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The Vegetarian Food Fair Manual Project
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Thesis Practicum Proposal
Instructional Manual for Nonprofit Vegetarian Organizations:
Organizing and Holding a Vegetarian Food Fair
Introduction
In September 1997, an individual posted a notice on several Internet listservs recruiting someone to participate in a large-scale project: the design and writing of an instructional manual for nonprofit vegetarian organizations interested in organizing and holding vegetarian food fairs. The individual wanted to affiliate the project with the Vegetarian Union of North America (VUNA). VUNA is a nonprofit vegetarian outreach organizations that promote vegetarianism and raise awareness about the relationship between a vegetarian lifestyle and human health, animal cruelty, and environmental degradation. They provide literature and act as contacts for smaller vegetarian organizations. They also encourage and support the formation of new vegetarian outreach organizations. The proposal that follows describes a thesis practicum with the purpose of writing and designing the instructional manual envisioned by VUNA using principles of audience analysis, document design, and usability testing. The thesis will have two parts:
- The manual itself in finished form and ready for distribution to interested organizations
- A written report discussing the decision-making processes involved in determining the audience, creating the layout, and testing usability for the manual.
One of the most important outreach events for vegetarian organizations is a vegetarian food fair. Ranging from large, several-day affairs to small gatherings that take place on a single afternoon, food fairs raise community awareness and promote interest in vegetarianism and related issues. Because they can have such a measurable impact, vegetarian food fairs are important events for nonprofit vegetarian organizations that want to participate in activism and reach out to their communities. On the other hand, organizing and holding a vegetarian food fair is a large undertaking, especially for smaller organizations that might not have extensive financial or volunteer resources. Covering the variety of tasks and numerous details involved in the project may be overwhelming to a small organization without procedural material. In addition, mistakes that may occur during the project (e.g., failing to get proper zoning or inspection approval for the fair), can be costly and create unnecessary expenses to limited nonprofit budgets, perhaps making some organizations reluctant to attempt a vegetarian food fair without adequate procedural information.
Given the proper guidance and instructions, however, groups of all sizes can hold this type of outreach event. Part of VUNA's mission is to support the activities of vegetarian organizations and assist with their work by providing information and resources. The vegetarian food fair manual is to become a key element in fulfilling their organizational objectives because it will assist any interested organization in North America by providing the instruction needed to organize and hold an effective outreach event. Enabling groups to complete a project such as this also assists them in meeting their own goals as an organization and furthers their efforts to make a positive difference through activism. Furthermore, making the manual available to groups throughout North America creates the possibility of more widespread and more frequent events. When these fairs are held in many locations as opposed to the small number that are currently held, a greater number of interested individuals can attend vegetarian events and hear their messages.
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