Events & Logistics
Event planning is a small but very important
task for your SD organization. It involves
making orders and reservations in advance of a
specific event, organizing food, coordinating
schedules, and facilitating all of the
logistics of SD events. Most of this occurs at
the beginning of the year for moderator
training, info sessions, the ‘kick-off’
event, and reserving meeting space. Otherwise,
over the dialogue year the only major event
planning would be for any SD organization-wide
social events, like a party or collaborative
event with another student group. Finally,
towards the end of the academic year, it will
become important to make all arrangements
necessary to attend the SDCN Annual Conference
in April.
Common elements of event
planning
o room
reservations
o food (for Kick Off Dinner and Moderator Training)
o budget for trainings and other events
o advertising
o flight/lodging arrangements (for national events)
o A/V equipment (for showing the SDCN video at Info Sessions)
o food (for Kick Off Dinner and Moderator Training)
o budget for trainings and other events
o advertising
o flight/lodging arrangements (for national events)
o A/V equipment (for showing the SDCN video at Info Sessions)
Common events for SD
programs
Info Sessions are a
part of the Recruitment phase. Once the flyer
campaign and/or personal outreach recruitment
has occurred, students can hold several Info
Sessions to introduce interested students to
SD. Here, they decide if they would like to
commit by completing short applications and
indicating their availability to meet in a
dialogue group.
Kick Off Dinner is the first official meeting of all the newly committed participants of SD. Here all leaders, moderators, and participants gather in a casual setting to mingle over dinner to start the new SD year. While the leaders and moderators take this opportunity to welcome the new participants, a guest speaker, usually interested in the issues of conflict, peacebuilding, or race relations is invited to deliver a short speech. Most campuses do a team building activity at the Kick Off for a strong start to the year.
Moderator Training is conducted either before or at the beginning of the academic year for 2 days. This requires a room with a whiteboard.
Meeting Space (for dialogues, Leadership and Moderator meetings) must be an intimate setting in which everyone can sit in a circle. It is very helpful to have a room with a whiteboard or chalkboard as well to map-out thoughts generated from dialogue.
SD-Wide Social Events (within SD or in collaboration with other student groups) are excellent for creating group cohesion and for building ties with other communities on campus. These can range from potlucks, bonfires, parties, service projects, and benefit fundraisers to listening to a guest speaker, watching a topic-specific movie, or attending a cultural performance.
Annual SDCN National Conference is hosted every April by a participating SD campus. Arrangements need to be made for lodging and transportation for one weekend. Interested participants, moderators, student leaders, and administrators are welcome to attend.
Kick Off Dinner is the first official meeting of all the newly committed participants of SD. Here all leaders, moderators, and participants gather in a casual setting to mingle over dinner to start the new SD year. While the leaders and moderators take this opportunity to welcome the new participants, a guest speaker, usually interested in the issues of conflict, peacebuilding, or race relations is invited to deliver a short speech. Most campuses do a team building activity at the Kick Off for a strong start to the year.
Moderator Training is conducted either before or at the beginning of the academic year for 2 days. This requires a room with a whiteboard.
Meeting Space (for dialogues, Leadership and Moderator meetings) must be an intimate setting in which everyone can sit in a circle. It is very helpful to have a room with a whiteboard or chalkboard as well to map-out thoughts generated from dialogue.
SD-Wide Social Events (within SD or in collaboration with other student groups) are excellent for creating group cohesion and for building ties with other communities on campus. These can range from potlucks, bonfires, parties, service projects, and benefit fundraisers to listening to a guest speaker, watching a topic-specific movie, or attending a cultural performance.
Annual SDCN National Conference is hosted every April by a participating SD campus. Arrangements need to be made for lodging and transportation for one weekend. Interested participants, moderators, student leaders, and administrators are welcome to attend.