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Cluster Event Planning Guide
written
by Kate Brockett
Introduction
The following is a manual on planning Cluster Events. As the Bonner
Scholar Program Guidelines state, each Bonner is required to attend
one Cluster Event during his or her first year. This planning guide
has been designed to ensure that Bonners and their Directors and
Coordinators provide a positive experience for those attending.
It incorporates a large portion of COOL’s Event Planning Training
Module, which have been adapted to apply to Cluster Events. For
more information on Civic Enagement Curriculum and to find out about
their Train-the-Trainer workshops, visit COOL’s website: www.cool2serve.org.
I. Beginning the
Planning Process
If you have not done so beforehand,
you should organize the following at the Student Leadership Conference
(SLI):
A. Establish a Leadership
Committee
Before any decisions are made, figure out who is making them. Establish
a Leadership committee consisting of at least one Director or Coordinator
and one Congress representative from each school in your cluster.
Most importantly, the following two roles should be filled:
1) Lead Organizer
The person most often suited for this role is a Congress representative
from the hosting Bonner school. Especially if the event is taking
place on campus, this person will be in the best place to figure
out accommodations and work with the cafeteria and local establishments
to arrange meals.
2) Lead Facilitator
Next, select the Lead Facilitator. This could be the other representative
from the hosting school or one from another campus. This facilitator
will leave the logistics up to the Lead Organizer and will focus
on the agenda during the event, setting the tone and ensuring that
the event has a sense of continuity. This Lead Facilitator will
work closely with the Organizer and the rest of the committee to
design the agenda.
B. Planning the Date
During the SLI, if not before, the Leadership
Committee should meet with school calendars in hand to plan a date
for the event. If your school calendar has not been set up yet,
contact appropriate offices (Public Affairs, Athletics, Fine Arts,
etc.) to find out what big dates you should avoid when setting a
time. Bringing a record of these dates is essential to successfully
scheduling a Cluster Event. Do not forget them!
Together, pick a date and stick with it so that
when the students come for orientation, you tell them right away
to set this time aside. Setting the date well in advance will also
allow you plenty of time to plan. Remember you are part of a group.
It can be difficult to find a date that works with everyone’s
calendar, so be as flexible and understanding as possible. Focus
on enabling each school to come for the entire duration of the event
with the maximum number of students in attendance.
Make sure that the Lead Organizer and the Lead
Facilitator can attend the entire event. If not, either the dates
or the leaders must be changed. Some directors and coordinators
suggest that it is best to schedule a Cluster Event for Spring semester
because it gives organizers more time to plan and more opportunity
for First Years to grow, meaning that they will be prepared to take
on more responsibility during the event.
Others argue that since the First Year Service
Project is usually scheduled in the middle or end of the spring,
it is best to hold the Cluster Event in Fall semester to avoid over-committing
first year Bonners. Take these perspectives into consideration when
selecting a date.
C. Additional Considerations
1) Pick a School to Host the Event
Keep distances in mind. To be fair, a different campus should host
the event each year. Keep in mind, however, that it is best to have
a centrally located campus host the Cluster or to have the event
at a nearby conference center or campground.
Pick a host with strong Congress representation.
Congress reps at the hosting school are generally the ones responsible
for the bulk of the organizing. It is therefore best to pick a hosting
school whose reps are ready to accept this challenge.
2) Choose a Specific Location
Decide if the event will take place on the hosting school’s
campus. If it is hosted on a campus, then the Bonners from other
schools will have a chance to get to know another Bonner campus.
On the other hand, if it is hosted at an alternate location, participants
may be less distracted and the event could end up with more of a
focus on the Bonner community.
If the event will not be hosted on a campus,
decide where it will be. It is possible to find reasonably priced
retreat centers or campgrounds which often offer two prices to choose
from, depending on whether or not you would like meals provided.
3) Decide if an Overnight will be
Required
Many directors and coordinators argue that an overnight is needed
because Bonners need the extra time to get to know each other and
to bond. Seriously consider an overnight, however, if your schools
are close together, then it may not be practical.
If you are having an overnight, decide where
visiting participants will stay. If the event is being held on campus,
you might have students stay in residence halls. This gives them
more opportunity to get to know the campus and other Bonners. It
also gets the hosting school’s Bonners more involved in the
process. On the other hand, if you choose to have them stay in a
hotel (budget permitting), it may make the event more of a special
occasion.
4) Decide Who is in Charge of What
Consider how much responsibility the hosting school will take on.
Will it be in charge of all of the logistical planning? What help
can the visiting schools provide?
Students must take charge: they should be the
ones doing most of the planning from the start. Directors and coordinators
can encourage students to set realistic goals. Especially at the
beginning, directors and coordinators must give student leaders
a clear idea of what is expected from them. Then the students should
be encouraged to take over the process.
5) Make a Plan to Stay in Touch
Make a plan to ensure that the schools will be working closely together
throughout the planning process. No matter how you decide to divide
up responsibilities, it is essential that the campuses maintain
regular contact so that in the end the event flows smoothly. For
example, a Cluster might decide that each school will be in charge
of conducting a workshop at the event. Without consistent communication,
the workshops may all be too similar (i.e. all include lectures
or be on over lapping topics) or too different. Without incorporating
each school in the planning process, the event runs the risk of
not flowing well.
6) Set “Group Expectations”
Ensure that each school and each committee member is on the same
page by establishing a list of “Group Expectations.”
This list should take into consideration the schools’ different
cultures and policies. Such factors become particularly important
if an overnight is involved. Students who are hosting visiting Bonners
in their rooms should understand the responsibilities of hosting.
The issue of alcohol use should be addressed directly since schools
may have different policies.
II. Initial Brainstorming
After addressing all of these important considerations,
it is time to brainstorm ideas. At this time we will begin using
COOL’s Civic Engagment training modules model to narrow down
the mission and goals of the event.
- Generate intended outcomes or big ideas.
- Design a basic skeleton.
- Block for flow.
- Fill or flesh out individual blocks.
- Walk through for integration.
Downloand the three event planning documents (these
are Adobe Acrobat PDF documents):
A. Logistical Pointers for
Cluster Events
1) Importance of Fun Time
Experienced directors and coordinators emphasize the importance
of building in structured fun/down time. Keep in mind that without
meaning to, students easily can stick in their comfort zone and
keep to each of their own campus groups. The planning committee
should work hard to plan enough fun time for participants. Keep
in mind, however, that in order to get everyone to interact, it
helps if the social time has structure. For example, a Saturday
evening event should include activities such as attending a theatre
or sports event. Think of creative ways to ensure that Bonners from
different schools interact. For example, you could assign seats
at dinner, placing Bonners from different schools together. Many
directors and coordinators agree that the connection between Bonners
will occur when students are allowed time to interact casually.
2) Give Bonners a Sense of Accomplishment
In order to make sure Bonners stay engage and interested and that
their precious weekend time is well spent, it is important to make
students feel like they are accomplishing something. Don’t
just talk about how we’re all part of the Bonner family and
the Bonner community. Make them feel that this is true by giving
them something to work on together. They might engage in a service
project, have an intense discussion on a social issue, or plan a
cluster-wide service initiative. In the end, it is most important
that you give them something to talk about: a jumping off point
that will lead them to feel a deeper connection. They should leave
the Cluster Event feeling that they are part of one unified force.
B. Content Pointers for Cluster Events
1) Work with and Celebrate the Diversity of
the Schools
Give students a chance to share their unique experiences of being
a Bonner Scholar. Every community is different. Every campus’s
program is different. Every Bonner is different. Let the diversity
within your groups enrich one another’s understanding of what
it means to serve. It is important that students are encouraged
to share their different experiences!
2) Upper-class Students must Remember First
Years
The upper-class students planning the event should take into account
that first year Bonners are coming into the experience with less
knowledge about the Foundation, about what it means to be a Bonner,
and about the experiential education model. They may even be less
comfortable with their fellow Bonners. Keep these things in mind
and remember that the event’s purpose is to educate them and
allow them a chance to grow in these areas. In order to do this,
it may be important to start at the beginning.
3) Use Community Partners
When thinking of appropriate guest lecturers, consider inviting
community partners. They understand what it means to be a Bonner
and can offer a good perspective on issues specific to the region.
Ideally, you should use community partners that are able to provide
summer service opportunities to all Bonners in the cluster.
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