EXPERIENCE
For both student delegates and expert facilitators, your IYVS experience will likely be quite different from most conferences you’ve been a part of.
We invest heavily in our student participants; we keep our numbers small so that we can customize each student’s experience with personally-selected workshops and small group discussions. We give students a chance to develop a real project; something that represents their passions and ideas. For these reasons reason, we ask that students invest in us, as well. We expect that student delegates will be actively engaged in the Summit programming and utilize the opportunities we’re offering them.
As a workshop and small discussion facilitators, you’ll also be agreeing to an involvement that goes beyond the hour or two where you’re sharing your specific skills. By becoming an IYVS facilitator, you’re becoming part of a dynamic, engaged community in which all members have something to give and something to gain. We hope all our facilitators become active participants throughout the weekend and beyond.
So what does this all mean? How do people actually end up at the Summit, and what actually happens there?
Through late fall and early winter, IYVS staff works to solicit applications from delegates and facilitators alike. The student application involves a number of short-answer and background questions, and is centered around a project proposal. We ask for a project proposal to get students thinking in terms of solutions rather than problems, and so that we can ensure that all of our participants have a specific, self-identified framework for contextualizing the various workshops and discussions they will have at the Summit.
Student participants arrive during the day on the Thursday that the event begins (although this year, there may be an optional “Global Chicago” immersion experience) and are picked up from the airport by IYVS staff. Thursday evening means a first chance to connect with peers over cocktails and a banquet dinner. The dinner includes the standard introductions, discussions, rockin’ food, and keynote presentation, but uniquely it concludes with some extravaganza connection experience. Last year, all of IYVS – staff, delegates, and facilitators alike – had a dance and drum workshop from a Ghanaian drum expert. This year, who knows what will happen.
On Friday, the morning will open with an array of panel discussions or some other substantive conceptual knowledge topic. Small group discussions will give people with similar interests and project proposals the chance to connect in a smaller setting. In the afternoon, students will participate in their first workshops. These workshops will fall into one of a number of different categories including “approaches to engagement,” “project development,” and more. They will be primarily skills driven, and focus on developing skills like strategic planning and fundraising that undergraduates might not otherwise have an educational space to develop.
On Friday evening we will provide a conceptually-linked social event. Last year, we premiered the OpenShutter Project gallery; a mixed-media exhibit focused on modern Uganda.
Saturday will focus again on workshops and small group discussions. On Saturday night, we’ll throw caution to the wind and arrange a number of Chicago excursions including BYOB Chicago-Style pizza, world reggae at the Wild Hare, who knows?
Finally, on Sunday morning, we’ll wrap up with a closing banquet and keynote. This will be a last chance to interact with your new friends and small discussion group members before heading back to the big world.
For both student delegates and expert facilitators, your IYVS experience will likely be quite different from most conferences you’ve been a part of.
We invest heavily in our student participants; we keep our numbers small so that we can customize each student’s experience with personally-selected workshops and small group discussions. We give students a chance to develop a real project; something that represents their passions and ideas. For these reasons reason, we ask that students invest in us, as well. We expect that student delegates will be actively engaged in the Summit programming and utilize the opportunities we’re offering them.
As a workshop and small discussion facilitators, you’ll also be agreeing to an involvement that goes beyond the hour or two where you’re sharing your specific skills. By becoming an IYVS facilitator, you’re becoming part of a dynamic, engaged community in which all members have something to give and something to gain. We hope all our facilitators become active participants throughout the weekend and beyond.
So what does this all mean? How do people actually end up at the Summit, and what actually happens there?
Through late fall and early winter, IYVS staff works to solicit applications from delegates and facilitators alike. The student application involves a number of short-answer and background questions, and is centered around a project proposal. We ask for a project proposal to get students thinking in terms of solutions rather than problems, and so that we can ensure that all of our participants have a specific, self-identified framework for contextualizing the various workshops and discussions they will have at the Summit.
Student participants arrive during the day on the Thursday that the event begins (although this year, there may be an optional “Global Chicago” immersion experience) and are picked up from the airport by IYVS staff. Thursday evening means a first chance to connect with peers over cocktails and a banquet dinner. The dinner includes the standard introductions, discussions, rockin’ food, and keynote presentation, but uniquely it concludes with some extravaganza connection experience. Last year, all of IYVS – staff, delegates, and facilitators alike – had a dance and drum workshop from a Ghanaian drum expert. This year, who knows what will happen.
On Friday, the morning will open with an array of panel discussions or some other substantive conceptual knowledge topic. Small group discussions will give people with similar interests and project proposals the chance to connect in a smaller setting. In the afternoon, students will participate in their first workshops. These workshops will fall into one of a number of different categories including “approaches to engagement,” “project development,” and more. They will be primarily skills driven, and focus on developing skills like strategic planning and fundraising that undergraduates might not otherwise have an educational space to develop.
On Friday evening we will provide a conceptually-linked social event. Last year, we premiered the OpenShutter Project gallery; a mixed-media exhibit focused on modern Uganda.
Saturday will focus again on workshops and small group discussions. On Saturday night, we’ll throw caution to the wind and arrange a number of Chicago excursions including BYOB Chicago-Style pizza, world reggae at the Wild Hare, who knows?
Finally, on Sunday morning, we’ll wrap up with a closing banquet and keynote. This will be a last chance to interact with your new friends and small discussion group members before heading back to the big world.
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"International Youth
Volunteerism Summit Feb 22-25, 2007 Northwestern University Chicago, USA" | To learn more about us, click around this site or read some testimonials. Check back regularly with our blog to hear about updates and other opportunities. Finally, go to our contact page to find out how to get in touch with us. |