The time Circle K reps. Vivian, Brandon, and Melanie and I spent at Camp Michigania for Leadership Connection 2011 last week deserves some blog-space. I want to share some of the themes we discussed and lessons we learned in about 4 days worth of sessions, and I don’t want to forget the somewhat less important details like the new hand language, games, theme songs, and our so, so beautiful surroundings.
Zoomed in view from the back porch of the Education Center.
Some basics about Leadership Connection — It’s put on by the office of Student Activities and Leadership and happens at Camp Michigania in Petoskey, a site owned by the Michigan Alumni Association. Every May, about 22 student organizations that have applied to attend are accepted, and each can send between three and five members at no cost. According to its page on the Office of Student Activities and Leadership site, Leadership Connection serves to:
. . . provide opportunities that strengthen student organizations’ intra-group and inter-group development. Areas of focus for the week include collaboration, service and community responsibility, ethical decision making, and addressing campus climate. Students and students organization are able to create more efficient organizational practices and social justice consciousness.
That sounds about right.
So, serious stuff first. On day one, we were introduced to each other through a run-through of minute-long “student organization commercials” and a good number of ice-breakers. Some of the ‘org’s there that come to mind were SAPAC, a fraternity Beta Theta Pi, a Latina sorority, a few engineering school groups like the National Society of Black Engineers (Nez-bee) and Society of Women Engineers (Sweeeeeee), Michigan Sahana (an Indian classical dance group), a Dental Hygienists group, Mock Trial, Migrant and Immigrants’ Rights Awareness, HEADS (double acronym for Here Earning A Destiny through Honesty Eagerness and Determination of Self), MPowered, and both MSA’s.
We eventually formed pods of three — we were with SAPAC and Sahana — to discuss how we perceive ourselves and how that differs from our image on campus. It seems Circle K’s other two tenets, Friendship and Leadership, and the fact that anyone can sign up for a project on the calendar are not clearly understood outside our club. UH OH. Later in the week, we discussed our mission/values, organizational culture, and future goals with our pod.
Outside the pod, each of us learned a bit about our how we may operate differently as leaders depending on our Myers-Briggs types – that’s the one where you end up with 4 letters – as well as how ethics relates to leadership. Later in the week, there was a great circle dialogue about Campus Climate – particularly for minorities – and the influence we can have on that climate, lessons on collaboration, S.M.A.R.T. goal-setting, time-management, conflict-management, and how student organizations tend to operate in cycles.
The Session Room with excellent ambience.
Outside the Education Center, which was more like a big comfy lodge, we spent an afternoon doing ‘team-building exercises’ in groups of about 12-14 OUT IN THE WOODS! Too bad it was freezing cold that day.
From afar, Viv, Mel, Brandon, and my group for the "Low Ropes" activities.
Now for some of the more heartwarming aspects of our week:
Each time we got back into the classroom for a session, our facilitators read us ’status updates’ from the ’status updates’ box. The theme of the week was Facebook, so not only did each group create a facebook profile posters, but everyone embraced the status update opportunity. Some highlights from those include updates about Keith of Engineering Global Leadership needing to wear a shirt, song lyrics from Firework, Meerkat Fun Facts, Friend Requests, and comments appreciative of Brandon’s smile. =)
Making our Facebook page poster
Another heartwarming aspect was the music. Some favorites of everyone from Gabe’s (a facilitator) iTunes playlist were “Firework”, “I Want it That Way”, “Party in the USA”, and “Friday”. Even better though were Ellie (of SAPAC), Becky (of MIRA), and Rita (of Living Arts) ’s guitar-playing and songwriting around the camp-fire. On the last night, not only was there a hoppin’ dance party, but one that turned into a talent show of fraternity/sorority steps, Indian classical dance, Chinese yo-yo, and Funktion hip-hop. Afterward, Becky taught us how to do the worm (it still hurts Martha to lift her toothbrush), Tejash of Sahana and Shreya of Michigan Student Assembly taught us how to Banghra in a circle, and Kat of the Latina sorority taught us some Merengue. In the wee hours of the morning, piano talent was revealed from Kat, Nancy of MPowered, Vishi of Sahana, and Anoop of UMEC. It was all very impressive.
Jordan and Jared of Mock Trial
By the end of the week, all 70-ish of us were ‘connected’ not only through friendship and common goals, but also some pretty sweet hand-motions, mostly thanks to the Mock Trial trendsetters. First, there was the basic knocking motion in the air meaning “agreed” and horizontal hand slicing motion for “no way”. Then there was the “A” symbol (both hands up making a triangle) for “A-team!”. At first, this was Mock Trial just boasting their awesome-ness, but by the end everyone was on the A-team. Finally, most dear to my hear was the snapping which sounded whenever there was a widespread feeling of empathy or deep affirmation of what someone had just shared or was sharing. For example, there tended to be more snap frequency during circle dialogues, and there were a lot of snaps as the facilitators gave their last words during the closing session.
-Martha
For further reading about this year’s LC, you could take a look at the tumblr.
Remaining Pictures!
Blue sky!
On the porch
By the lake. Katy was the one with the camera.
The Generation Found team after its first planning meeting.
The group also walked all over downtown Chicago, saw City Hall, and even checked out the law firm Christina worked at last summer. They headed over to Buckingham Fountain, walked around the museum campus, and visited Shedd Aquarium, where they saw snapping turtles, lungfish, beluga whales, and dolphins!
That evening, they took Christina’s boat out for a ride on the lake, enjoyed dinner, and watched the fireworks go off at Navy Pier.
