if the services provided will be for free or at cost. If services are provided at a cost, determine the price that will be charged to participants in addition to how the funds will be used. A budget and annual financial statements will need to be compiled in addition to the reporting of any taxable income. In addition, reporting to the Local Spiritual Assembly will need to occur on an annual basis and more frequently if requested. E. Equipment and Uniforms Determine if any equipment will be needed for the program in addition to obtaining providers for this equipment. In addition, consider if the participants will need any uniforms for the program. F. Instructors Items to address are the number of instructors, the special skills required by the instructors, the instructor to student ratio, substitute instructors for absences and discipline of students by instructors. G. Transportation Determine if any special transportation arrangements for participants need to be made. H. Insurance Consider if the facility where the program will be held has liability insurance and if any waivers need to be created for the program. In addition, determine if any of the instructors need liability insurance and if yes, the cost of this coverage. I. Administrative Assistance Since it is difficult to manage all the aspects of a program, seek a volunteer to manage the administrative operations. III. Consent of the Local Spiritual Assembly After the pre-implementation issues have been addressed, a proposal should be written for the benefit of the Local Spiritual Assembly. This proposal should be a one-page brief document that covers the mission statement in addition to the goals and objectives of the class. Contact the LSA in order to place the proposal on the agenda. Be prepared to discuss the pre-implementation points addressed above. IV. Program Implementation A. Promotion Once the LSA has approved the initiative, the next phase is to obtain participants through promotion of the program. This promotion can be completed through the following means: * Distribution of flyers * Sign-up sheets at important events * Speaking at meetings to include Sunday morning events, feasts, firesides, etc. * Word-of-mouth communication * Information in publications * Websites * Phone calls to people who may be interested B. Monitoring Performance 1. Implementation of the Mission Statement 2. Development of lesson plans Once participants join the program, the next step is the implementation of the mission statement into practical format. Prior to the beginning of each session, it is important to have a lesson or game plan regarding what activities will be accomplished during the session. V. Post-Implementation A. Feedback Solicitation Depending on the program, it is imperative to begin soliciting feedback from participants and other interested parties as these individuals can provide helpful suggestions on how to improve the program. B. Fine-tuning the program As the program develops and feedback is sought, the lesson plans can be modified to accomplish the changing needs of participants and the program. C. Updates to the Local Spiritual Assembly As the program progresses, it is important to provide updates on a quarterly basis and more frequent if need be to inform the LSA on the current status of the initiative. D. Expansion of the program As the program continues to grow, consideration needs to be given to expansion. Factors that need to be weighed are similar to the factors considered in the pre-implementation phase such as the number of interested participants, the availability of space, the availability of instructors, funding, etc. Unity in Motion Bahá'í Martial Arts Class A Personal Perspective by Allen and Judi Ruppel I. Program Direction A. Development of a Mission Statement B. Goals and Objectives of the Program C. Branding of the Program: The name, Unity in Motion, has been registered with the state of Wisconsin. Unity in Motion Bahá'í Martial Arts Class Mission Statement In keeping with the Ridva?n message, the mission of Unity in Motion is to develop honesty, discipline, and unity among youth using the martial arts as a tool. As part of this mission, the classes combine youth, Bahá'í adults and community adults to include the African American Veteran's Association thereby fostering unity and providing positive role models. Unity in Motion incorporates the martial arts philosophy of spiritual growth to build the confidence and self-esteem to meet aggression with peace. The following statements help to define the ultimate mission of Unity in Motion and all students are taught to apply these concepts in and away from class: TO STRIVE FOR THE PERFECTION OF CHARACTER TO DEFEND THE PATHS OF TRUTH TO FOSTER THE SPIRIT OF EFFORT TO HONOR THE PRINCIPLES OF COURTESY TO GUARD AGAINST IMPETUOUS COURAGE II. Program Formulation (Pre-implementation Phase) Items to be considered during this phase are: A. Need When we became Bahá'ís in January 2000, this program was developed as a method to contribute to the Bahá'í community. The Local Spiritual Assembly needed programs to facilitate the use of the Milwaukee Bahá'í Center. This program was developed as a social-economic initiative. B. Target Audience As noted in the mission statement, the target audience is Bahá'í youth, Bahá'í adults and community adults to include the African American Veteran's Association. C. Location The Milwaukee Bahá'í Center was a perfect setting to house this program. By pulling the chairs to the sides of the building, an open space was created. D. Funding and Pricing The class is offered at no charge to participants. This class is a way for us to contribute to the community. As for funding, our donations that would regularly have been given to the Local Spiritual Assembly were instead donated for this program. As individuals learned of this program, other donations were received. E. Equipment and Uniforms Through Al's connections within the martial arts community, his karate instructor was able to obtain discounted rates for equipment through his supplier. Not all programs would require equipment. Once this initial cost was incurred, the program was established. Initially we were going to use a martial arts uniform with the belt system. However these uniforms were approximately $25.00 per person. Al also teaches a similar class at another non-profit organization called Family House, Inc. Members of this organization suggested colored T-shirts with a printed logo for $3.00 per person. Students are required to attend a minimum of three sessions before a T-shirt is distributed. As students are tested for a higher belt, the student receives a different colored T-shirt. Through the Bahá'í community, we were able to obtain the services of a Bahá'í artist, Clare Smith, who donated her time to create the logo for the T-shirts. F. Instructors Al is the instructor and is called Sempai. The goal is to develop the initial students who could then lead the class through warm-ups and the basics of the class. Thus Sempai Al is able to fine-tune the movements of the other students. When Sempai Al cannot attend a class, he has arrangements with his karate instructor to offer back up support. G. Transportation Since the students are 7-14 years of age, a number of students had no transportation to class. In exchange for offering the class for free, parents of the students pick up and drop off those students without transportation. H. Insurance The Milwaukee Bahá'í Center does have liability protection. Sempai Al also obtained an individual policy with general liability protection with himself covered as an instructor. A waiver form signed by a parent/guardian is needed for each student. I. Administrative Assistance Sempai Al instructs and promotes the program. Judi does the administrative work associated with the program. Administrative assistance includes a variety of functions such as: Monitoring attendance Monitoring waiver forms T-shirt and equipment procurement Preparing a year-end celebration Coordinating community service Developing all forms, flyers, presentations Preparing financial statements III. Consent of the Local Spiritual Assembly When Al met with the LSA at the beginning of the program, Al had a mission statement and objectives. In addition, Al had discussion points on the majority of the issues addressed in step 2. However some items were learned as the program progressed. IV. Program Implementation A. Promotion Once the LSA approved the initiative, we created flyers and a sign-up sheet. The sign-up sheet was not as successful. The most successful promotion was discussion of the program at Bahá'í functions to include Sunday student activities, firesides, feasts, etc. In addition, discussion with parents of children who were of the appropriate age also led to increased participation. As the program progressed, the Garden Voice published updates. In addition, information regarding the class was posted on the Milwaukee Bahá'í website. B. Monitoring Performance 1. Implementation of the mission statement 2. Development of lesson plans Sempai Al created lesson plans at the beginning of each class to include a number of team-building exercises. The goal of the class is less to teach martial arts as to use martial arts as a tool to bring the community together and create unity. The lesson plans include activities such as: Warm-ups Basics More advanced combination moves Self defense Kata Games: Sempai says, Help your buddy, Obstacle course, Team mallets V. Post-Implementation A. Feedback Solicitation Through feedback and evaluation, the following items were addressed: * Transportation Parents picked up and dropped off students who had no transportation to class. * Discipline For students who misbehaved, students had to sit on the side of the class. For the rare repeat offender, the student may be dismissed from the next class. Sunday school teacher feedback was solicited before a student could test for a higher belt. In addition, students needed to bring in report cards to make certain that their school grades were acceptable prior to testing for the next higher belt. * Funding To help with funding, a suggestion was obtained to sell T-shirts that indicated, "I support Unity in Motion". B. Fine-tuning the program As the program progressed, Bahá'í writings were incorporated into the class. A student needed to locate a Bahá'í writing consistent with one of the principles of the class. This student would then lead the warm-ups at the beginning of the class and present the Bahá'í writing at the end of class. C. Updates to the Local Spiritual Assembly During the first year, Sempai Al provided updates to the LSA regarding the progress of the program. D. Expansion of the program * From this class, Sempai Al began teaching a similar class at Family House Inc. * Community Service. One of the goals of the class was to teach the children to give to the community. In December 2000, the students, African American veterans and adults were part of a workshop for senior citizens at Luther Manor. In August 2001, the class will be part of a workshop for a Bahá'í ComeUnity event. * As part of the program, the students from Family House and Unity in Motion participated in a Year-End celebration. The Year-End celebration was held in December 2000 and included a number of games in addition to food for an afternoon of fun. The Year-End celebration followed the community service at Luther Manor. * Sempai Al has been the guest speaker at the United Parcel Service annual convention of 800 employees and their families. He also spoke to two classes of students at Cardinal Stritch College. The topic of his talks has been on the diversification and unification of the races. In addition, we spoke at the Regional Bahá'í Council for African Americans in January 2001. * Due to increasing participating, the class size has been limited to Bahá'í youth, Bahá'í adults and to newer members of the faith who have studied for at least one year. The African American Veterans and their children are continued to be welcomed. 1