Guest Post: A reflection on Toolkit November 25, 2010
Posted by Chris Garbutt in Uncategorized.add a comment
Does your student group stand out?
By Kyra Cockwell
How do you meet the needs of your student organization while incorporating your own motivations, interests, and goals into a common purpose that you and your teammates stand for?
This question served as the backdrop for most of last Thursday’s Toolkit session, presented by the U of T Office of Student Life. I was one of about 15 student leaders from nine student groups, with interests ranging from ethnic and cultural groups, organizations for social change, religious fellowships, and a student publication. While the interests of these student groups were truly diverse, we began to realize that once we considered our personal vision and connected it with the vision of our organization—an exercise at one point during the session—many of our conclusions were the same.
The session had a powerful impact on my own position as a club president at U of T n, especially when we broke into the small group discussions. From these, I was able to glean an understanding of the major significance of personal reflection as a group leader. George Gretes, president of the Greek Students’ Association shared my sentiments. He explained to me that the GSA has been using personal reflection in the form of shared journals for a couple of years now. “We keep journals to record the reflections of group members,” he said. “It helps me learn from their reflections.” He felt that the Toolkit leaders’ advocacy of personal reflection reinforced something that his group already practices and will continue to practice.
Connecting personal goals with group goals was a major point of the session, as well as finding common ground within the group, which is attained by understanding group dynamics. “Why re-invent your organization every year? Build on your successes so you don’t start over each time,” said Ian Simmie, Student Life Coordinator in the Office of Student Life and co-leader of the Toolkit session.
At a running time of just an hour and a half, the Toolkit session fit perfectly into my schedule, with enough time at the end to share a few minutes of reflection with my fellow attendees. The sessions are enlightening and help you acknowledge the interests of other student groups by realizing that their core values and interests are not so vastly different from your own.
Find more information about the Toolkit program at their website.
Peace of Mind November 16, 2010
Posted by Chris Garbutt in Uncategorized.Tags: Academic Success Centre, Counselling and Psychological Services, Hart House, health, meditation, Multi-Faith Centre, stress, Student Health Service, UTM Psychology Club, UTSC Health and Wellness Centre, wellness, workshops
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It’s almost the end of November and there are only a couple weeks of class left. Maybe you only have a few more hours to cram for your evening midterm, or maybe there’s a few hours left to write your paper before it’s due the next morning. You are personified stress, wishing there was a way to calm yourself down.
You may be feeling stressed because of the overwhelming amount of things to do. You may be frustrated that there’s not enough time in the day to do it all. Frantic thoughts and worry have disrupted your life’s balance and shaken up your inner peace. One way to restore balance and inner peace is through meditation.
Meditation is a good way to focus your mind and calm you down. Stress is the product of lacking time to sit and let your mind rest, and meditation is one way to reduce stress by allowing you to put your mind at ease by focusing on inner processes.
The Multi-Faith Centre at the St. George campus offers meditation workshops which run from Monday to Thursday throughout the school year.
The Psychology Club at UTM has meditation workshops running until the end of this month.
The Health and Wellness Centre at UTSC holds weekly mental health Q&A sessions and can provide tips on reducing stress.
Another way to de-stress is to set some time aside each day to do something you enjoy. Try putting away an hour of your time to listen to music, catch up on MTV’s latest reality drama, hang out with friends, read a good book or get involved with Literary Arts at Hart House.
U of T’s student health service suggests other ways to deal with stress on their website.
Remember, you are not alone in dealing with stress. There are other resources to turn to if you’re feeling overwhelmed and need further support in handling stress. You can visit the Academic Success Centre for tips on how to manage your time and the Counselling and Psychological Services (CAPS) to deal with outside stressors.
* Photo by Flickr user h.koppdelaney, published under a creative commons licence.
Viva Volunteering! November 9, 2010
Posted by Chris Garbutt in Student Life.Tags: abroad, travel, volunteer, volunteering
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Among the many experiences you’ve had at U of T, which ones have left you feeling all warm and fuzzy on the inside? Can you think of any warm and fuzzy experiences that also give you a competitive edge in your desired career path? Would you like that feeling? Have you considered volunteering?
Why volunteer? Volunteering offers students the opportunity to gain valuable work-related experience, while also making a difference. You can develop new skills and learn something new about yourself by finding interests and hobbies you didn’t think you’d enjoy. You will leave your volunteer experience with unique life experiences, knowing you’ve made a positive impact on a community in need.
There are many other opportunities to get your hands dirty in the world of volunteering. Volunteer Abroad, U of T Chapter, is heading down to Peru this May, and is recruiting volunteers to teach at an orphanage.
Providing great volunteer opportunities for those interested in pursuing careers in the medical field, Volunteers for Intercultural and Definitive Adventures (VIDA) at U of T is the first student-based chapter in Canada. They offer free medical, dental, and veterinary assistance to communities in South America.
The career Centre at St. George is teaming up with the department of politics to host Careers in NGOs and Government Wednesday November 17 from 4-6pm. This discussion panel invites guest speakers from the Government of Canada, the Toronto Office of Human Rights Watch, and the Office of the Ontario Minister of Citizenship & Immigration. See event details and What’s On at the Career Centre.
Volunteering abroad not your thing? Explore the Ulife website to find a volunteer opportunity that best suits you! You can find the hundreds of community outreach clubs at U of T, so you need not go far. Many more volunteer opportunities can be found on your career centre website’s Job Search option. (Click here for UTM, here for UTSC and here for downtown.)