Today, more than 900 high schools and 220,000 students participate annually in Operation Day's Work. Norway's students not only raise millions of dollars, which are then matched by the government of Norway, but they also become fully immersed in all aspects of the country they have chosen to study. Lessons about that specific country are incorporated into the school curriculum. The program raises student awareness about global economic issues, the importance of preventing crises, the impact of poverty and disease on a society and what actually makes democracy work. A number of practical concerns about how the program will actually operate have yet to be decided but it is intended that many details will be determined at the local level with input from the national umbrella organization.
Local participation is essential in shaping the program to fit local needs and capabilities.
For example, we will most likely seek private funds, not government funds, to match students contributions. The ways in which students raise funds may vary as well. And we will even explore whether high schools make sense as the best base for operating this program. The program will be piloted in several pilot schools in the first year and expanded to other communities in the future. The goal is to have Operation Day's Work USA become a nationwide, annual event by the year 2003, with each program being designed and implemented at the local level.