Greetings Area 5!

Congratulations to Area 5 on a successful spring conference.  Meeting of the Minds celebrated record attendance this year with 340 people attending from all four states in the region!  The most popular and highest reviewed sessions of the conference were our opening keynote speaker, Judson Laipply with his "Evolution of Dance" performance and Kevin Hines' "Be Heard.  Talking about Mental Health." Keynote.  Thank you to the Area 5 Team and area attendees who helped make this conference so fun and exciting!

It is that time of year again to renew your charter with The BACCHUS Network.  You should have already received paperwork asking you to renew the charter on-line.  Please pay close attention to the deadlines and requests.  The charter renewal process is a very important process for The BACCHUS Network and we appreciate your help.  If you have not already done so, renew your charter today at the BACCHUS website!

Have a great end-of-the-school-year and summer break! 

Joan Masters

Area Consultant

With Every End,
Comes a New Beginning.
Tara Daniel and Chance Dorland
Student Trustees

 

Whew! The end of school is fast approaching, and the time is right to begin planning for next year's peer education program. This process can be as exciting and dynamic as implementing your programs throughout the school year, and BACCHUS facilitates effective planning. To look ahead, we must look back. What worked on your campus this year?   What didn't work? Do you have any evaluations of programs you can review? What can you do differently? Check out the Starting a Peer Group section under Group Support on the BACCHUS homepage to review ideas for all around success, such as keeping peer educators motivated and gathering a large turnout at your events. Secondly, find out what works at other campuses. BACCHUS publishes The Peer Educator and the programming booklets with each campaign mailing to highlight effective programs, and this very newsletter, the facebook group, and the listserv provide forums for inquiry about what works for others. Connect with other campuses to ask more, and also check out the programming resources on the other BACCHUS  websites - friendsdrivesober.org, tobaccofreeu.org, and smartersex.org-for ideas on designing and promoting your topic specific program. One of the most challenging yet most rewarding processes of creating your vision for the fall is facilitating an effective leadership transition. In an activity where we consider each of our students to be leaders, bringing students together to entrust knowledge to the next generation may seem superfluous. In fact, this process can only serve to strengthen your program. Asking students come to together throughout this month invites them to not only share knowledge, but indeed prompts them to reflect upon what they have learned and conceptualize these lessons in an applicable way. Not only what we do as peer educators, but how we do it, is significant, and the people we become along the way is part of the benefit. Gearing up for this fall includes taking advantage of the BACCHUS opportunities and recognizing the impact of what you do on your campus. Use the print and online sources for guidance, and use your other affiliates for more ideas.   Contact your SAC or AC with any question that can help you get more from your BACCHUS affiliation. Last but not least, secure funding to attend General Assembly in Columbus Ohio this November, and we will see you this fall!