GK Youth Build Forums

Garage Sale

Junnie — Tue, 29 May 2007 05:22:10 GMT

Spring cleaning is done. Next is to sell those old but still usable CD player, now that you have an IPOD. Or those old CDs, after ripping them off to your MP3 player.

Here are the top 10 tips online:

A group sale is better than selling alone. If you can coordinate a weekend with your neighbors, you will draw more traffic. Our street has a sale every May. My neighbor Al places an ad in the paper; I post ads on craigslist. People come from all over to wander from yard-to-yard. When I sell on my own, Im lucky to get one-tenth the traffic.
Be prepared. Wear comfortable clothing. Have water and snacks at hand. Get one-dollar bills the day before. (I forgot to do this yesterday, and so spent half an hour scrambling from store to store breaking big bills before the sale opened. Good thing, too: the first two people paid with twenties.) Move things out early. The hassle of early birds is that they prevent you from getting displays set up.
Plan your sale layout with customers in mind. I am writing a review of the book Why We Buy for Get Rich Slowly. I was able to apply principles from this book to my garage sale. I had wide traffic lanes. I used clear signs with bold lettering. I placed the stuff that would appeal to older customers on tables. The stuff for kids is on the ground. The stuff I want more people to look at is in the center of the driveway, accessible from all sides. Eye-catching stuff is near the road.
Price things carefully. Most things are easy to price, but some will give you trouble. You dont want to just give away your perfectly functional television, but at the same time you want the price to be low enough that people will be interested. Some stuff just wont sell at any price. Youll never sell that encyclopedia set at $35, a man told me yesterday. I run a book store, and I havent been able to sell an encyclopedia in eight years.
Label things well. It wont matter. People will still ask you how much that potholder costs, even though it has a $2 price tag on it. Label anyhow. If something works great, label it as such.
Be friendly. You dont need to chat with everyone, but be open to conversations. Say hello to people. Answer questions. Entertain the kids so that their parents can shop. Build goodwill.
Do NOT bad-mouth your items. At one group garage sale, a friend consistently explained to customers what was wrong with the items they were purchasing. Oh, that book is awful. Thats a terrible movie. That skillet doesnt heat very well. That game is boring. Needless to say, we sent this friend inside to drink beer ASAP. Your goal is to sell the items. Dont lie just emphasize the positives. Oh, that book is very popular. That movie won three Oscars. That skillet is great for pancakes. That game is fun for kids.
Be willing to bargain, but be less flexible at the start. On the first day, you want to get as much as you can for each item. Most people will still buy Aunt Lucys soup tureen at $5 even after asking you to sell it at $3. If theyre bargaining, its because they want the item. Dont be completely rigid on the first day, but dont give your stuff away.
Keep a ledger. Its easy and useful to keep a written ledger. For everything you sell, jot down a brief item description, how much it cost, and who it belonged to. This is especially important in large multi-person sales. The price and the item description are most important; if the description is good, its easy to find out who owned the item.
Do NOT use a cash box. Carry your money on you at ALL times. You dont want to present a target for casual thieves. More than that, you dont want to be duped by professional swindlers who run distraction con games. It happens. It is devastating to see the profits from all your labor and the proceeds from your hard-to-part-with items vanish in an instant. This happened to a woman on our street on the last day of the sale last year. Do NOT use a cash box. I use a cheap cloth apron/utility belt from the local hardware store. It works beautifully. Some people use fanny pack or a zippered bank deposit pouch.

Source: http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2006/05/12/ten-garage-sale-tips/

Forum: Fund Raising

GKYB Summer 2007 Dates

Junnie — Tue, 29 May 2007 05:16:38 GMT

We have firmed up the dates for the Youth Build in the Philippines for the summer:

July 16 - start
August 2 -end

All other activities will be posted soon! woohoo

Forum: GKYB Info

Pre-school teaching

Marreza — Wed, 23 May 2007 02:39:04 GMT

Any ideas for lessons to teach the small kids (preschool) and what teaching aids we would need to prepare?

Forum: Community Project

Jewelry Workshop

Marreza — Wed, 23 May 2007 02:36:35 GMT

This could be our flagship project. Therese is sourcing raw mats from the local markets for use during the training of GK village housewives. Can someone do a feasibility study on jewelry-making as a livelihood project? Maripi, should we not give a heads-up to Boy Montelibano so they could endorse this project to the GK Caretaker Team?

Forum: Community Project

WII Party

Marreza — Wed, 23 May 2007 02:30:49 GMT

This was a great idea suggested by Kyle. I think this can be easily organized one weekend. What you guys think? Weeeee!

Forum: Fund Raising

Pictures of the Spring Dance Here

Junnie — Wed, 23 May 2007 01:42:01 GMT

http://www.gkyouthbuild.org/photo_album.html

Click on the small image to view larger pic of the events that unfolded that night!

Forum: May 5 - Spring into Action

Pictures of the Leadership Training Here

Junnie — Wed, 23 May 2007 01:41:14 GMT

http://www.gkyouthbuild.org/photo_album.html

It was a memorable experience indeed! Thanks to Tito Greg and Kalayaan through the leadership of Mama Ching.

Forum: April 28-29 Youth Leadership Training

Ticket Prices

Junnie — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 13:21:53 GMT

Tickets are available for $ 25 - which includes entrance, participation to the dancing and dinner

For children below 11 years old - tickets are at $ 10 payable at the gate.

There will be $ 1 tickets that can be bought in multiples of $5 that will be for sale at the gate. This will allow guests to purchase bottled water and canned soda pop at the venue's bar.

All proceeds are for the support of the youth volunteers who will be participating to the GK Youth Build this coming July 2007. It surely is a worthy cause that needs your support.

We also accept donation pledges during the event. See you there.

Forum: May 5 - Spring into Action

What time will it start?

Junnie — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 17:29:29 GMT

Schedule is: full day 8am 8pm on Sat.,
half day 12nn-6pm on Sunday.

Forum: April 28-29 Youth Leadership Training

Is Lunch and Dinner Free for both days?

Junnie — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 21:02:22 GMT

Yes, make sure to bring your appetite.

Forum: April 28-29 Youth Leadership Training

What are the topics to be covered?

Junnie — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 20:58:16 GMT

The seminar is very experiential and will touch on enhancing one's core values and life skills. Lots of practical exercises so it won't be boring (promise!). Objectives of the seminar include:

awareness of issues affecting the youth today
to explore personal truths and beliefs and learn how beliefs can empower or limit them
to develop positive thinking
to build better relationships
to create more balance in their life
to build self-esteem and respect
to learn the different ways of listening
to learn better communication skills
to develop positive habits
to learn how to set goals and how to overcome obstacles

Forum: April 28-29 Youth Leadership Training

Where is the Venue?

Junnie — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 20:13:43 GMT

We are holding the Youth Empowerment and Leadership Seminar for all GK Youth Build volunteers on April 28-29 at Kalayaan Center, 5225 Orbitor Drive, Mississauga.

Here is the Link to the Google Map: Click Here

Forum: April 28-29 Youth Leadership Training

How long is the flight from Canada to the Philippines

Junnie — Fri, 06 Apr 2007 04:06:05 GMT

The answer depends if we're taking a long haul flight with long or short layovers in certain provinces or countries.

My last experience flying home took me:

from Toronto to Vancouver is 4 to 5 hrs, and
from Vancouver to another area in Asia for refuelling is 11 to 12 hrs,
another 1.5 to 2 hrs to Manila.

Just imagine the excitement of going around the world in 18 hrs, give or take. We will have lots of activities on air for sure!

Forum: Information About the Philippines

What areas in the Philippines will be visited?

Junnie — Fri, 06 Apr 2007 03:54:53 GMT

Annually, the GKYB core team hopes to have relevant themes for places of exposure to GKYB youth participants.

For 2007, we have identified : REHABILITATION and ENVIRONMENT.

Rehabilitation will include areas that were recently devastated by natural calamities. The Youth will have first-hand exposure to community-based programs to restore certain areas which literally were leveled to the ground, with thousands losing their shelters and sources of livelihood. The youth will pitch in to help in building houses in identified Gawad Kalinga (GK) villages.

We are targetting the Bicol Region and Marinduque, both areas visited and greatly affected by super typhoon Reming just at the tail-end of 2006.

Environment, as a theme, is diverse. It is both how a place has instituted protection programs for the environment and wildlife. It can also include energy conservation, recycling, waste management initiatives, etc. The youth participants will be given exposure to environmental issues facing some of the local communities.

Bicol and Marinduque provinces are also abundant in natural beauty and unique culture that the participants will be able to discover through immersion and sightseeing in between build activities.

Forum: GKYB Info

How long will the Build last?

Junnie — Fri, 06 Apr 2007 03:44:54 GMT

The 2007 GKYB Itinerary, as I'm writing this, is being finalized.

It is somewhere between 14 to 19 days. This shall include GKYB activities focused on assisting in construction of shelter and interaction with the villagers and community leaders.

There are also activities to expand the youth's knowledge in micro-enterprise programs, community-based tourism and livelihood, exposure to developing country realities and Canada foreign relations.

We hope to conclude discussions on the itinerary soonest.

Forum: GKYB Info