CLAY 2008 Planning Committees
... JUST ABOUT TO START! BE A PART OF ONE NOW!
JEFF FERGUSON, MACINSIDERS.
Looking to get involved? Want to be a part of an amazing conference hosted by the MSU that will give you plenty of leadership experience? Looking for something excited to be a part of this summer?
CLAY is a leadership conference that is put on in May by the MSU, for High School students from across Southern Ontario to come to Mac for four days (Thursday to Sunday) and learn about leadership. It takes place during the summer, MAY 8th to 11th, but planning for the conference begins now!
The conference is accomplished through seminar-based discussions in small groups on various topics, such as diversity, media & empowerment, trust, etc, and these discussions are facilitated by volunteers from McMaster like you. The conference consists of a series of these problem-based-learning discussions, as well as some crazy fun events, activities, and guest speakers. It's like a mini-Welcome Week in a lot of ways --- chances are, if you loved Welcome Week, either as a first year, a rep, or both, you'll love CLAY, as well.
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WHAT IS THE ROLE OF VOLUNTEERS?
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What is the role of a volunteer? If you volunteer at the conference, you'll be on campus for four days, staying in residence along with the delegates, and dedicating all of your time to the conference (like being a residence rep for Welcome Week). There are two types of positions --- Skillbuilder and CST (Conference Support Team/Conference Spirit Team). Each group of delegates (around 10 - 12 High School students) is led by a team of two skillbuilders and one CST, who facilitate discussion in the seminars, and lead the delegates through the various activities of the conference. CST do everything that skillbuilders do, but are absent for a few of the sessions in order to help set up and run events. I've been both a skillbuilder and a CST, and let me tell you, both are amazing!
But onto what you're no doubt wondering --- HOW CAN YOU GET INVOLVED??????
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WHAT ARE COMMITTEES?
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Planning for CLAY goes on over the next three months in various committees. What you do, as someone who wants to be a part of CLAY, is join one or more committees, and help plan the conference. Is joining a committee a huge commitment? Not at all! Four out of the five committees meet biweekly, and the other meets weekly. Each meeting is an hour, max. And here are the committees, their meeting times, and who to contact if you want to join one!
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1. MANUAL COMMITEE
Meets Mondays at 7pm, weekly
Who to contact if you want to join: Lauren Perry or Jamie-Lee Woods (message them on facebook!)
What Manual does: Remember those seminar sessions I mentioned above? They are the crux of the conference! Problem-based learning is what makes Mac unique, and CLAY is no exception. The Manual team designs the CLAY manual, and in doing so, design these sessions. Come and help design this essential piece of the conference. Each meeting has a theme, with a different session being tackled each week. For example, in the manual meeting where you plan the diversity session, come to the meeting and offer your thoughts on diversity. Everyone's opinions are welcome, and they're looking for diverse thoughts!
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2. EVENTS COMMITTEE
Meets Thursdays at 6pm, biweekly
Who to contact if you want to join: Chris Hau or Sophia Fanourgiakis (message them on facebook!)
What Events does: The events that are put on at CLAY are guilty of being terribly fun. Scavenger hunts, wheelchair basketball, and many more. Help plan new and exciting events, and improve upon old ones!
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3. FUNDRAISING COMMITEE
Meets Wednesdays at 6pm, biweekly
Who to contact if you want to join: Rosie Ciniello or Michelle Mah (message them on facebook!)
CLAY needs money! Delegates pay a fee to come to the conference, but we aim to keep this fee down. Fundraising is not only important, but fun, too, as you get to help plan events that we'll put on over the next few months to raise money --- casino trips, coffee houses, and more!
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4. SPIRIT COMMITTEE
Meets Tuesdays at 6pm, biweekly
Who to contact if you want to join: Alka S. or Jeff 'Fergie' Ferguson (message them on facebook!)
What would CLAY be without spirit? If you said "kinda dull", then this committee is for you! CLAY's theme this year is the Olympic games, and the spirit committee is charged with coming up with a song, dance, cheers, and group themes based on this theme. We also plan the event for the first night!
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5. RECRUITMENT COMMITTEE
Meets Tuesdays at 6pm, biweekly
Who to contact if you want to get involved: Celine George, Chanique Gardener, or Meena Bhardwaj (contact them on facebook!)
Recruiting! Contact High Schools, get students to come! The more delegates we have, the more volunteers from Mac we can accept. We're aiming for at least 150 delegates this year. And with an all-star team leading recruitment, it's sure to be mega-fun.
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*THE ENTERTAINMENT TEAM*
Entertainment is run by Chad Fullerton and Linda Phan. Though it is not a commitee looking for volunteers to join, it is a team that needs your help! The Entertainment team manages everything entertainment-wise during the conference. This includes booking the guest speakers, dance DJ, activities such as Rythm Works (which you saw a photo of at the meeting), and organizing any other large-scale entertainment events such as the Semi Formal Dinner, etc! So if you have a contact with someone who would be able to speak at the conference that you think the delegates would learn a lot from (motivational speakers, etc), or have any entertainment ideas... contact Chad (myself) or Linda!! Thanks!!! :-D
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With five different committees, you can definitely fit at least one into your schedule (there's no way you have night class every night!). Your participation in a committee over the next three months determines if you become a volunteer for the conference.
Make sure you contact the heads of the committee(s) you want to join --- that part is up to you! They will put you on the e-mailing list, so make sure you give them an e-mail address.
So that's how you can get involved with the planning of the conference --- if you have ANY OTHER QUESTIONS at all, please POST ON THIS WALL, or contact any of the exec!
Oh, and... the conference is from May 8 - 11 this year. Go CLAY!
Program: BA (Hons) CSCT and Anthropology, BA (Hons) English & Indigenous Studies
Year: Alumni
Residence: Whidden
Join Date: Jul 2007
Posts: 7,615
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Ferg, you're more enthusiastic about this than ANYTHING.
Literally; this is me not over-exaggerating.
__________________
McMaster Combined Honours Cultural Studies & Critical Theory and Anthropology: 2008
McMaster Honours English with a minor in Indigenous Studies: 2010
Carleton University Masters of Arts in Canadian Studies: 2012 (expected)
We are people of this generation, bred in at least modest comfort, housed in universities, looking uncomfortably into the world we inherit. -- Port Huron Statement
Program: BA (Hons) CSCT and Anthropology, BA (Hons) English & Indigenous Studies
Year: Alumni
Residence: Whidden
Join Date: Jul 2007
Posts: 7,615
Thanked:
912 Times
Liked:
506 Times
That's why he's leading it.
I better also rock if I'm on the spirit committee!
__________________
McMaster Combined Honours Cultural Studies & Critical Theory and Anthropology: 2008
McMaster Honours English with a minor in Indigenous Studies: 2010
Carleton University Masters of Arts in Canadian Studies: 2012 (expected)
We are people of this generation, bred in at least modest comfort, housed in universities, looking uncomfortably into the world we inherit. -- Port Huron Statement
Program: BA (Hons) CSCT and Anthropology, BA (Hons) English & Indigenous Studies
Year: Alumni
Residence: Whidden
Join Date: Jul 2007
Posts: 7,615
Thanked:
912 Times
Liked:
506 Times
By the way...the fact that CLAY is occuring during the May @ Mac weekend is poo! Poo I say!
:(
__________________
McMaster Combined Honours Cultural Studies & Critical Theory and Anthropology: 2008
McMaster Honours English with a minor in Indigenous Studies: 2010
Carleton University Masters of Arts in Canadian Studies: 2012 (expected)
We are people of this generation, bred in at least modest comfort, housed in universities, looking uncomfortably into the world we inherit. -- Port Huron Statement
Program: BA (Hons) CSCT and Anthropology, BA (Hons) English & Indigenous Studies
Year: Alumni
Residence: Whidden
Join Date: Jul 2007
Posts: 7,615
Thanked:
912 Times
Liked:
506 Times
morning and afternoon....AKA all day?
__________________
McMaster Combined Honours Cultural Studies & Critical Theory and Anthropology: 2008
McMaster Honours English with a minor in Indigenous Studies: 2010
Carleton University Masters of Arts in Canadian Studies: 2012 (expected)
We are people of this generation, bred in at least modest comfort, housed in universities, looking uncomfortably into the world we inherit. -- Port Huron Statement
Program: BA (Hons) CSCT and Anthropology, BA (Hons) English & Indigenous Studies
Year: Alumni
Residence: Whidden
Join Date: Jul 2007
Posts: 7,615
Thanked:
912 Times
Liked:
506 Times
Evenings are fine...it's just during the day
__________________
McMaster Combined Honours Cultural Studies & Critical Theory and Anthropology: 2008
McMaster Honours English with a minor in Indigenous Studies: 2010
Carleton University Masters of Arts in Canadian Studies: 2012 (expected)
We are people of this generation, bred in at least modest comfort, housed in universities, looking uncomfortably into the world we inherit. -- Port Huron Statement
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