Mission Statement: The FARA Ambassadors are positive, supportive peer representatives for the FA community who actively raise awareness and funds for FARA.

Our mission demands a positive outlook in spite of our circumstances and a commitment to the following values as we set an example for the FA community.

Wisdom — Being inquisitive, innovative, thorough, and collaborative; mining knowledge and experience for living with FA; and sharing information and other resources in a timely manner.

Compassion — Behaving with concern for the dignity, comfort, and well-being of people; respecting their individuality and perspective; and giving them our undivided attention.

Ambition — Being engaged in the FA community and moving quickly on opportunities to be a positive influence.

Quality — Setting extraordinarily high standards for the fight against FA, constantly improving, and attending to the details of excellence.

Spirit — Lifting the mood of others, and being a source of hope and confidence; fostering a community of which people are proud to be part.

Integrity — Being honest, transparent, forthright and ethical -- challenging anything that might compromise FARA’s mission and goal.

These six principles guide the thoughts and actions of the members of the Ambassador Program as we work with one another to uplift the FA community and advance FARA's mission.

The Ambassador program puts participants in contact with many opportunities to take action for the community. Some examples include:

- Fundraising - attending events and/or organizing events in your community
- Awareness: Rare Disease Day, FA Awareness Day, International Ataxia Awareness Day
- Writing thank you cards to donors and organizers for FARA events
- Communicating with newly diagnosed families
- Speaking at fundraisers, community events, pharmaceutical/research organizations

The FARA Ambassador Program is an ACTION program. Our main goals support FARA and the FA Community as a whole. As described above, there are numerous ways in which these goals are accomplished. Below are the responsibilities required of each member in the program:

- Attend monthly meetings. The FARA Ambassador Program meets on the first Thursday of each month via WebEx. Attendance is critical for group cohesion and basic organizational purposes. A large contributing factor to the effectiveness and success of this program is being present and active. Planning committees, roles and responsibilities for projects are determined at the meetings along with sharing of research updates and FARA news. It is necessary for members to have accurate and up-to-date information.
          * If you are unable to attend a monthly meeting you must notify someone on the AP Leadership Team.

- Participation in Program projects.
  + Ambassador Blog
       - Events (fundraising events, visits to FA research labs; Interviews (“Meet the Community”); Articles about living with FA
   + Card Writing
       - Sending thank you notes to donors & organizers of FARA events
   + Speaking Team
       - The Ambassador speaking team meets via webcam once a month to practice speaking and getting feedback on how to improve! Anyone can present their speech to the group and get a positive and encouraging evaluation.  The goal is to get comfortable in front of others so we can be ready to represent FARA when the time comes.
   + FA Hangouts
       - Safe place online to talk & share about important topics (e.g. job issues, romantic relationships). 18+
   + FA Teen Hangouts
       - Safe place online to talk & share about important topics (e.g. job issues, romantic relationships). Teens only.
   + Social Media
       - Take an active role in content creation and engagement for FARA’s social media accounts.  This includes attending monthly social media meetings, participating in social media projects and campaigns (ex. rare disease day), and regularly engaging with FARA content (likes/comments etc.).
** Each project consists of at least two co-administrators and a committee. In addition to AP monthly meetings, project committees will meet separately as they see fit in order to plan and execute the projects.

- Willingness to reach out to the FA Community

- Submit your Ambassador bio to be published on the AP blog and be available to be contacted by FARA staff to connect with others with FA

- Attend local FARA events and write blog posts about the events you attended.

- Uphold the MISSION and VALUES of the FARA Ambassador Program

Commitment to the FARA Ambassador program is an important promise made and upheld by each member. Please take time to consider the commitment.

There are two commitment levels to choose from:

Tier 1 - Ambassadors in this group are fully committed to every aspect of the FARA Ambassador Mission, values, and roles & responsibilities.  Each participant in Tier 1 is committed to at least 1 AP project.  Ambassadors must have been active for at least one year to be considered for Tier 1.  Those in Tier 1 may be eligible to apply for Travel funding for the Symposium and AP training based on performance and attendance in the program. Please choose this commitment level if you would like to fully commit.

Tier 2 - This commitment level is for first time applicants and those who wish to be involved but are unable to fully commit.  Each participant in Tier 2 will receive all AP emails and have the opportunity to participate in AP projects, AP training, and attend monthly meetings, however Tier 2 does not obligate your participation.  Those in Tier 2 are not eligible to apply for travel funding for the Symposium and AP training, but are encouraged to attend.

All applications will be reviewed by the AP Leadership Team and you will hear from us about your commitment level assignment.

APPLICATION DEADLINE: November 30, 2020