By Curtis Witek
 
At this time of year, with summer break on the horizon and final exams and papers looming, it's easy for schedules to fall out of balance.  Routine and habit give way to frantic rushing, cramming, and lots of caffeine.  While each school has their own culture and way of managing this hectic time in the scholastic calendar, I think this aspect of a student's life is more or less universal.  One major challenge facing creation care organizations/clubs, or any other college club for that matter, is finishing the year strong in the midst of this intensified workload.  It's not uncommon for a club to simply peter out at the end of the school year as finals and day dreaming of summer take precedence in our minds.  But It is my intention in writing this blog to stress the importance of finishing strong and to offer a few ideas to do so.  

This past Monday was our last A Rocha large group gathering at Wheaton College.  Part of the time was spent reviewing the year through pictures of the events we participated in.  It's good to look back to see what was accomplished and to get ideas for improvement for next year.  And let's be honest, everyone likes seeing their picture; seeing a picture of someone with their friends engaged in a river clean up or a 350 event, gives them a sense of ownership and achievement.  In addition to recapping the previous year, the second part of the meeting was used to elect the new leadership team for A Rocha.  During this time, each candidate was given the opportunity to offer their vision for the future of the club.  Holding elections at the end of the year gives a clear image of the future leadership.   Knowing who is in which position at the end of the year allows the leadership team to get straight to work in the fall, possibly organizing before classes begin.  It also allows those graduating or exiting a leadership position to pass on their projects and helps get the new leaders assimilated to the position and its responsibilities.    

Ending strong, which may simply mean holding a last official meeting where you recap the year, and electing next year's leadership, enables a club to maintain momentum over the summer.  At our last A Rocha Wheaton meeting our president was already trying to figure out what times works with most people for our next fall "retreat" before classes pick up.  It's amazing how effective this day-long retreat was in casting a well defined vision for A Rocha Wheaton 2009-10, and the reason it was so successful was because of the well defined leadership and clear communication between each other and with our sponsor over the summer and fall.  If your club is able to finish strong, the summer, rather than being a time to digress, can be be used to build momentum for the fall.  

One last note.  Take advantage of any opportunity to develop your organization's leadership over the summer!  There are so many opportunities to intern, serve, learn, and develop leadership skills.  One way A Rocha Wheaton is investing in their future leaders is by offering to cover the cost to attend the Creation Care Institute in Santa Barbara for those who wish to attend.  See if there's a way to keep your leaders and members involved in Creation Care over the summer.