After debriefing the 2011 State Convention for Student Activities and listening to feedback from numerous stakeholders, the IDSA Board unanimously voted to switch the scheduling of its two major events.

The annual Student Leadership Workshop will now take place in the Fall, providing more opportunities for students to put the leadership lessons that they have learned into place for the current school year.

As a result, there will be no Student Leadership Workshop
for Spring 2012.

The State Convention for Student Activities will move to the Spring. This should allow Activities Directors and Sponsors to take advantage of the wealth of ideas presented during this event. Furthermore, it will provide access to a host of activities-related vendors, who will bring the latest and greatest ideas and products to school decision-makers.

We, the IDSA membership, encourage students to involve themselves in Student Activities programs. We also encourage schools to commit portions of their financial resources to provide such a program. We believe Student Activities programs ought to and can accomplish two objectives for the student.

1. Since not all students can be Einstein in the classroom or LeBron James on the court, the membership of IDSA is committed to giving students another opportunity to distinguish themselves and, at the same time, to develop skills such as communication, leadership, and interpersonal abilities — skills not normally developed through the typical classroom curriculum. All students need to understand how to provide good leadership and how to work with people; activity program involvement will help students cultivate these skills.


2. In addition, the IDSA membership is committed to giving students the opportunity to “find” themselves by expanding their experience beyond the classroom. It is our hope that student participation in the Student Activities programs will allow them to “taste” a number of different experiences. By trying a variety of activities, students will have the opportunity to recognize other areas in which they may excel.