STUDENT INITIATIVES AT CPRA CONFERENCE 2010
When the ARMS members learned that the Canadian Parks and Recreation Congress would be hosted in Halifax, they initiated discussions around how they, and other students, might become involved with the conference. Up until this point, students seldom attended the annual conference due to the high registration fees and the fact that the content was generally geared toward the learning needs of professionals with considerable experience in the field. Once the society developed a list of ways in which they would like to become engaged in the conference, they contacted the Conference organizers and met to negotiate each of their proposed initiatives. The following are the results of their negotiations and it was expected that ARMS would provide leadership and human resources to bring each to fruition:
- Fees: There would be a special reduced rate for students to attend the conference;
- Volunteers: Students would be eligible to apply to become part of the volunteer work force allowing them to pay even less fees and gain insight into the inner working of a national conference;
- Orientation session: this involved an orientation to the conference, to the city, and to one another as student delegates. A student desk was set up and manned at times throughout the conference to help support the student experience at the conference. The orientation session immediately following the opening session;
- Who’s Who booklet: A booklet was developed to go into the conference kits that contained a profile on each of the student delegates so that the other delegates would know who they are and could seek them out;
- Student Social: This involved hosting a social hour on Friday evening to which the students could invite professionals attending the conference;
- Socratic luncheon: Student delegates participated in an issues luncheon at a local restaurant. Arrangements were made at local establishments willing to provide individual billing and tables of 6-8. Each table had a facilitator who will facilitate discussion about a specific issue of interest, and students could pick the issue/eatery of their choice as long as there was availability;
- Student Session: During this conference session, a panel of professionals addressed the students and provided useful information/advice about entering the field. Also, during this session, representatives from each academic program gave a brief overview of their respective program in an attempt to identify the primary focus and what distinguishes each program from others across the country;
- Information Scavenger Hunt: a sheet that listed a unique characteristic of each of the student delegates attending the conference was placed in the delegate packages. In order to discover which characteristic represented each student, delegates needed to interact with the students one on one. There were prizes for those who were most successful at completing the sheet.
This overall initiative was deemed a great success and well worth the time and energy expended by ARMS members to make it happen. From the perspective of the host committee and CPRA Board, there was a greater representation of student delegates than at any previous CPRA Conference. Many of the professionals in attendance reported having enjoyed meeting and interacting with the students, learning more about the respective academic programs, and some were able to recruit future employees. From the student perspective, they made valuable contacts with members of the profession, as well as becoming much better informed about the state of the profession they were about to enter.