KSCC Student Manual and KSCC 2011 Program

shKmn_nisitSExµr

(Sa-hak-kom nee-set kh-mai)

Student Organization Manual

By:

Linda Sok, Phanith Sovann, Seng So, and Sotheara Chhay Contributions by: Darren Kong, Elizabeth Aong, Ko Thouth, Michael Saing and Narady Heng Produced by: Linda Sok

-2011-

This Manual Belongs to:

________________________________________

-contents-

KSCC 2011 Event Program ……………………………………………………..

Student Org Manual What is KSC? …….………………………………………………………………………………. Preface ………………………………………………………………………………………………………. Purpose ………………………………………………………………………………….…………………... History …………………………………………………………………………………………………………. Present ………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Student Organization …..…………………………………………………………... Why a Student Org? ……………………………………………………………………………… Your Student Org …………………………………………………………………………………... General Responsibilities ………………………………………………………………………. Core Positions ………………………………………………………………………………………….. Optional Positions …………………………………………………………………………………...

Student Org Essentials ……………………………………………………………... Start a club ………………………………………………………………………………………………. Know your school’s policy …………………………………………………………………... Define your mission and vision ………………………………………………………….. Develop your constitution/bylaws ……………………………………………………. Lead a club meeting ………………………………………………………………………………. Keep your club running ………………………………………………………………………... Planning events ……………………………………………………………………………………….. Transitioning your new leaders …………………………………………………………. Qualities of an effective leader ………………………………………………………

Student Org Resources …………………………………………………...………. Recruiting …………………………………………………………………………………………………. Marketing ………………………………………………………………………………………………….. Retention ………………………………………………………………………………………………….. Delegation ………………………………………………………………………………………………... Communication ………………………………………………………………………………………. Conflict Resolution ……………………………………………………………………………….. Time Management …………………………………………………………………………………. De-stress ……………………………………………………………………………………………………. Decision making ……………………………………………………………………………………… Activity Icebreakers ……….……………………………………………………………………

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Saturday, November 5, 2011 Sunday, November 6, 2011

Hosted by:

United Khmer Students at UCLA & The Cambodian Family

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United Khmer Students is a student-run or-ganization dedicated to fostering a positive environ-ment for Khmer students and Khmer culture at UCLA. The club serves to represent and be an active voice for the greater Cambodian community and to advocate for its relevant issues. Due to the lacking representation of Khmer people, UKS feels itself to be a necessary component within the UCLA community. UKS not only provides a social environment for Khmer and non-Khmer students alike but works towards creating a politically and culturally active space. The club is consistent with cultivating cultural education and traditions for its general membership as well as providing leadership opportu-nities for members to be involved within their communities. UKS understands the significance of higher education and its condition within the Khmer population; Khmer Outreach Retention Education was created as an effort to combat low representation of Khmer-Americans in higher education. Along with KORE, various events, and components, the Mentorship Program provides on-site tutoring, field-trips and a mentor/mentee relationship for at-risk Cambodian youth at various LBUSD schools. UKS strives to provide a positive college experience for students through social, cultural, and political activities as well as being an advocate for Khmer com-munity, culture and education.

The Cambodian Family is a 501(c)(3) non-profit agency serving the refugee and immigrant community of Orange County, California for the past 30 years. The mission of The Cambodian Family is to provide oppor-tunities for refugee and immigrant families to develop

the knowledge, skills, and desires for creating health and well-being in their lives. The families we serve will have good physical and mental health, satisfying jobs with good wages, kids who thrive in school, a sense of belonging to the larger community, and a comfort-able community center of their own in which they take pride and feel strong support.

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United Khmer Students @ UCLA and The Cambodian Family are pleased to be collaborating on this year's Khmer Student Coali-tion Conference entitled, "We Are The Ones We've Been Waiting For." In addition to building on previous conferences' themes on culture, history, and identity, our goals this year are to emphasize unity and solidarity within and among student organizations and to encourage students to make positive changes in their communi-ties. After months of consideration, the 2011 KSCC planning committee finally decided that this quote best summed up the goal and direction we all wanted for KSCC. Two years ago at UC San Diego, we took "A Look in the Mirror" to question and understand the person we are inside. Last year at UC Berkeley, we explored our 'hystory' and cultural identities in "Reflections of a Shattered Past."

This year, we really wanted to push for the “so what?” So what do we do now, now that we’ve explored and dialogued about the issues facing the community? What can we do as student lead-ers, to pave the way for a more positive future for our people? The bigger question would be WHO is going to pave the way?

We decided that it was up to US to make the change. It was up to US to be our “superheroes” and save ourselves. It was up to US to be proactive and make the changes we want to see.

So what are we waiting for?

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7:30 - 8:15 a Registration Wilson Plaza

8:00 - 9:00 a Resource Fair Wilson Plaza

9:15 - 9:45 a Welcome Rolfe 1200

9:45 - 10:45 a Family Group Rolfe 1200

10:45 - 11:00 a Transition Time

11:00 - 11:55 a Workshop #1 see map

12:00-12:45 p Family Group Mtg #1

12:45 - 1:45 p Lunch on your own

1:45 - 2:00 p Transition Time

2:00 - 2:55 p Workshop #2 see map

3:00 - 3:45 p Family Group Mtg #2


4:00 - 4:55 p Workshop #3 see map

5:00 - 5:45 p Family Group Mtg #3


6:00 - 7:00 p Dinner Student Activity Center Basement

7:00 - 7:20 p Nominations Rolfe 1200

7:20 - 7:40 p Closing Rolfe 1200

7:45 - 9:30 p Open Mic Rolfe 1200

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Rattana Yeang is a Cambodian, Teo Chiu, American who was born in a refugee camp in Thailand after his family was forced to flee their home because of the war and geno-cide that followed the American bombard-ment of Cambodia throughout much of the 1970s. His family eventually found refuge in the United States; however upon their arri-val, life remained challenging in many ways for both him and the majority of other Southeast Asian refugees. His experiences growing up in the suburbs of Rancho Cucamonga and being a student of

both History and Ethnic Studies at the University of California, Riverside had a major impact in shaping how he viewed himself and his role in the commu-nity. After college, Rattana volunteered with Global Youth Connect: a small organization based out of New York that brought American college students to Cambodia for a cross cultural exchange program where participants learned about issues related to human rights. Upon his return to the United States, Rattana began work as a Data Analyst in the Department of Research, Assessment, and Data at Oakland Unified School District where he is also currently conducting research on Southeast Asian American student populations. In addition to work, Rattana is part of the Asian Pacific Advisory Council (APAC) with the Oakland Museum of Califor-nia, and also works to empower refugee communities on a national level in his role as a member of the board of directors with the Southeast Asia Re-source Action Center (SEARAC): a national organization that advances the interests of Cambodian, Laotian, and Vietnamese Americans by empowering communities through advocacy, leadership development, and capacity build-ing to create a socially just and equitable society.

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Phalen Lim was born in Cambodia, and was 4 years old when the Khmer Rouge began clearing the cities in 1975 and or-dering people into the countryside to work. She remembers that there was never enough porridge to eat. Her mother tells her that she cried constantly, terrified by the sound of gunfire.

She and her family was able to escape after the fall of the regime in 1979. They made their way to refugee camps in Thailand, then Indonesia, then Singapore. Phalen still remembers the first apple she ever had, at a camp in Singapore, and how strange it tasted after her sparse diet of porridge.

The family made their way to Santa Ana in 1981 and found two one-bedroom apart-ments for all ten of them and a cousin. Lim enrolled in the third grade, even though she couldn't yet speak English. She started going to a community center for help with her homework and to take dance lessons – The Cambodian Family. In high school, Phalen first worked part-time at Cam Fam through a summer pro-gram sponsored by the city of Orange. She eventually went on to pursue her B.A. in Art from CSU Fullerton while remaining involved with the organization. During her college years, she was an active member of Fullerton's Cambodian Students Asso-ciation, serving as president during the 1994-1995 school year. Phalen completed both her teaching credential in 2003 and her M.A. in Counseling in 2008 at CSU Fullerton while working at Cam Fam. Throughout her time at school, Phalen was able to use her knowledge and experience working in the community to bridge the gap between students and community organizations.

For the past 20 years, Phalen has served as a youth counselor, a community organ-izer, a traditional dancer instructor, a family counselor, and a mentor to various youth and adult support groups. As the current Director of the Plan Ahead Youth Program, Phalen's role is to support and inspire young people to become balanced, healthy leaders.

In 2009, Phalen was awarded the California Peace Prize by The CA Wellness Foun-dation. It applauded her as an "integral leader in an agency that combats gang vio-lence and promotes cultural pride and understanding in Santa Ana." Despite these accomplishments, she remains humble: "I must have done something good to de-serve it," she says now. But she's quick to add: "It's not just about me. It's about the work that I did and about the people that I serve.

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Workshop #1: “If you want to know your past, look into your present conditions. If

you want to know your future, look into your present actions.” -Buddhist Proverb

What does the Cambodian American experience in the U.S. look like? What is going on in your community? Different objects, peo-ple, and even landmarks trigger ideas, memories, and feelings we have never known we’ve had. In this workshop, you will take part in conversations about the term “community identity” in a differ-ent way. There are many factors that create what we call our home, our people, us.

Family Group Meeting #1: Can the truth really set you free? Are some scars really too deep to heal? Our experiences although unique to us, are never experi-enced alone. Through a soul-searching exercise, you will sense community as everyone begins to tell their stories without words.

Workshop #2:

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”

-Margaret Mead

How does a group practically go about a community project? What are the different approaches that a social organization, a cultural organization, or a political organization might take in starting an initiative? An idea without action accomplishes nothing. In this workshop, you will have the opportunity to work together on vari-ous projects, through which you explore the strategies and action plans an organization might take towards making change in the community.

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Family Group Meeting #2: What are the resources for starting a student organization at school? What are steps you can take to improving their student organization? This workshop will allow you to learn from as well as teach others through the sharing of experiences. Whether you are a veteran or a beginner when it comes to involvement in a stu-dent group, this discussion will enlighten you.

Workshop #3: “Live for yourself and you will live in vain, live for others and you

live forever.” - Inspired by Bob Marley

Sometimes one person is all it takes to make a difference. Are you utilizing your talents, skills, and knowledge to its full capacity? Are these resources being used efficiently and for the greater good? This workshop will allow you to identify your assets and help you see your place in the bigger picture of a community framework.

Family Group Meeting #3: What are the negatives and positives you see in your community? It is easier to point out flaws than to try and solve it. This work-shop will allow your creativity to shine as you embark in an exer-cise with words as a community collective.

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Albert Heng (UCLA Alumnus)

Darlene Ly (UCSD Alumnus)

Darren Kong (CSUF Alumnus)

Jackie Nith (UCLA Alumnus)

Jennifer Ka (UCSD Alumnus)

Melinda Ung (CSUF Alumnus)

Narady Heng (UCSD Alumnus)

Nathalie Becavin-Tan (UCSD Alumnus)

Phanith Sovann (UCI Alumnus)

Phannvileak Sourm (UCSD Alumnus)

Sabby Leng (CSUF Alumnus)

Saly Heng (UCLA Student)

Meet your family heads. These wonderful people were in your shoes once and played very key and important roles in their re-spective student organizations. Not only are they equipped with valuable skills and experience, they still have a strong passion to

help the KSC community. Thank you KSC Alumni!

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Our wonderful workshop facilitators consist of students and alums who have a passion for guiding discussion and encourag-

ing dialogue on important issues.

Chariya Sok

(UCLA Alumnus)

David Chhay (UCLA)

Lawrence Lo (UCLA)

Layhannara Tep (UCLA Alumnus)

Monica Mean (UCLA Alumnus)

Ryan Shetty

(UCLA)

Seng So (UCLA Alumnus)

Sheila Hanley (UCLA)

Sheila Nem (UCLA Alumnus)

Sokline Hing (UCLA)

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Angelina Yim “Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened.” -Dr. Seuss David Chhay “They can because they think they can.” -Virgil Jenny Tran "We are as indestructible as we believe ourselves to be." - John Green Lily Chhan "Eat. Live. Be happy." Linda Sok “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” -Chinese Proverb

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Michelle Be "You just need to take tradition and decorate it your way." Nak Bou “Don't Try - as in don't force creativity. Be patient, place your bet on the Muse and wait.” -Charles Bukowski

Seng So "Time doesn't wait for you." -MOM.

Sokline Hing “Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.” -Buddha

Sotheara Chhay "I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but peo-ple will never forget how you made them feel." -Maya Angelou

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Asian Pacific Coalition (APC) www.apcla.org Trung Nguyen - APC Director [email protected]

Project Angkor

www.projectangkor.org Norannsy Chieuchin [email protected]

Cambodian Health Profession-als Association of America

(CHPAA)

www.chpaa.org [email protected] 562-491-9132

Southeast Asia Resource Action Center (SEARAC) http://www.searac.org/ Rattana Yeang [email protected] 909-223-4234

Cambodian Fine Art Heritage Relief Foundation (CFAHRF) Terri Keam [email protected] 562-472-7765

The Cambodian Family www.cambodianfamily.org Sundaram Rama [email protected] 714-571-1966

City Year http://www.cityyear.org 213-596-5900

The Khmerican www.khmerican.com Phatry Derek Pan [email protected]

National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum (NAPAWF) http://napawf.org/ Sabby Leng [email protected]

UCI Southeast Asian American Archive http://seaa.lib.uci.edu/ Julie Sully [email protected] 949-824-4658

National Cambodian American Organization (NCAO) ncao-us.org Dr. Katharya Um [email protected]

Center for Southeast Asian Studies UCLA http://www.international.ucla.edu/cseas/ Dr. Barbara S. Gaerlan, Asst. Director [email protected]

Paulina Film http://paulinafilm.com/ Caylee So [email protected]

United Khmer Students Khmer Outreach Retention, Education at UCLA (UKS KORE) www.studentgroups.ucla.edu/uks/kore.html [email protected] 14

http://apcla.org/

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.projectangkor.org/


http://www.chpaa.org/


http://www.searac.org/


tel:909.223.4234

http://www.cambodianfamily.org

http://www.cityyear.org/

http://khmerican.com/


http://napawf.org/

http://seaa.lib.uci.edu/

mailto://[email protected]

http://www.international.ucla.edu/cseas/

http://www.international.ucla.edu/cseas/


http://paulinafilm.com/


http://www.studentgroups.ucla.edu/uks/kore.html

http://www.studentgroups.ucla.edu/uks/kore.html

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Learn about your past to understand the present to move onto the future.

www.facebook.com/unspokenwordsbook [email protected]

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Schools in Attendance: Arizona State University, Cal Poly Pomona, CSU Fresno, CSU

Fullerton, CSU Long Beach, CSU Sacramento, Fresno City College, Irvine Valley College, L.A. Mission College, Long Beach City College, Los Angeles Pierce College, Mount San Antonio College, Ronald E. McNair High School, San Francisco State University, San Joaquin

Delta College, Stanford, UC Berkeley, UC Davis, UC Irvine, UC Los An-geles, UC Merced, UC San Diego, and UC Santa Barbara

Planners: Angelina Yim, David Chhay, Jenny Tran, Lily Chhan, Linda Sok,

Michelle Be, Seng So, Sokline Hing, and Sotheara Chhay

Speakers: Rattana Yeang and Phalen Lim

Family Heads: Albert Heng , Darlene Ly, Darren Kong , Jackie Nith, Jennifer Ka,

Melinda Ung, Narady Heng, Nathalie Becavin-Tan, Phanith Sovann, Phannvileak Sourm, Sabby Leng, and Saly Heng

Workshop: Chariya Sok, David Chhay, Lawrence Lo, Layhannara Tep, Monica

Mea, Ryan Shetty, Seng So, Sheila Hanley, Sheila Nem, Sokline Hing

T-shirt Design: Nak Bou

All of our Community Resource Guests

All our Sponsors

Johnny Sok

Narady Heng

Phanith Sovann

Sovatha Ok

USAC

All our WONDERFUL volunteers

AND All of YOU!

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-purpose-

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-Why a Student Org?-

One of the most enriching aspects of a college career comes from being a part of a student organization. Clubs, organizations, societies, networks, and asso-ciations are formed for a variety of reasons and can serve many purposes. The types of grassroots initiatives that start at the level of a small organization, almost always result in change in the community because a group of like-minded people are put-ting effort and working towards the same cause. One who experiences being a part of a student organization can testify to the positive changes that happen internally: the increase of leadership attributes and the proud sense of purpose that takes place as an individual is molded by the experiences of becoming part of a community and servicing more than themselves. Many Khmer student organizations have formed in the past out of the need to connect based on a shared cultural background, a common need to create a voice in society, and to embark in a search for an identity in such a prevalent American culture. Throughout the years, the Khmer student organizations evolve as their missions change and visions broaden. With topics focusing on reflection and identity to community empowerment, more leaders are born, and a stronger network of Cambodian Americans is established. Many efforts to highlight the beauty of the Cambodian arts and culture, to promote higher education among youths, and even outreaches and giving back to Cambodia are initiated by Khmer student organiza-tions. When people saw strength in numbers as an asset, the birth of a coalition be-gan. KSC was created by student leaders arising from a need to bring together and unite various student organizations from different college campuses statewide. There was an acknowledgement that individual student organizations in each of the schools have great influence in the area of cultural preservation, social support, community service, political advocacy, and much more. However, together, KSC has a louder voice than ever before. Looking forward, the future of KSC is determined by and the future of student organizations. The stronger the individual means the organizations are stronger, and the stronger the coalition. KSC has already proven that the sky is the limit. Gone are the days we ques-tion who we are, now is the time to become who we have been waiting for. Be the change we want to see. Let’s do it together!

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-General Responsibilities-

Keep in mind that the mission of the club will influence and dictate other responsibilities. Officers do not run the club; they simply co-ordinate and implement the goals and ideas of the club. It is the re-sponsibility of the officers to:

Lead with vision and ambition

Demonstrate loyalty and commitment to the club and club mission

Plan, delegate, and evaluate, set goals and create ideas, tone, and di-rection

See that the club operates according to its constitution. Enforce club policies.

Ensure that the organization adheres to campus and organizational regulations

Determine membership criteria and eligibility

Facilitate process of completing and submitting organization renewal information

See that business is conducted in an orderly, efficient and proper manner

Responsible for room/facility reservations for club events, meetings, etc.

Oversee the planning of all organizational social and community ser-vice events

Remains fair and impartial during organization decision making proc-esses.

Appoint committees and task forces

Meet regularly with group Advisor and keep him/her appraised of ac-tivities of the organization

Provide good role modeling and show appropriate leadership behavior to other members and to the college community

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Student Organization-General Responsibilities

Serves as the public representative/ambassador for the club at any outside events as well as correspondence in any e-mails Implementing fundraising, financial plans and activities, regulations, and attendance policies Set and be aware of deadlines Maintains contact with advisor, alumni, affiliated organization Be enthusiastic, promote, and maintain unity and a friendly and har-monious environment within the group Must serve as impartial judge as well as mediator if there are any disputes between members. Manage so that discrimination by any means is prevented Coordinate the transition to new cabinet members. Provide supportive leadership. Preside over meetings. Develop programming. Perform club administration. Act as school/community liaison. Recruit and retain members. Train and educate your club. Manage elections. Plan strategy and set goals. Select committee chairmen/appointments. Balance your time as a student scholar and as a student leader Never stop educating and equipping yourself with knowledge and tools that will help in running the club or effective leadership Assess & reassess the state of the organization in relation to the overall context of the university or college to ensure that the club is meeting the current needs of students. Facilitate opportunities to allow members to be engaged in the deci-sion making process of the organization to ensure that the club is serving the needs of its student base.

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-Core Positions-

President The President shall serve as the “leader” of the organization.

The President shall reside over all meetings which includes: planning the agenda, tracking productivity, and strategy & execution.

The President will utilize the input of his/her board, staff and club members to understand the dynamics of the organization and shape meetings, events or spaces according to the state of the organization.

The President will develop an accountability system to ensure that abuses of power are prevented and that standards are maintained.

The President along with his/her board, staff and club shall set expec-tation and ground rules to ensure that the organization be an open and welcoming space for all students.

The President shall consistently meet with staff members through one-on-ones to gauge the overall function of the organization

Oversees the overall operation of the club.

The President will communicate with his/her board to keep updated on the organization’s status.

Has the ability to appoint new cabinet members/board.

In the event that there are vacant positions or cabinet members that currently cannot perform their duties the President must take respon-sibility. This may involve taking over the work, delegating the duties, or in whatever manner the President sees as appropriate.

Work with developing all cabinet/board members as leaders and en-sure planning and execution

Meet regularly with group Advisor, keep him/her updated, and obtain advice for the organization

Motivate and recognize the achievement of officers and members

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Student Organization- Core Positions

Vice-President Assist President in policy development, creation, implementation, and in any other form or function that is needed

Fulfills the duties of the President when he/she is not present

Be ready to assume presidency given that the president can no longer fulfill the duties

Call issues to the attention of the President/Advisor

Plans officer’s orientation and organizational retreats

Represents organization at official functions

The Vice President shall serve as the internal representative for the organization to various stakeholders and entities on campus. (IVP)

The Vice President shall serve as the external representative for the organization to stakeholders, community members and entities out-side of campus. (EVP)

Oversee committee chairpersons (if applicable)

Serve in partnership with the President as a leadership team

The office of the Vice President often takes on other duties such as:

Support the president

Plan programs and education

Oversee the committee system

Support other officers

Perform additional duties

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Secretary Organize and file materials

The Secretary shall meet with respective board members to de-velop a system for organization, documentation, note taking and reporting that will fit the needs of the collective

Prepare monthly reports

Maintain updated membership rosters and attendance sheets

Keep all roster information (addresses, phone numbers, birth-days, etc.) updated

Take club meeting minutes

Minutes should reflect: date, time, place of meetings, agenda topics, all motions and votes, new business, old business, and ad-journment time.

Coordinate all club and official correspondence


Maintain all files for future use

Order organization supplies if and when needed

Publish organization bulletin or minutes (if applicable)

Attend all meetings (or find suitable proxy)

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Treasurer

Understand and accept responsibility related to student funds

Coordinate dues collection

Disburse funds

Prepare and review the budget

Manage club accounts

Maintain accurate and up to date financial records


Pay all club dues/bills

Be prepared to give details of activity at all times

Give treasurer’s report at each meeting or upon request

Submit financial report to officers

Keep executive board informed of the financial strengths and needs of the organization

Works closely with the fundraising committee

Monitor budget and make sure that the club or organi-zation keeps within budgetary guidelines.

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Public Relations (May be further broken down into Internal & External PR positions)

It shall be the duty of the public relations officer to promote the organization’s activities as well as the organization itself.

Be responsible for creating all informational flyers and all other advertising for the organization. Should use different means of media and communication in-cluding but not limited to (Facebook, Youtube, Posters, campus newspaper, etc) to create awareness of club and club events

Maintaining the organization’s electronic mail account

Be responsible for e-mail correspondences to club members

Actively improve existing communication medium

Progressively update the list serve

Maintenance and up keeping of organization email account on a daily basis.

Being the liaison between the club staff and its members and associates through regular emails about upcoming events and information.

Maintaining contact with alumni and other officials to ensure that a strong net-work of support is available.

Responsible for establishing and maintaining networks with other organizations within and outside campus

Notify and inform all members, communities, and affiliated organization of club meetings and events

Planning Public relations campaigns and strategies for new students and parents

Monitoring public and media representation and perception of the school and club

Writing and editing brochures, press releases, speeches, newsletters and websites

Public speaking at presentations and conferences

Representing organization at different events and official functions

Obtain, in collaboration with the Campus Activities Office, any contracts re-quired for organization events

Be aware of any legal implications of planning an event

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KSC Liaison Representative of the club that serves on the KSC board Keep updated with all KSC related activities or events Publicize and outreach for any KSC related events (Culture Nights, KSC conference, Khmer Unity Games, etc) Maintain good contact with all other KSC liaisons from other clubs locally or nationally Responsible for contributing to the KSC archive online

http://khmerstudentcoalition.com/ Contribute in planning for collaborative events with other clubs or all of KSC Communicate with respective KSC members or the collective KSC space to share information about the current state of the student organization Engage the collective KSC space to help shape the direction KSC and its future

Engage staff and members of the student organization to more fully be able to represent the voices of the stu-dent organization to the collective KSC space

http://khmerstudentcoalition.com/

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- Additional Positions -

Historian

Attend all meetings (or find suitable proxy)

Participate and attend all club events, socials, and collabora-tions in order to document the event

Be an official club correspondent

Keep the organization’s permanent records/archives

Work closely with all other officers especially the webmaster

Shall be responsible in compiling pictures and/or video footage of all organization meetings, events, and all other functions.

Specific duties include creating any albums, slideshows, or vid-eos needed for events, culture shows, presentations, etc.

Webmaster

Maintaining club’s official website

Keep the website up to date and informative of club activities and events

Making sure all the web servers, hardware, and software are working properly

Continually design and develop the website

Create ties and links with other organizations

Assist in the production of all club events and programs

Archive and digitize photos and documents

Market the website. Collaborate and promote community/partners websites where users can join and post comments and communicate with one another

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Student Organization– Additional Positions

Internal Vice President Attend campus/school meetings on behalf of the club and ac-tively participate at meetings and events to relay information efficiently between other organizations/campus admin. and the club Act as an active liaison between other organizations on cam-pus not limited to student organizations Be actively aware of events on campus that pertain to the in-terest of the members

External Vice President

Assist the President in directing and ensuring that the organi-zation maintains its purposes and objectives Serve as a liaison between the club and other organizations outside of school Hold responsibility as head representative for the club among the Khmer Student Coalition Attend Khmer-related events outside of school to develop necessary networks among others of the Khmer community Seek sponsors from the Khmer community to help fund for Cul-ture Night Organize the club’s participation in the annual New Year's Pa-rade in Long Beach Work with Internal Vice President to plan and execute any Documentary Screening or educational events Along with the Internal Vice President, assume the office of President in the absence, incapacitation, or resignation of the President

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Culture Show Director (aka Culture or Culture Show Coordinator)

Educate the club of Cambodian culture and traditions in a creative and in-teractive manner

Coordinate and overlook the committees for the annual culture show

Develop the theme and write the script for the show

Higher Education Director (aka Access Coordinator, KORE Director)

Some of you will choose to focus an aspect of the club on promoting Higher Education.

The position of Director for such a program, as part of your club should:

Maintain contact and relations with community partners

Present and promote the program to various high schools or tar-geted Middle Schools in the school district of your area and on-campus organizations

Insure facilities are safe and proper for the use of various program events (on-sites, field trips, banquet)

Facilitate program meetings (come up with agendas, encourage mentors to provide input for various activities and events)

Foster mentor/mentee relationships

Secure funding for the program (proposals, hearings, look for various funding sources, etc...)

Manage program budget with the Treasurer of the club

Secure funding for the program (proposals, hearings, look for various funding sources, etc...)

Manage program budget with the Treasurer of the club

Work alongside program advisor and other appropriate personnel

Integrate the higher education program and the club to ensure that the program remains apart of the club and not its own separate en-tity

Foster growth among the coordinators and other officers running the program and aid in their development as leaders

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Ensure the program runs smoothly the entire year (logistics, food, mentee/mentor pairings)

Engage in research and information gathering to understand the state of education as it relates to the student base the organiza-tion is serving

Understand community conditions both historical and social, past and present to understand the context of the community in which you are servicing

Utilize resources and services available at the school or within the community to better support the program

To keep such a program running, the Director will need the help of many Coordinators who will:

Carry out and assist with duties delegated by the program director

Set-up and run the program events (including the creation of rele-vant materials to advertise said events)

Be responsible for email correspondence between the program, its mentors, and its mentees for instance

Recruit from/outreach to targeted school district

Make any facility reservations needed

Schedule field trips and bus rides

Format carpool list

Come up with agendas dinners and conferences

Create new icebreakers

Responsible for holiday specials: crafts, food talent shows, movies 'n' popcorn

Host presentations on special topics

Outreach to relevant community partners

Coordinate volunteer opportunities at homeless shelters, elderly clinics, soup kitchens, walks etc.

Create college shadowing opportunities for mentees

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-Start a club-

Meet with your School’s student org. advisor

Understand the history of the organization (if it has died out)

Meet with interested students to develop a plan of action, your values, mission and vision for the organization

Utilize other student organizations to help in the process of creating your student organization

- Know your school’s policy-

Meet with a club advisor to understand your school’s policy around organizing events, developing an organization, do’s and don’ts, etc…

-Define your mission and vision-

Vision: What is the future you want to create for the com-munity you are serving? What is the ultimate goal of the or-ganization? What type of reality do you want to create for the community you are serving?

Mission: What does your organization do (methods, prac-tices, components, etc...)? For whom do you do it for? What communities do you serve? What is the impact of your or-ganization?

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Student Org Essentials– Define your mission and vision

What is your mission/goals? Something to take into account is what kind of club are you? The mission should reflect the type of club that is being run, some emphasize one aspect than the other

social cultural political etc.

You must also define the group you are servicing club members the school the community other organizations etc.

What kind of services will you be providing or offering? support group cultural preservation/education community outreach etc.

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Sample Mission Statement:

We are a student-run organization dedicated to bringing Cambodia into the forefront of public thought. We celebrate multiculturalism and diversity among members of our club and within the community at-large, by welcoming anyone who is interested in Cambodia and the Khmer culture to take part in conversations on how to create awareness about the Cam-bodian community. Focusing on social networking, building leadership skills, and volunteer experience, we strive for in-volvement in the community. We accomplish this by reaching out to people both at home and abroad through service. Our firm belief is that we are helping ourselves by loving and car-ing for others. In addition, we are an active component to the efforts of the Khmer Student Coalition (KSC), a collective or-ganization composed of various Cambodian organizations within the California universities and state universities system. We strive to provide a positive college experience for students through social, cultural, and political activities as well as being an advocate for Khmer community, culture and education.


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What is your vision? Every club should have a vision because without vision, people, institutions, and clubs are stagnant and eventually die Vision includes projection into the future. Where would you like to see the club in a few years? What would the club like to accomplish? Vision should be built upon the club mission. After the vision is established, strategy must be planned carefully so that the club can take practical steps towards the vision. Vision without Action is dead.

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Sample policies not limited to: Qualifications to Run for office

One must be a current board member One must be a current board member or a member of the organization who showed dedication through attendance of meetings, activities, and events. Academic Standing: Must have a 2.5 GPA or higher Other eligibilities…

Elections

NOMINATIONS: A nomination of candidate is simply having an active member suggest another active member with their consent to be a nominee. TIME OF ELECTION: Elections of officers will take place in May. There will be at least two meetings held for elec-tions to take place in May and one final one to be held in early June. PROCEDURE: Officers are elected by a show of hands. The percentage of votes needed to win is by a plurality. Voters must be a registered member and maintain an av-erage attendance of one meeting and/or activity per month. If there is a tie, a run-off election will be held and again, whoever has a plurality wins. If no consensus can be reached, the position will be determined by the current officers and advisor(s).

- Develop your constitution/bylaws -

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Student Org Essentials– Develop your constitution/bylaws

ASSUMPTION OF OFFICE: New officers will officially as-sume office June 1st until June 1st of next year.

Resignations

Officers may resign if they fail to attend a majority (fifty percent plus one) meetings and/or events. In the case of an officer’s resignation or if the officer is unable to com-plete the term, the President may fill the vacancy by appointment until a suc-cessor qualifies.

Recalls

Should an officer fail to adhere to the duties and responsi-bilities defined by this Constitution, active members may choose to vote to recall an officer. In the case of an offi-cer’s recall or if the officer is unable to complete the term, the President may fill the vacancy by appointment until a successor qualifies.

Meetings Meetings will be determined by the members and officers of that term or school year, but no less than two meeting a month.

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Committees

Eligibility: At the time of assuming responsibility for a commit-ment and during tenure in office, a committees chair must meet all the eligibility requirements as stated by the University. The Event Coordinator will serve as head chair of subcommit-tees, should there be a need for them.

Dues: Dues are at the discretion of the current members and officers

Amendment

Means of Amendment: The constitution will be reviewed once at the end of each quarter. At this time, active members and officers will be able to add and amend any rules and by-laws. The individual will state which section needs amending and what the new wording will be.

Approval: All amendments to this charter shall be filed with the Student Programs and Activities Center, indicating the date and method of adoption. Revisions shall be incorporated into a fully revised copy of the charter. Any amendment(s) which change(s) the purpose or intent of the organization or substan-tively modify the charter’s provisions shall be approved by the University before taking effect.

Compliance: This charter shall not conflict with the By-Laws of the club, or with the policies and regulations of the University. Any stipulations applying to all chartered organizations made by the University shall be considered to be immediately enforce-able, whether contained in these Charter provisions or not.

Student Org Essentials– Develop your constitution/bylaws

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-Lead a club meeting-

Before the meeting

Identify and set goals of each meeting (what is that you hope to achieve? ex: outreaching for event, education around a current issue, help members bond, etc...)

Set an agenda.

Assign someone to greet new members and make them feel welcome and informed.

At the meeting

Remember, your meeting is a representation of your service, so make sure it’s fast‐paced,informational, organized and engaging.

Start out with a short icebreaker, team builder or quote

Host guest speakers. This is a great way to educate your members about new service opportunities and help develop their personal skills.

Market and educate members about upcoming service projects and why they need the club members’ support.

Participate in a project. Wrapping presents for toys for tots and creating birthday cards for a community home can all be done during your meeting time.

Recognize members. Take some time to reinforce members’ great service and leadership.

Thank everyone for attending.

Have staff and members evaluate each meeting to understand the effec-tiveness of the meeting as well as to develop new strategies to engage members

After the meeting

Clean up.

Distribute the minutes to all attendees.

Send greetings to members who could not attend. Ask members who did attend to let them know what happened. Follow-up with members who could not attend through email and keep current members updated through Facebook, email, twitter, etc...

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Decide how often you should meet.

What activities should you do?

Social: game nights, bbq, beach bonfire, field trips...

Cultural: cultural games, culture nights, jeopardy, cultural facts pres-entation...

Academic: study jams, tutoring, college campus tours, mentoring...

Political: campaigns, rallies, issues, raising awareness, developments

Educational: developments, informational meetings, identifying edu-cational issues

Other: documentary screenings, conferences…

-Planning Events- Set SMART goals:

Specific: Is the goal clear enough to be understood? What result is expected?

Measurable: Is there a way to measure results or determine when it is met? What are the timelines for the goal?

Attainable: Is the goal challenging enough to have to “stretch”, but not so challenging that there is no way of completing it?

Realistic: Does the goal pertain to the organization and fit with its strategic direction? Does it make sense?

Truthful/ Time Sensitive: Do you really want to accomplish this goal? Is it yours or someone else’s? What is the timeline of your goal? Is it long-term or short-term?

Determine the following:

Who, What, When, Where, Why, How

In other words: location, time, budget, sponsors, media, publicity...

-Keep your club running-

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-Transitioning your new leaders-

What happens next year? Develop and inform members of the election process for the organization to ensure that elections are open and fair Officers should consolidate and centralized position spe-cific information in a binder, on a hard drive, desktop or place for the incoming officer Host transition retreats or meetings for incoming and out-going officers to go over the basics of running an organiza-tion Transition on campus and off campus relationships through introductions at collective events, one-on-one or sched-uled meetings Host an election: prepare applications, speeches, and vot-ing. Provide “shadowing” opportunities Host leadership and transitioning trainings

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Has vision towards the future of the club and not afraid to plan “big”

Manages time wisely

Prioritizes

Is able to constructively cri-tique work

Organized

Hard worker

Efficient worker

Takes initiative

Creative

Communicates well with others

Approachable

Patient

Loyal

Honest

Open minded

Encouraging

Inspirational

Understanding

Respectful

Serves as good role model

-Qualities of an effective leader-

Proactive in fulfilling club’s goals and purposes

Proactive in fulfilling duties and responsibilities

Accountable for own actions and club’s actions

Focused and fully involved during meetings and events

Helps others without being asked

Wise and effective in problem solving

Brings everyone together, promotes unity

Respects boundaries of each officer and member

Knows how to step back and let others shine

Utilizes his officers and members to evaluate the organization and as well as his role on a consistent

Involves officers and members in the decision making process to en-sure that the best interest of the organization is being observed

Reflection and self-reflection: consistently reflects on strengths, weaknesses and areas of development to continually learn and grow

Understand the strengths and weaknesses of officers as well as mem-bers to understand where the organization can grow and develop

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-Recruiting- Why do we want new members?

Spread awareness of a cause Manpower for events Create a community with common ideals and goals Develop leadership so that they may ensure the sus-tainability and continuity of the org by taking on offi-cer positions in the future Will bring and allow for new perspectives, ideas and ways to grow

Recruit with the intention of bringing out the passion for your cause in people

Be prepared to educate individuals regarding your goals Be open to diverse individuals who share your interest Be prepared to be educated and learn from your members Value the diverse experiences and opinions in relation to your cause to understand how to better pursue, message and achieve your goals

Publicize the benefits of group membership Connections to faculty/staff/professionals Awareness of issues and information on relative events

Informational Nights versus Blending New Members into Or-ganization. Which ones does your organization do?

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- Marketing-

Posting around campus: make sure you know the policy for each location you post Effective advertisements - Things to consider

Create a logo (these take time to get recognition) Branch out with your marketing (do more than just posting fly-ers) Shorten your overall message to create a hook (ex. “Where will you be on Monday night?”); → develop an elevator pitch Let students know what they gain by attending It takes a lot of flyers to equal a large, well-placed banner Make your organization’s involvement clear Give concise information about time and place Know your audience (and know where they are on campus) Make it neat, legible, and colorful Utilize different outreaching techniques (face-to-face, tech-nology, word of mouth, etc...) Follow-up and phone bank interested students Develop genuine relationships, people often times come back to organizations because of the relationships they’ve built

High-traffic areas to advertise on campus Dining hall Food court Department building (for events specific to a major) Student org offices Shuttle stops Specific classes geared towards your cause, group, etc... Common areas (places where students gather or use to travel to classes, buildings, etc...)

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-Retention-

Summer Planning Send out emails Compile the email addresses of your members and save them as a WordPad or Text Edit document for easy cut and paste If you haven’t already, gather your members’ email address Send out regular email updates (once every 2-3 weeks) Invite members to social events (even if they won’t attend) Understand the level of commitment that members express to you Keep members updated about plans for the Fall

Create a blog, wiki, or Facebook Group

http://www.blogger.com http://www.wetpaint.com

http://pbworks.com Post jokes, news articles, vacation photos, etc. Give other members permission to post their own items Make sure you use the site regularly

Meetings

Create an incentive for members to attend (it doesn’t have to be free food) Reserve a space for the meeting ASAP (reserve the same space for multiple dates) Send out meeting reminders periodically Plan an off-campus activity (ex. volunteer work)

http://www.blogger.com/

http://www.wetpaint.com/

http://pbworks.com/

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Student Org Resources-Retention

Develop friendships Find an excuse to pair your members up and utilize the “buddy system” (or a Bong-Paoun system/Mentor system) Make an effort to remember names and faces Acknowledge members outside of the org space, meetings or events Build genuine and honest relationships Start a friendly exchange between these pairs (music, clothing, phone numbers, gift exchange) Have members share the responsibility for a project Utilize member input and allow members to engage in the devel-opment and direction of the org Give your members responsibilities Create officer positions aside from President, VP, and Secretary (consider Programming Chair, Marketing Chair, etc.) Come up with projects for your members (events, community outreach efforts, etc.) Recognize achievements (consider holding an awards ceremony or celebration at the end of the year) Don’t burn them out Remember member's birthdays in some small way: sing, eat cake, or make a nice card.

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-Delegation-

How to encourage involvement. Ways to allow more people to be actively in-volved, distribute the work load, and help the committee run more smoothly.

What Not to Think or Say

Watch Your Ego

“I could do it better myself”

“I don’t have the time to show anyone how to do it.”

“I don’t want to give up this task because I like doing it.” “I’m the only person who knows how to do this.”

Trust Your Teammates

“I don’t know if I can trust her to do it.”

“He isn’t qualified to do it.”

“She messed up last time, so I’m not giving her anything else to do.”

What to Delegate

Create a plan to delegate. Don’t give out assignments haphazardly.

Delegate things that aren’t part of your core competency. Others may end up doing a better job than you can or finding new ways to complete a task.

Delegate, don’t abdicate. Someone else can do the task, but you’re still responsible for the completion of it, and for managing the delegation process.

Delegate routine activities, even though you don’t want to:

Making reservations

Contacting collaborators

Marketing, get your members to advertise for you

Evaluations after a project is complete

Photocopying, printing, collating

Don’t delegate what you can eliminate. If you shouldn’t be doing an ac-tivity, then perhaps you shouldn’t be giving the activity away to oth-

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Student Org Resources-Delegation

How to Delegate

Delegate to the right person. Don’t always give tasks to the strongest, most experienced, or first available person.

Delegate the objective, not the procedure. Outline the desired results, not the methodology.

Ask people to provide progress reports. Set interim deadlines to see how things are going.

Spread delegation around and give people new experiences as part of their training, don’t delegate only menial work to keep the appealing tasks for your-self. Delegate authority along with responsibility

Understand the individual strengths, weaknesses and levels of understanding and delegate accordingly. Ask if support is needed and provide support when necessary.

Consistently follow-up

-Communication- Communicating with each other is the key to a good relationship. If we com-municate well with the people in our lives, we are able to better understand what the people around us want, need, expect of us, and what they are able to do and likewise, they will understand what we want, need, etc.

Understand the communication styles of your officers, members as well as yourself. Develop an understanding of how to communicate accordingly to each officer and member.

Consistently reassess and evaluate communication within the org throughout the year and address issues accordingly.

On average people only remember:

10% of what they read

20% of what is heard

30% of what is seen

50% of what is seen and heard

70% of what is said

90% of what is said and done

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-Conflict Resolution-

Conflicts have considerable value when they are managed constructively. The issue is not whether conflicts occur, but rather how they are managed. Twelve skills to aid conflict resolution

1. The “win-win” approach: identify attitude shifts to respect all members’ needs.

2. Managing emotions: express emotions wisely to effect change. Being too ag-

gressive can cause a defensive response, leaving little room for negotiation.

3. Willingness to resolve: discuss personal issues that hinder resolution.

4. Empathy: develop communication tools to build rapport. Listening carefully to

clarify understanding.

5. Mapping the conflict: define the issues needed to chart common needs and

concerns.

6. Co-operative power: eliminate “power over” to build “power with” others.

7. Development of options: design creative solutions together.

8. Creative response: transform problems into creative opportunities.

9. Negotiation: explain and apply effective strategies to reach agreement.

10. Appropriate assertiveness: apply strategies to attack the problem not the per-

sonal.

11. Broadening perspectives: evaluate the problem in its broader context.

12. Mediation: get help from third party for conflicting parties to move towards

solutions.

13. Develop concrete steps to resolve the conflict with respective input from both

parties so that you can measure and follow-up and the resolution process. Still unresolved? Don’t give up!

Agree to a time-out and a time to try again.

Acknowledge that while a solution may not have been found, tension has been reduced and communication barriers have been broken

Assess the root of the issue and identify ways to separate professional from personal.

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-Time Management- Seven Suggestions for Effectively Managing Your Time

1. Be Organized

Use time saving tools: appointment calendars, "to do" lists, e-mail, an-swering machines, file folders, etc.

Have an organized workplace (don't waste time constantly looking for your work).

Use your appointment calendar for everything, including listing study time.

Use "to do" lists for both long-term and for each day/week.

Develop a common system for everyone to utilize for events and plan-ning

2. Plan Ahead (Schedule it and it will happen!)

Determine how long your tasks will take (do this before agreeing to take on a task!)

Consider whether any activities can be combined.

Set deadlines for specific tasks and follow-up

Determine if big tasks can be broken down into smaller tasks that may be easier to schedule (such as studying for exams and visiting the li-brary as part of an assignment to write a term paper).

3. Prioritize Your Tasks

Use an A-B-C rating system for items on your "to do" lists with A items being highest priority.

Set goals for both the short term and long term as to what you want to accomplish.

Look at all of your "to do's to gauge the time requirement and whether additional resources will be needed to accomplish them (if yes, sched-ule time to obtain those resources). Don't postpone the small tasks (a sense of accomplishment is good and overlooked small tasks can be-come larger tasks.)

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Student Org Resources-Time Management

4. Avoid Overload

Include time for rest, relaxation, sleep, eating, exercise, and socializing

Take short breaks during study and work periods.

Don't put everything off until the last minute (ie don't cram for exams).

Learn to say "no" when appropriate and to negotiate better deadlines when appropriate.

5. Practice Effective Study Techniques

Have an appropriate study environment.

Split large tasks into more manageable tasks.

Read for comprehension, rather than just to get to the end of the chap-ter.

Be prepared to ask questions as they come up during study, rather than waiting until just before an exam.

Do the most difficult work first, perhaps breaking it up with some easier tasks.

Don't wait until the last minute to complete your projects.

Read the syllabus as soon as you get it and note all due dates (and "milestone" times) on your calendar.

Be a model student! (be attentive and participative in class, and punc-tual, prepared, and eager to learn)

6. Be Able to be Flexible

The unexpected happens (sickness, car troubles, etc.); you need to be able to fit it into your schedule.

Know how to rearrange your schedule when necessary (so it doesn't manage you - you manage it).

Know who to ask for help when needed.

Understand your own capacity as well as the capacity of others within the org so that you know how and where to find support

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Student Org Resources-Time Management

7. Have a Vision (why are you doing all of this?)

Don't forget the "big picture" - why are you doing the task - is it impor-tant to your long-term personal goals?

Have and follow a personal mission statement (personal and career). (Are your activities ultimately helping you achieve your goals?)

Know what is important to you. (What do you value most?)

Develop ways to voice your ideas and opinion

Be invested in the organization

Have open dialogues and communications with members so that issues are addressed accordingly

Understand that you are building upon a foundation created by others

Take each experience as a learning opportunity and as a potential to grow

Have a positive attitude!

-De-stress- Remember to SPARKLE!

S – SLEEP WELL

When your head hits the pillow, it’s time to sleep, not think.

Your bed should NOT be for: watching television, balancing your checkbook, planning the next day, checking your email, or making phone calls.

When in bed, leisure books are OK, laptops are not.

P – PLAN EVERYDAY

Create a to-do list every morning.

This gives you:

A roadmap of what you need to do at the beginning of the day

A reminder of what still needs to be done throughout the day

A place to check off your accomplishments at the end of the day

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Student Org Resources-De-stress

A – ANTICIPATE LESS

Recognize the false assumptions you make that lead to anxiety. Will things really turn out to be as bad as you think? Probably not.

When you look to the future, visualize success rather than failure. Af-ter all, you really don’t know which it will be. So why not expect the best?

R – RELAX

Breathe deeply when you feel stressed. Get up and change your environ-ment, if only for a short time – go for a walk!

Relaxation means taking a break from what you were doing, not just “zoning out.” For instance, watching television isn’t always relaxing; it can be dumb-ing and dulling. Find activities that calm your body and stimulate your mind.

Create a time for your own kind of meditation. Find a quiet space and a quiet time that’s just for you.

K – KEEP ANGER IN CHECK

Be empathetic and forgiving to others when they make mistakes. Like you, they’re trying to do their best.

Give constructive feedback rather than destructive criticism. When someone makes you angry, remember that you have a choice in how you react. Instead of yelling at that bad driver who cut you off, do a running play-by-play on his erratic driving techniques. It’s more fun.

L – LAUGH Use positive affirmations to keep yourself on track. Keep things in perspective. Find time to share a joke. Laugh at the curves life throws at you rather than fretting over them.

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Student Org Resources-De-stress

E –EXERCISE & EAT RIGHT

Your body needs to be a well-tuned machine to manage all of the stresses that act on it.

Avoid eating packaged snacks – anything that comes in a wrapper or plastic bag. Try natural fruit instead.

Add more colored vegetables to your meals.

Reduce caffeine in your diet. It’s a stimulant and can exacerbate physical symptoms of stress that you may already have – choose water instead.

Avoid the escalator or elevator and take the stairs

-Decision making- The 9 Ways to Make Good Decisions

Listen to your instincts but don’t let them boss you around. We evolved instincts for a reason – they work really well. To our Stone Age ancestors the ability to make a snap decision could’ve made the difference between being eaten by a saber-toothed tiger and eating one. But how many tigers have you been faced with lately? We rarely need to make snap decisions anymore but still, you can’t stop yourself from making them. Don’t fight it, but don’t simply stop there. Ask “why did I think that?” or “why do I feel that way?”

List your alternatives. The brain is the most powerful computer in existence, but it sucks at multitasking. It’s difficult to hold more than 7 different trains of thought in your mind at once, and impossible to concentrate on two of them simultaneously. The reason we don’t crash our cars while talking on our cell phones is because we can switch between tasks really quickly – but much slower, and less accurately than doing ei-ther alone. Write down every option you have for the decision you’re making, get it out of your head and spend some quality time on each one.

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Student Org Resources-Decision Making

Rephrase the question. You know what it takes to be a genius or a brilliant scientist? It’s not good grades and it’s not memorizing facts. It’s simply asking the right questions. Whatever problem you have, try writing it down in three or four different ways. Forcing yourself to think about the problem in different ways makes it easier to come up with different solutions.

Anticipate history. Our memory isn’t as good as we think it is, and hence, we don’t re-member how bad it can be. It’s this selective memory that lets you remember who you talked to today, but not what you had for breakfast on Tuesday last week. Using history to make a decision requires that we remember what happened last time we were in a similar situation. Go slow and be critical with your recall – beware of only remembering your wins vs. your misses.

Remember that time is on your side. Distance gives perspective. It’s the oldest advice out there – separate yourself from the emotions of the moment. Unless you’re a character from Star Trek this is impossible to do instantly, so the next best thing is to put some time between now and when you ac-tually make the decision.

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Think of this as a test. The human brain is not isolated – it’s hard wired to function in social situations with our peers. The upshot of this is that we devote a lot of time and energy to working in groups and main-taining friends and our status. Imagine that you’re going to be graded for the decision you’re making and you will automati-cally pay more attention to the process. Write down why you made your decision and follow this by thinking: “This is an exam. I’m handing this in, and I won’t get another chance to change it. Others will see it and grade my logic”. Doing this makes you more likely to examine the “why” of what you’re doing and weed out poorly made plans.

Common knowledge isn’t. Spot those “taken for granted” moments and ask why that’s the case. Everyone knows that you shouldn’t swim after eating, but why is that? Is it actually true for everyone? What if you’re just wading in the water and you can stand easily enough? Question the assumptions you’re making and judge if they really apply to you.

Make the damn decision. Are you deciding your career path or what brand of cereal to eat? Not all decisions are equal so don’t waste your time. You don’t need to follow steps 1 – 9 every breakfast time.

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Make the decision concrete. You can endlessly re-analyze and agonize over what you’ve de-cided. You have to stop sometime. Make it real, write it down. Once your decision is out of your head and in the real world, your brain can stop constantly churning through the options and get on with the next task

Utilize Others

Utilize mentors, advisors or peers to understand different per-spectives on the decision. Gather information around the costs as well as benefits of the decision through others as well as from yourself.

-Activities/Icebreakers-

Do Unto Others That You Would Want Done to You Disclaimer: Make sure you don’t reveal the name of the game to par-ticipants! The significance and success of the game is in the title so make sure to only disclose this until after participants have written their names down. Every person is given a piece of paper and a writing utensil and the fa-cilitator will then ask them to think of something that they would want someone else, within the group, to do (i.e. I want Liz to sing I’m a little tea pot). Then, in a corner of that same sheet, participants will have to write down their names in very small letters. Everyone turns in their sheet and the facilitator will then mention that they forgot to disclose the name of the game “Do Unto Others That You Would Want Done to You” and from there, participants will have to act out their action that they wanted another person to perform.

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Student Org Resources-Activities/Icebreakers

Safety Pin Game (For Retreat or Longer Workshop) Every participant will get a finite number of pins and everyone will start off with the same number of pins. The object of the game is to collect as many safety pins as possible by making sure that people are sticking to the ground rules of the game and to catch people with their guard down. Ground rules are then established by the facilita-tor stating that no one is allowed to cross their legs, say the word “but,” eat with their right hand, and other arbitrary things. Throughout the remainder of the retreat, people forget about these rules and subsequently can lose their safety pins over the course of time. The person with the most safety pins at the end of the retreat or day is the winner.

Advance preparation required You can also substitute this with bracelets, rings, necklaces, but-tons, etc.

Crossing Over Given that people have different work styles and approaches to team building, this is a good exercise to discuss how folks work (and don’t work) together. The object of the game is to get people across the rope and to the other side without touching the rope . The group has a set time limit (5-10 minutes) and will have to act quickly. Leave enough time for debrief and see how the group dynamic played out. Variations: do this a few time and limit certain abilities, i.e. some cannot talk and some will be blindfolded

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What would you do...? Provide the group a variety of scenarios. Have the group act and play out the scenario and present a solution. Debrief with the group and discuss the outcome and other solutions. Scenarios can vary by topic.

Tower Exercise This activity is done in complete silence. Participants are divided into three small groups and each group will have a “contractor” and sup-plies. The purpose of the game is for the teams to construct a tower that is most like the one that has already been built by the facilitator but the catch is that only one representative of each group, the “contractor,” is allowed to see this model tower. So then, the con-tractor is given the task of communicating (nonverbally) the design of the already assembled model tower to their team and cannot par-ticipate in the actual construction. The team that constructs a tower most resembling the model that was already built is deemed the win-ner. After a limited time to build their tower, all team members must suc-cessfully transport their tower to a designated space so judging can take place.

Advance preparation required

Human Knot Everyone stands in a circle and puts their right hand into the middle. They clasp hands with someone across the circle. Then, everyone puts their left hand into the middle of the circle and clasps the hand of a *different* person. The group is now in a “knot”. The object is for the group to untangle itself without releasing anyone’s hand.

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Two truths and a lie Have everyone grab one partner and talk about themselves in turn. The couples should be away from each other so they can't hear anyone but their partner. Tell them: “Find out as much interesting and unique infor-mation about your partner as you can and share facts about yourself. Come up with a lie about a pretend accomplishment and then get back to-gether in the group.” Each person introduces his or her partner and talks a bit about them, stating three interesting facts. The group then has to guess which one is the lie. This exercise can break down stereotypes. For exam-ple, you may find out that a seemingly shy person loves to dance and an outspoken, tough guy has a teddy bear collection. Spinning a yarn Gather group in a circle. Holding a ball of yarn, the leader shares interest-ing information about herself. When finished, she holds the end of the yarn and throws the yarn across the circle to any person who, in turn, shares a fact about himself, holds onto the strand of yarn, and throws the ball to another person. This process is repeated until every person has shared something about himself and the yarn has formed a web inside the circle. During this activity, the leader is responsible for sharing, listening and keeping the web secure. Through total cooperation, the web must then be untangled and the ball rewound. Feelings Check-ln Pass out markers and 5x8 index cards. Ask each student to write on the card in large letters one word that describes how he or she is feeling right now. Then ask students to hold up their cards and look at the variety of responses. Point out how rare it is for different people to bring the same feelings to an experience or situation. Invite students to share why they wrote down the words that they did

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Concentric Circles Divide everyone into two groups. Have one group make a circle facing outward. The second group then makes a circle around the first group and faces inward. Everyone should be facing someone from the other circle. Each person can talk to the person across from them for a minute or two before you yell, “SWITCH”, and have one circle move to the left or right a few steps. If participants seem shy, give them a topic to talk about each rotation, such as movies, DECA, college, food, etc. Telephone Ask club members to form a line. Whisper a phrase into the first per-son’s ear. This person then whispers into the next person’s ear and so on until the message reaches the end of the line. Ask the person at the end of the line to repeat the message. Chances are that the mes-sage will be very garbled and not at all close to the original message. This activity helps club members realize the importance of receiving a message firsthand and the need to verify second hand information. Critical details can get lost along the way. Bet you didn’t know! This game will help club members learn about one another. Distribute small pieces of paper. Ask each club member to write three fun things about themselves that no one else would know. Here are exam-ples of things club members might write down: I play guitar. I like to sew. My favorite cartoon character is Scooby Doo. Everyone folds their piece of paper and places it in a basket. The advisor collects all the paper and shuffles them so they are out of order. The advisor then asks someone to pick a sheet of paper and read what is writ-ten. The rest of the club members must then guess who wrote the in-formation.

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-Contacts-

KHMER Noun: An ancient kingdom in Southeast Asia that reached the peak of its power in the 11th century. Adjective: Of, relating to, or denoting the Khmers or their language.

STUDENT Noun: A person who is studying at a school or college.

COALITION Noun: An alliance for combined action.

shKmn_

Exµr (kh-mai)

(Sa-hak-kom )

nisitS (nee-set )

Documents

KSCC Student Manual and KSCC 2011 Program