York’s Centre for Student Community & Leadership Development (SCLD) held its first-ever integrated training day on Aug. 25. The day was convened to train SCLD’s 2010-2011 student teams for the upcoming year.
“The integrated training event was developed as a key way to share resources, network student leaders with their peers and to orient them to other programs and services that SCLD offers,” said Catherine Salole, director of SCLD. “It’s designed to help them see that they’re an essential part of a larger student team that contributes significantly to student life at York.”
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| Above: The entire SCLD student team gathers for the welcoming remarks at the first-ever integrated training day |
More than 130 student leaders, including those from York’s leadership programs, RED Zone ambassadors, residence life dons, peer health educators and york is U executives, came together to listen to a welcome address delivered by Robert Tiffin, vice-president students. In his remarks, Tiffin outlined to the students the importance of their role in shaping and supporting student life
at York.
After a barbecue lunch, York alumnus Nick Czernkovich (BSc Spec. Hons. ’03), a meterologist with the CBC, gave the keynote address.
Right: Nick Czernkovich
Czernkovich spoke about his work over the past year with the charity Missionaries of the Poor, an international monastic order dedicated to serving the “poorest of the poor”. His message to the students about his experience was, “Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.”
Czernkovich’s message framed the afternoon workshop on diversity and a World Café discussion. The diversity training session was designed and facilitated by York’s Centre for Human Rights and revolved around power, privilege and how the students could make effective changes that would improve access to services and programs.
Left: From left, Alix Jolicoeur, a residence life don; Andrew Sweetnam, a peer health educator on the active living team; and Farrah Bulsara, a residence life don, discuss the importance of student involvement and engagement on campus during the World Café
The World Café focused on the importance of student leaders and their unique roles on campus. Participants were seated in small groups and discussed a specific question for a set amount of time. They then moved to another table and discussed a new question with a new set of people. Each discussion added to the previous group’s contributions on the topic. The process allowed all of the integrated training day participants to contribute to all aspects of the topics up for discussion. The student leaders will participate in another training day this fall.