Devinci Higher Education Campus hosted the New Student Association Boards Seminar (SNBA), bringing together 250 leaders from 60 student associations. This event, organised by the Community Life Department, launched the new student association mandates for 2024. The schools' directors opened the seminar, emphasising the importance of community involvement on campus.

A seminar with three main objectives

For this 2024 edition, the seminar focused on three main areas:

Strengthening cohesion: encouraging teamwork within the associations and promoting inter-association collaboration.

Promoting transversality: bringing together students from different schools (EMLV, ESILV, IIM) and campuses around common projects.

Enhancing professionalism: preparing participants for their future responsibilities within the associations.

Various presentations and workshops

Over the two days, participants explored various aspects of community life. The Associative Life department presented the internal processes as well as the rights and duties of associations. DeVinci Junior ran a session on project management, while a speaker led a session on addiction awareness and prevention. Devinci Higher Education's legal department discussed the prevention of abuses by associations.

One of the highlights of the seminar was the play "Le procès de King Kong" ("King Kong's Trial") by the company "Des Ponts à la Place des murs" ("Bridges at the Place of Walls"), offering a hard-hitting reflection on violence and discrimination.

Alumni testimonials

Alumni shared their experiences and offered advice at the New Associative Offices Seminar. Their testimonies covered a number of key topics, providing valuable insights for new association leaders.

Association experience: long-term skills

Former members emphasise the importance of the skills they acquired in student associations.The association experience has enabled them to acquire project management and leadership skills that are useful throughout their careers.Team spirit and resilience are also major assets developed through their involvement.

The most striking operations, such as the organisation of cultural festivals or large-scale awareness-raising campaigns on important subjects such as sustainable development, have left lasting memories. These events have not only attracted large numbers of participants but have also had a significant impact on the student community.

Success factors in running an association

Effective communication, motivated members and the ability to innovate are the keys to running a successful association.

Transparency and listening skills are also deemed essential to maintaining a positive and productive dynamic within the team.

Alumni shared how they have turned failures into opportunities for continuous improvement. For example, a logistical failure can be turned into a valuable lesson, strengthening team cohesion and the ability to overcome obstacles.

Furthermore, documenting processes and training new members are crucial to ensuring a smooth transition from one year to the next. Creating opportunities for old and new members to meet helps to share best practice and ensure the continuity of projects.

To get the year off to a good start, it is recommended to define a clear vision and precise objectives from the start.

Building a strong team spirit quickly and not hesitating to ask former members for help are effective strategies for ensuring a good dynamic from the very first months.

Alumni testimonials offered valuable insights for new association leaders. By highlighting the long-term skills acquired, emblematic operations, managing difficulties, etc., these contributions enriched this new edition of the SNBA.