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There are many aspects being a residence life staff member, that shape you who are and offers areas of development. These development opportunities are abundant at the conference, whether this is your first time at the conference, or if you are returning. The program learning themes provides some guidance in what opportunities you would like to create for delegates or attend to, depending on how you want to develop.
Program Themes:
- Be Diverse
- Be Pro
- Be Authentic
- Be Balanced
- Be Community
What do these themes mean? What could I plan and put my own spin on? Below are the themes explained and potential ideas that your program can be. Please refer to these explanations when creating your presentation proposals to ensure it aligns with a theme(s).
Be Authentic
- Authenticity is the essence of the conference. Who are you as a person and as a leader has impact on others, but mainly you. Residence life has many opportunities to express who you are and to grow into who you want to be. If this is similar to your program idea, Be Authentic is your program theme(s)!
Possible Ideas/Topics:
- Being You
- Finding your Footing
- Personality Styles
- Leadership Styles
- ‘Growing Edge’
Be Pro
- Professionalism is a key component as a student staff member in residence life. Knowing how to conduct yourself in situations is an asset, along with what is next in residence life in pursuing a professional career in residence life. Delegates will be able to grow in their knowledge and skills while preparing for the future. If this is similar to your program idea, Be Pro is your program theme(s)!
Possible Ideas/Topics:
- How to give/receive feedback
- How to handle difficult conversations
- What does it mean to be professional
- Advising/ Support
- Next steps in pursuing a professional career in Residence Life
Be Diverse
- Diversity, inclusion, and social justice are extremely important to residence life as the students and staff have experiences and backgrounds that are unique to each individual. In this theme, the purpose is to bring light to current topics and/or issues in residence life, become aware about different experiences and backgrounds, and/or grow your skill set. If this is similar to your program idea, Be Diverse is your program theme(s)!
Possible Ideas/Topics:
- Racism, Sexism, Ageism, Classism
- Sexuality
- Consent
- Multiculturalism
- Growth Mindset
- Challenging the Way you Think
Be Balanced
- With everything going on in residence life, academics, and personal, it can be hard to balance and take care of yourself. Focusing on how to make everything happen smoothly while not stressing out, the purpose of this theme is supporting you! If this is similar to your program idea, Be Balanced is your program theme(s)!
Possible Ideas/ Topics:
- Time Management
- Taking Time for Yourself
- Relationships (and how to balance them)
- Body Image
- Support
- Avoiding burnout
- Resiliency
Be Community
- What brings a group of individuals together? Community building is the start to making differences in individuals, especially when they are studying post-secondary education. The focal point in this theme is to bring people together and make connections between individuals. If this is similar to your program idea, Be Community is your program theme(s)!
Possible Ideas/ Topics:
- Experiential Learning
- Creativity
- Building Connections
- Bringing communities together