As Brock prepares to open its doors to thousands of new students in September, the University is putting the call out for engaging drop-in workshops to include as part of Welcome Week.

New to the eight-day orientation event, which runs from Sept. 1 to 8, is a drop-in zone organized by Student Life and Community Experience.

Taking place Friday, Sept. 6, the drop-in zone will feature 10 workshops, demonstrations or activities that will help acclimate students to the Brock University campus and community. It will be held from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. in the Scotiabank Atrium of the Cairns Family Health and Bioscience Research Complex.

Tanya Bradley, Manager, Student Life and Community Experience, said the workshops will allow students to experience Brock in a new way.

“We’re inviting employees, departments, student clubs and community groups to take a lead in welcoming new students to campus,” she said. “Our hope is that student participants will make connections with members of the Brock community they may not have made otherwise.”

Anyone interested in submitting an idea for a drop-in activity is asked to complete an application form. Workshops must be able to accommodate up to 30 students, should be about 60 minutes in length, and do not need to be connected to a Brock department.

“If employees have hidden talents they’d like to share, we invite them to apply for a spot,” said Scarlet Stark, Co-Curricular Engagement Co-ordinator with Student Life and Community Experience. “Welcome Week is informative, but it’s also fun. As long as workshops introduce students to campus life or connect them with our faculty, staff or community in some way, they can be completely unrelated to an employee’s role or department.”

Stark suggests workshops that attract students’ attention, offer a unique experience and keep participants engaged.

“Games, trivia, arts and crafts or any type of demonstration or interactive activity are popular with students,” she said.

In addition to filling a programming gap on one of the historically slower days of Welcome Week, Stark said the community-led drop-in format makes it easy for students to attend workshops and removes some of the planning pressure from faculty and staff during a busy time of year.

“The space is already booked and it will be ready with tables, chairs and audio-visual equipment,” she said. “People can focus their efforts on planning content and delivering their workshop.”

Anyone interested in hosting a workshop at the Welcome Week Drop-in Zone is asked to fill out an online form by Monday, Aug. 12 at noon. Applicants will be notified 10 to 14 days before the event.

For more information, email Stark at sstark@brocku.ca