REC TO QUEBEC 2008
The quadrennial World Leisure Conference in 2008, took place in Quebec City. Given that the conference is scheduled throughout the world, and only takes places every 4 years, having is so close was an opportunity that the ARMS members could not resist. Under the leadership of Kristy Galvin, a student committee was created to facilitate a group of Acadia students attending the conference. The initial task was to put into place an aggressive fundraising campaign to raise $15,000 to ensure that the costs could be kept affordable for any member who wished to attend. Each interested student assumed responsibility for one or more events and a system was developed to divide up funds raised by amount of time each individual put into raising funds on each initiative. Given that the trip would take place in October, early in the term, students devised a system that would enable them to continue planning and fund rising during the summer months.
There were a number of key tasks to be undertaken in addition to raising the funds including arranging transportation and accommodations. After gathering all the data, it was decided that they would make the trip via train, which was a new adventure for many. Having checked out various possibilities, they were able to secure affordable and conveniently located accommodation. Working with faculty and administrators of various units across campus, they were able to successfully negotiate ways to ensure that the course work, assignments, and tests taking place during that week (which happened to be midterm time) would be covered.
There were a number of key tasks to be undertaken in addition to raising the funds including arranging transportation and accommodations. After gathering all the data, it was decided that they would make the trip via train, which was a new adventure for many. Having checked out various possibilities, they were able to secure affordable and conveniently located accommodation. Working with faculty and administrators of various units across campus, they were able to successfully negotiate ways to ensure that the course work, assignments, and tests taking place during that week (which happened to be midterm time) would be covered.
Two other important tasks involved gathering information about the Quebec City area, and about the conference itself, that would assist with planning. Those researching the area were able to brief the rest of the group and present suggestions of cultural activities in which to engage in addition to the conference. Those focusing on the conference studied the hundreds of program offerings carefully and devised a system to ensure that someone from the group would attend each of the relevant sessions and be able provide others with a summary of the key points.
A total of 20 students, along with their faculty advisor, attended the Congress and many found it to be the most enriching experience of their university education. In addition to making sure that they covered the classroom learning missed while they were away, the knowledge they gained through the sessions, the capacity they built with professionals from around the world, and the experience they gained from learning to facilitate such a development experience for themselves was extraordinary.
A total of 20 students, along with their faculty advisor, attended the Congress and many found it to be the most enriching experience of their university education. In addition to making sure that they covered the classroom learning missed while they were away, the knowledge they gained through the sessions, the capacity they built with professionals from around the world, and the experience they gained from learning to facilitate such a development experience for themselves was extraordinary.