Conferences
The Conference is a classic form of spiritual community for Unitarian Universalists (UU), particularly those who grew up in UU congregations and attended Young Religious Unitarian Universalist (YRUU) Conferences. There is a lot of history in conferences and while there are not campus conferences on the same scale and frequency of youth conferences there is a real potential and value to organizing conferences for college/young adults.A Retreat is a simpler form of a conference, drawing on many of the same planning techniques but usually shorter and drawing from a smaller audience. Many campus groups, especially those that are connected with a congregation organize an overnight retreat at the beginning of each school term to welcome people to the group and to do start planning activities for the year.
If you are organizing a conference or retreat, here are the three things to consider:
- How long? Overnight? All weekend? Day-long?
- The purpose: Build community, leadership development, business meeting, social action
- Audience: Who is welcome? What about newcomers? What about UU’s from other campuses? What about non-student young adults?
A conference/retreat can be effectively planned by a group as small as three to five people for an event of up to forty people. They can happen in a church building, a camp, a hostel, or rented meeting facilities.
Who your group is and what kind of conference you are aiming for will have a major effect on how you plan.
Once you have decided which combination of variables you want your conference to include, your goals will be much more clear and concrete. If you decide that the conference you envisioned doesn't fit the categories above, make a specific description of what it will be. Having clear goals will make the planning of your conference run smoothly.
An event held at a home or church, organized by a small group two to three months in advance and bringing together ten to twenty people for an overnight is the most common type of campus conference/retreat. An overnight event allows for students to still engage in academic studies and social university activities. Friday to Saturday is usually best.
The First Steps (visit the YRUU Con Planning Guide for a more comprehensive but youth-centered approach)1. Develop Your Planning Committee
Many jobs need to be done as you work toward your common vision. Before assigning tasks to individuals, go through the list of responsibilities as a group, making sure that everyone has a clear understanding of each role. The planning committee should decide if all of these jobs are relevant to your conference (for example, if no carpooling is necessary to the site, a transportation coordinator may not be needed). The group should review the specific responsibilities of each position.
The following is a general list of jobs. Keep in mind your particular needs and revise descriptions and divisions accordingly, but try to make sure that you do not overload any one person with too many responsibilities (burnout can be a problem).
- Site Coordinator
- Business Manager
- Transportation Coordinator
- Registrar
- Publicity Coordinator
- Supplies Gopher
- Food Coordinator
- Workshop Coordinator
- Chaplain
- Worship Coordinator
- Touch Group Coordinator
- Special Events or Games Coordinator
- Dean/Conference Coordinator
After reviewing the roles, the whole committee should brainstorm information for the planning committee to work with, such as a list of possible sites, a list of workshop topics and possible workshop leaders, themes, information committee members would like to see on the registration form, etc.
Now it's time to assign roles. Usually interests have emerged among the members of the committee. Taking volunteers for positions usually works well, but it is important that everyone feel comfortable with decisions so the staff can be a mutual support network. Don't feel pressed to choose every staff member at one meeting. Allow a chance for people who may be absent to be a part of the planning staff. Having the group create its own process for filling positions ensures the investment of the group in a successful process. Pay attention to personalities. If someone in the group doesn't usually take a leading role but would like to, give her or him some responsibility. If some people are unsure of their ability to take on a major role, have them work in pairs.
Once the roles are assigned, have a final go-around to make sure that everyone understands her or his role as the rest of the group understands it. Many communication breakdowns occur because of poorly defined roles. Making sure that roles are clearly understood before the work begins and throughout the planning process is a good way to avoid trouble.
2. Choose a Theme
A theme gives any type of conference its own flavor. The theme may provide a focus around which your workshops and other events can cluster, provide a title, and make your publicity more visible. With broad, general themes, a variety of activities can tie in. More specific, idiosyncratic themes are eye-catching, and can tie into a major event of the conference.
Specialty conferences, too, benefit from themes. For instance, a leadership development conference can focus on one aspect of leadership, or teach leadership by having the group deal with a particular issue. Pick a theme that excites your planning group and the conferees:
- Art Con. Create art.
- Circle Con. (or any shape) sing circle songs, have hula hoops, bubbles, play with rings, have lap circles, hug circles, play with a parachute.
- Color Con. Pick a color and have everything revolve around it.
- Current Event Con. Use current events to spark interest in your conference.
- Decade Con. Pick a decade from the past or future and center all the activities and workshops around the issues from the time period, and how they relate to today's society.
- Dr. Seuss Con. Read and discuss Dr. Seuss stories, which are fun and have strong life issues as themes.
- Enviro Con. Explore the environment, write letters to the government in support of the environment, have a day where you use only things grown naturally, eat only fresh-grown food, explore the development of pollution and manufactured goods.
- Fad Con. Discover the most current fad in the pop culture.
- Food Con. Bake bread, serve flaming desserts, organize workshops on eating disorders and nutrition, or have a love feast (at which people serve each other finger foods).
- Holiday Con. If your con is scheduled near a holiday, include its elements in your theme. You could dress and decorate according to the holiday traditions and discuss the meaning and sources of those traditions.
- Music Con. Revolve the con around a song, a singer/group, or generic music. Play lots of music, make music, talk about inner as well as outer harmony.
- Relaxation Con. A weekend of massage, meditation, release, and naps.
3. Pick a Date and Site
For a date look to the beginning of the school term. Generally the first few weeks are good for students as the homework has not piled up nor are there major tests. A good retreat can run from a dinner in the evening through lunch the next day, or longer. Make sure you are clear about the beginning and end times.
These are important considerations in choosing a site:
- Appropriate size?
- Reasonable cost?
- Accessibility (to mass transportation and to those with special needs)?
- Adequate kitchen facilities?
- Room for quiet sleeping areas?
- Room for same-sex sleeping areas?
- Room for people who will want to be loud late into the night?
- A comfortable place for adults to sleep?
- Space for workshops?
- Space for worship (if possible, a room only for worship)?
- Space for all-conference activities? Indoor and out?
- Bathrooms? (Will there be enough for everyone? Are there showers?)
- Designated areas for smoking (if allowed by the conference rules)?
- Sound system for a dance/banquet?
4. Plan Meetings and a Time Line
Create a game plan for the time before the conference. Depending on your distance from one another, you should set intervals for the planning groups to meet. If meetings will be difficult, arrange a phone tree or dates for everyone to mail updates to the rest of the staff.
Make agreements about when particular tasks will be finished (especially mailing the publicity). Other main tasks include finishing the schedule of events, sending out registration and confirmation information for participants.
Set dates for registration deadlines, particularly so you know how much food to purchase.
Last updated on Friday, April 18, 2008.
