Projects

Committees:

Each of the three competitive projects (American Enterprise, Community Service, Partnership with Business) have a committee which is responsible for working directly with business professionals to develop and implement the various events. Project committees are a great way for members to apply their business skills in the real world, network with professionals, add experience to their resume, and show their dedication to FBLA. Chosen committee members will also have the opportunity to speak on behalf of MVFBLA at the State and National Leadership Competitions. If you are interested, look out for projects committee applications during September!

American Enterprise Project:

Every year for the American Enterprise project, MVFBLA promotes awareness around the American Enterprise system, organizing workshops and working with professionals to encourage financial literacy, entrepreneurship, career development, political literacy and more! MVFBLA holds a 4-week annual Shark Tank startup competition, during which business professionals lead workshops teaching the basics of creating a startup, including idea generation, marketing, and finance. At the final Shark Tank Pitch Day Event, teams pitch their business ideas developed through the workshops to a panel of real entrepreneurs, business professionals, and incubator mentors. In the past two years, the winning teams Seniors get Savvy and Edu K-8 were able to turn their business idea into a reality and are currently 501(c)(3) accredited nonprofits. In addition to Shark Tank, the American Enterprise committee has held job fairs, resume & mock interview workshops, financial literacy workshops, and more!

Past AE Reports:

• 2017-2018 Project Activate: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1CSP2f_lbhlNCUZ4c6yp5xLgT2ZFKq-GJ/view?usp=sharing
• 2018-2019 Innovation Launchpad: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1k3VRaE1oLRQQ-7POUMgnidsRM1IcYNwh/view?usp=sharing

Community Service Project:

Each year for the Community Service Project, MVFBLA chooses aims to create a tangible change in specific social cause. In the past, the Community Service committee has chosen to focus on autism, homlesness, and substance abuse. Through the Community Service Project, members can not only gain volunteer hours, but also acquire many important skills such as networking and marketing. For the 2020-2021 school year, the Community Service Project is tackling environmental sustainability through unconventional approaches such as art. The project will including an upcycling program in partnership with MV Fashion club, speaker panels with businesses that practice sustainability, and raising awareness about climate change through art and social media.

On March 10th, 2021, Monta Vista FBLA Community Service projects organized a successful tote bag fundraiser, hand making tote bags from old linens to raise money for the environmental defense fund, a large policy coalition responsible for creating green energy. “It’s a really cool way to increase sustainability because all funds go to environmental nonprofits and it encourages a healthy lifestyle” said Freshman Smriti Rangarajan, an FBLA member. “The fundraiser was a massive success, as initial estimates capped our total money raised at $200 but we ended up raising over 1000 dollars!” said Cindy Zou. She is the chair of the Community Service Project from Monta Vista High School’s Future Business Leaders of America club, the committee that organized the fundraiser. The tote bags were created from linens that would’ve been in the landfill, because hotels cannot reuse old linens, so the committee not only saved linens from the landfill but raised money to save our planet from climate change. In order to create customizability to appeal to a broader segment of the student population, the committee utilized natural dyes to create several different product offerings. Sophomore Rohit Dayanand continues with the impacts of the fundraiser, "200+ tote bags sold isn't just a number, it's a lifestyle. What was important for us is where we raised our money from. For us, the tote bags that we sold to raise funds from directly encourages everyone to be more sustainable because it reduces the need for plastic bags. In fact, the New York Times estimates that each reusable bag saves on average 500 single-use plastic bags per year. That means that for the over two-hundred tote bags we directly sold to the public, on average we saved over 100,000 single-use plastic bags from polluting our oceans and landfills. On top of that, instead of purchasing reusable bags made from brand new materials and having them shipped from factories, we **hand-crafted** each of our tote bags from used hotel linens that would've also been in the landfill."The committee donated almost all of the money raised to the environmental defense fund, a Fremont Union School district approved charity that preserves acres of wilderness space and co-funds initiatives for green energy.

Past CS Reports:

• 2015-2016 Sunday Scholars (Education Disparity): https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2epETtET0CkZ3pRVXJmc2RnUkE/view?usp=sharing
• 2016-2017 The Heart Project (Art for Hospitalized/Underprivileged Children): https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2epETtET0CkUVJaRVVRNXozUEk/view?usp=sharing
• 2017-2018 The 22K Project (Homelessness): https://drive.google.com/file/d/1R7mnw06FdK6e_zTl5Nz861WmmWLhYSU7/view?usp=sharing
• 2018-2019 Project Integrate (Autism): https://drive.google.com/file/d/1N95p-y0XWhmTETg1XohwL4_kQCNz4Fb3/view?usp=sharing

Partnership with Business Project:

Each year for the Partnership with Business Project, MVFBLA collaborates with a different business to engage in a mutually beneficial partnership. While members help the company by improving their marketing efforts, performing beta testing, and designing new features, the company allows us to gain exposure to the real business world and develop career oriented skills. In the past, MVFBLA has partnered with large companies like Facebook and smaller startups like Gnowbe and UCEazy.

For the 2020-2021 school year, Monta Vista FBLA’s Partnership with Business committee, led by senior Yolanna Lu, partnered with the mental health and well-being app AumHum. Through this mutually beneficial partnership, FBLA members learned critical skills including market research, product development, marketing, and UI/UX design during workshops lead by AumHum professionals, and applied these skills to improve AumHum’s app. After analyzing the high school target demographic through surveys and focus groups, FBLA members participated in curating specific features to improve the app and better tailor it to high school students. Members were able to create tangible impact on the app, as their ideas led to the implementation of two brand new features: a mood-tracking/journaling feature and a relaxing sounds feature. Furthermore, the Partnership with Business Project gave members the opportunity to create and implement a marketing campaign for AumHum. From TikTok and Instagram to podcasts and digital video production, members were able to practice various marketing techniques and maintain a clear brand image over a range of popular platforms. In addition to teaching members valuable business skills, the Partnership with Business Project focused on engendering a deeper appreciation for mental health and mindfulness within the community. To that end, the Project committee collaborated with PTSA to organize school-wide meditation sessions and worked with Bring Change to Mind and nonprofit Essential Care and to make care packages for healthcare workers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. In recognition of the impact this project had on the community, Monta Vista FBLA was honored with a Certificate of Recognition from Mayor Darcy Paul as well as Monta Vista’s Principal Ben Clausnitzer. In addition, AumHum’s CEO Aviral Pandey commended the committee’s efforts and selected diligent candidates to be long-term interns at their company.

Past PWB Reports:

• 2015-2016 Common Ground (UCEazy): https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2epETtET0CkYnFzdjI0ekE0QVE/view?usp=sharing
• 2016-2017 On the WayUp (WayUp): https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2epETtET0CkNFdqeTZZenRXVDQ/view?usp=sharing
• 2017-2018 Project Connect (Facebook): https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ud8bV2kWMvB41j4qvbUVo9-E2IwADB41/view?usp=sharing
• 2018-2019 Project Innovate (Facebook): https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Jzyv1KFvBWUWCVzgniBDaUAQt2JeZ6Ew/view?usp=sharing
• 2019-2020 Project Curate (Gnowbe): https://drive.google.com/file/d/1MnV6gCbzSHY8anqszPynKukvyBV8-n6C/view?usp=sharing

State Projects:

Unlike the aforementioned projects, State Projects are non-competitive and non-committee based. Instead State projects consist of two types, Individual and Chapter projects, that provide statewide recognition to those who complete specific sets of requirements. While the requirements for Chapter State Projects are met as a club, Individual State Projects require that individuals complete requirements at their own time. Please fill out the State Projects Interest Form or contact the Director of State Projects if you are interested in participating. For more information about Chapter and Individual state projects, check out the FBLA website!