By Harrish Santhuruselvan
When I entered my first year at York, I was on a mission to maximize my university life. Mainly, because I wanted to build strong connections for future networking opportunities. York University is a school with diversity in every walk of campus. People, programs, courses, faculty, and, most importantly, clubs. Joining clubs was my number one mission at York other than doing well in school, which was a side quest at the start of school.
In the first month of my university experience, I was pondering on what types of clubs I should and would like to join; clubs that align with my values and goals. York has a vast array of clubs relating to programs, religion, charity, sports, arts, environment, and education. When I mean it has a lot of clubs, I am not exaggerating, as York has more than 300 clubs! There are many things to do here at York and students will always be busy with having fun and building valuable connections. York SCLD Clubs’ Fest, YU Connect, and the use of social media are all examples of numerous ways to join clubs at York that allow students to interact with campus life and form deep bonds with other students.
YU Connect
YU Connect is like the digital hub of all the clubs at York. It’s a tool used to allow students to join clubs and be informed about the club itself. YU Connect offers the flexibility of filtering in the clubs that you would like to join. It is an easy way for students to be aware of upcoming club events that they wish to attend. Through the platform you can click on a tab called Organizations where you have access to all the clubs at York. Again, York is diverse with a variety of clubs with their own uniqueness. Through the filtering system, you can filter in the categories and options that meet your interest and find a club to join.
York SCLD Clubs’ Fest
The York Student Community & Leadership Development (SCLD) Fest is a great way to meet some of the executives in person for some of your favourite clubs at the campus. This is optimal as you’re able to talk with other club members that align with your interests and build a good relationship. The SCLD Clubs Fest helps to allow students to immerse themselves with the fun club activities when joining a club. This event takes place at the start of every semester to allow students to be aware of the diverse clubs available at York. The SCLD Club Fest is held in a central location on campus, like Vari Hall or outside of Vari Hall. In the event, clubs will feature booths and tables along with fun activities for winning prizes, giveaways and sometimes networking opportunities within the club that connect with student programs.
Social Media
Social media is another way to connect with clubs and join them. Many clubs post their membership details, upcoming meetings and events on social media platforms. It’s an easy way to stay up to date on events happening at the club in real time. Many clubs at York University mostly use Instagram, TikTok, Discord, and Facebook as a social media platform. Social media platforms like Instagram or TikTok for example allows clubs here at York to post videos or pictures of club events and try to engage students to join them. Social media is a great tool for students to be engaged with the post and participate in the community. With social media it’s super easy to communicate with the club regarding any questions about the events or organization. This allows students to talk with members of the clubs to clear out any doubts before joining.
But why join clubs?
Of course, joining clubs and doing extracurricular is a way to find your interests and passion throughout your university experience. But there are several other benefits of joining clubs that many students might not consider.
Exploring Yourself
Through clubs, you can learn more about a particular subject, take up new hobbies, or pursue interests outside of your program. Your time at university may become more rewarding and well-rounded as a result. During my first year at York, I was part of Peace By Peace, a club dedicated to mentor elementary school students in grade 4-6 about conflict, bullying, and violence in their lives, schools, and communities. During my time at Peace By Peace, my aspiration to become an educator increased and helped me define what I want to do in life. When joining this club, it provided me with a sense of community allowing me to interact with people who have similar interests and backgrounds. It was a great way to explore and identify who I am and what I want to become.
Networking
Joining a club allows you to interact with others who share your interests, whether social, cultural, or intellectual, and meet like-minded people. In my current year at York, I have joined York Philosophia, a philosophy club dedicated to offer students an experience in which they engage in philosophical discussions in a social atmosphere and ponder on life’s biggest questions. Through this club, I have met many individuals that like philosophy, like to socialise, and in my program. The president of the club is a fellow classmate of mine and is in the same program, allowing me to network both in my studies and social club activities. Additionally, I can allow many of my peers to join the club and expand the networking opportunities.
Enhancing Skills
Numerous clubs concentrate on activities that encourage the growth of key skills including time management, communication, cooperation, and leadership. These experiences may be helpful whether you lead a team, manage funds, or plan events. During my time at Peace By Peace, communication, time management and leadership are skills that play a big role in mentoring the students. Being sure to articulate the lessons properly to make the students understand the material was key. Communication was a skill I improved profoundly at my time with Peace By Peace. It helped me for class presentations, class discussions, and work outside of school. Skills that are transferable because of committing to a club that would provide many opportunities to improve it.
Communal Impact
Many clubs engage in outreach or community service, offering chances to support areas you care about and have a good influence on campus and the city or region. During my time in Peace By Peace, I realized it was a community building club ensuring that students in elementary schools are educated on dealing with conflict, bullying, and violence in their lives. I remember the impact I made in the classroom, seeing all the students smile at the fun games they were playing and learning the concept through sharing some of their own classroom experiences. I remember some of the kids being very proud to learn a concept or identifying what they were thinking on a particular topic. This made me realise that I made an impact in a student’s life, that they could carry the lessons learned from the club throughout their life, and into their own community.
Academic
Study groups and guest lecturers are just a few of the ways academic clubs may encourage you to excel in your classes. A good opportunity to supplement your learning. As a student studying Law & Society, law clubs such as LANDS, help to accommodate my knowledge in the legal fields. I am currently just following some of their events. However, when I have the time in my senior years, I would love to be involved and further heighten my studies in law.
My name is Harrish Santhuruselvan and I am a B.A., Hons. Law and Society undergraduate student at York University. I have a strong enthusiasm for learning and am passionate about writing, reading, fitness, and mentoring. My ambition is to become an educator and work toward a secondary school teaching position, while being eager to pursue further education. My goal is to continue learning and sharing what I have learned with others.