MSU CLAY: Everything You Need to Know

2017 EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW

WHAT IS

CLAY?

The CREATING LEADERSHIP AMONGST YOUTH (CLAY) CONFERENCE is a 3-day, 2-night leadership conference for high-school students who wish to develop their leadership skills, challenge themselves, and cultivate lasting friendships. The CLAY Conference provides students with the opportunity to share and expand their knowledge in an open, innovative, and interactive session-based environment. Delegates are led through a variety of session-based activities that encourage self-exploration of topics such as: trust and risk, leadership and communication, empowerment and self/ social awareness. These sessions are facilitated by McMaster student leaders (YOU), who help to foster personal growth within the student delegates, while forming powerful mentorship bonds.

CLAY TAKES PLACE IN MAY 2017, bringing together high-school students from across the greater McMaster, Hamilton, and GTA communities for a fantastic weekend of learning, leadership, and a lot of fun.

WHO IS ON THE EXECUTIVE TEAM AND HOW DO I REACH OUT TO THEM IF I HAVE QUESTIONS? THE CLAY EXECUTIVE TEAM is so wonderful and they are here to support you and answer any questions you may have. Here is the list of executive and their emails. Feel free to reach out to them for anything!

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TAYLOR BRIDGENS Coordinator clay@msu.mcmaster.ca

LINDSAY D’SOUZA Volunteer & Logistics Coordinator clayexec@msu.mcmaster.ca

KAYLA DA SILVA Media & Design Coordinator clay_manual@msu.mcmaster.ca

SOWMYA KARTHIKEYAN JOSH MARANDO Sponsorship & Fundraising Coordinator clay_fundraising@msu.mcmaster.ca

MONICA SADIK JESSICA GUT Outreach Coordinator clay_recruitment@msu.admin.mcmaster.ca

VICTORIA BRIDGENS SAM AUNG Sessions Coordinator clay_manual@msu.mcmaster.ca

MARINA BREDIN JOSH YACHOUH Events Coordinator clay_Events@msu.mcmaster.ca

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POSITIONS LEADERSHIP DEVELOPERS (LD): A Leadership Developer is a McMaster Student who is paired with two other co-LD’s to lead a group of 10 high school student delegates through the CLAY conference weekend.

LEADERSHIP DEVELOPER LOGISTICS (LDL): An LDL has the same responsibilities as an LD, but with the added responsibility of being in communication with the Volunteer and Logistic Coordinator via a walkie talkie.

They ensure that the session group follows the schedule and is at the right place at the right time.

SPECIAL EVENTS TEAM (SET): The Special Events Team assists in the background logistics for the conference by setting up large group activities and ensures that the planning team is prepared to carry out the next set of events on the agenda.

MEDIA LEADERS (ML): Media Leaders assist in the background logistics for the conference by documenting the conference weekend through both video and photography. Media SET strive to create long-lasting memories for youth delegates by documenting special moments from the weekend.

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WHAT THE WEEKEND LOOKS LIKE: WHAT IS A “SESSION”?

A session is a period of group-based discussion and interactive activities aimed at educating and empowering delegates with important leadership skills. Themes include: trust and risk, self-awareness, inclusivity, and communication.

TYPICAL DAY AT THE CLAY CONFERENCE CLAY 2016 is a conference that is jam-packed with lots of great activities.

Many days are very busy but a typical day may look something like this:

TIME 7:00am - 7:15am

Staff Wakeup

7:10am - 8:15am

Morning Staff Briefing and Delegate Wake Up

8:15am - 9:15am

Breakfast

9:20am - 10:40am

Session #1: Some past CLAY sessions include self-awareness, stress & time management, teamwork and more!

10:40am - 11:00am

Buffer and Travel Time

11:05am - 12:15pm

Keynote Speaker

12:20pm - 1:20pm

Lunch

1:30pm - 4:30pm

Session #2 + Session #3

4:30pm - 5:30pm

Group Photo

5:30pm - 6:15pm

Buffer and Travel Time

6:20pm - 7:20pm

Dinner

7:30pm - 9:00pm

Session #4

9:00pm - 11:30pm

CLAY Events: Every day there’s a cool event planned for the delegates! Some past events include coffee houses and campfires

11:30pm - 12:00am

Delegate Goodnights

12:00am - 12:30am

Debrief Prep

12:30am - 1:30am

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ACTIVITY

Staff Debrief and Sweeps

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CAMP TRILLIUM SPECIFICS Camp Trillium is a 1 hour drive away. The staff team will take the bus up on Friday morning and set up their session rooms.

ACCOMMODATIONS There will be a staff cabin where all of the staff will be saying.

You need to bring your own sleeping bag or sheets as well as a towel and anything else you may need throughout the weekend.

There might be lots of bugs, so bringing bug spray is always a good idea! The cabin has heating, electricity, bunk beds and washrooms in the building.

WHAT IS THE COMMITMENT LIKE FOR CLAY? Applications Close: February 19th Interview Dates: March 10th, 11th, 12th Training: April 7th, May 13th and 14th You are also required to get together with your co-LDs to go over sessions before the weekend for a few hours.

Conference: May 26th, 27th, 28th (8am on the Friday morning to 8pm on the Sunday night) CLAY Reunion: Not mandatory but attendance is highly encouraged - TBD (end of june/july) Please note that this commitment does not end once the three days of conference are over! You should be there for you delegates beyond those three days, by checking in on them and being there to support them long after conference weekend.

COSTS The only cost of the conference is the cost of your Vulnerable Sector Check, which is required for anyone volunteering with high school students. We are able to provide transportation, accommodation and food for the weekend free of charge to our staff volunteers.

OTHER WAYS TO GET INVOLVED WITH CLAY - CLAY Committee Meetings - Every Tuesday from 6:30 – 7:30 in IAHS - Like the CLAY facebook page, instagram and twitter to keep up to date with all things CLAY! 10

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WHAT SHOULD I KNOW BEFORE APPLYING? CLAY is by no means an easy weekend, but it is one of the most rewarding experiences one can take part in. The conference weekend consists of long days and not a lot of sleep.

Often times there are sensitive disclosures that happen and they can be pretty hard to hear. Your staff team is there to support you as you support your delegates. Most people go into the weekend not realizing how exhausting it is both physically and mentally.

Having said this, it may be the best weekend of your year. You will test your limits and see a group of 10 strangers become a family at the end of the three days, which has each of you leaving with an amazing feeling! Each delegate group will be different and each staff member will have a completely unique experience, but each individual’s experience and presence is meaningful, leaving a profound impact on everyone at CLAY. CAN I APPLY? To apply, you must be an undergraduate student taking 18 or more credits (3 or more courses per term)?

You must also be free on the dates listed under “what is the commitment like for clay”.

If you are passionate and want to give back to the Hamilton community, and want to make a difference in the lives of highschool students, then CLAY is for you!

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CLAY TESTIMONIALS “CLAY is an opportunity to learn about yourself, both from the other staff members and from delegates. It's an environment that empowers you to be the best version of yourself - but nothing more or less than your authentic self. My favourite CLAY memory is learning how scary but also powerful it can be to be vulnerable with individuals who you barely know.”

“My favourite CLAY memory was from our very last session - my delegates were very lovely, but not very enthused about our sessions. On the last day after everyone had moved out of the cabin our session room was in, we all spread out across the bunks in the cabin and played 2 truths and a lie. It was nice just hanging out with people we'd gotten to know over the weekend and just chat.”

“It was a heartwarming experience to see everyone, delegates, and staff members slowly come out of their shells as the weekend progressed!”

“CLAY was one of the most tiring, exciting, intense experiences of my life. It was 3 days of cheering, learning, laughing and awesomeness. I learned so much about the world, other people, other places. I attended CLAY for two years in a row and it was so great to see people that I knew from the year before, leaders and even doing some of the same stuff was still just as exciting.

I made friends from so many different towns and cities, people that I still talk to and visit, people who think like me. the people of CLAY are my people! the leaders also are such inspirational dedicated enthusiastic people. The whole experience was one of a kind, entirely eye opening and just an all round blast."

"Alright, to be honest I had a total blast at Clay. It provides an environment where everyone is completely free to let go, be themselves, and just have a great time. I think it really allowed me to appreciate all the things that people have in common, as well as brought out everyone’s individuality. It was an experience that I’ll never forget, and I met some friends that will last a lifetime."

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WWW.MSUMCMASTER.CA/CLAY @MSU_CLAY / MSU CLAY CONFERENCE