July 2, 2017, Cairo – Starting today, the Make a Difference (MAD) camp will
begin in Sharm El Sheikh, where 40 AUC student leaders will get together for
five days of training, networking and character building, with the final day
devoted to a conference in which students will propose a civic engagement and
social enterprise project to be implemented in the Egyptian community. President
Francis J. Ricciardone, Dean of Students George Marquis, Associate Vice
President for Campus Services Noel Knille and Vice President for Digital
Innovation Hanan Abdel Meguid will engage with students at the camp. The
governor of South Sinai, Khaled Fouda, will also attend the final
day.
“MAD Camp
is an annual student training camp that gives leaders of AUC student organizations
the opportunity to receive training, network with their peers and learn what it
takes to successfully lead an organization,” said Mohamed Alaa ’16, a computer
engineering graduate and one of the event organizers who initiated the camp in
2014 when he was still a student. “These ongoing programs are customized so
that student leaders have the opportunity to explore topics relevant to their
specific roles and organization types.”
At the camp,
students will be divided into four teams and will engage in competitions
throughout the five-day event. Each team will come up with a civic engagement
and social enterprise project, which they will present at the conference on the
final day. One of these projects will be selected by a judging panel for implementation
in the Egyptian community.
In addition to competitions, the student-led
camp will engage participants in a wide array of activities such as
structured training and
interactive sessions that emphasize teamwork, leadership traits and character
building. Topics covered include how to become an authentic leader, how to lead
by example and be committed, as well as personal, social and work values. “Our
focus is on developing the characters of students, not just their skills,”
explained Alaa. “That’s why we don’t tackle leadership as a skill. We talk
about service leadership and leadership authentication. We talk about
commitment, about values. These topics tackle people’s characters.”
Entertainment and
fun are also part of the camp, whereby student participants will take part
in diving, beach games, a three-kilometer hiking treasure hunt, as well as
other physical and mental activities. The organizers also included a “fun
room,” where participants could play indoor games during their break time.
Looking forward to
engaging with students and listening to their ideas, Dean Marquis said, “I
am honored to be asked to participate in such an important event and look
forward to meeting new AUC student leaders and working with them as they map
out their ambitious goals for the coming year. My involvement in the MAD Camp
will help me to hear firsthand from students who care about AUC and our wider
community as to how the Office of the Dean of Students can better serve
their student engagement needs.”
"I am excited to
be part of MAD Camp,” said Vice President Abdel Meguid, “and I am looking
forward to engaging with outstanding AUC students on the subject of social
entrepreneurship, with a focus on doing great business by doing
good.”
And the students
share similar sentiments. “We are happy to have President Ricciardone and
other members of the AUC administration at the camp to establish a platform of
communication with student leaders because they are the ones leading the voice
of the student body,” said Alaa. “AUC is special in Egypt and the region
because of its student life, and student activities are a big part of that. We
would like to hear the president’s input on the civic engagement project we
will propose, and when we are back on campus, we will work to have all members
of the AUC community participate in this project. This is an initiative from
the AUC community to serve the Egyptian community. It’s our duty and
responsibility.”
For more
information, visit http://aucmadcamp.com
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