Leadership is a big deal at Calvin, but many times the term is thrown around without much thought as to what comprises good leadership practices. For Calvin’s student senate, one word has come up among many: gratitude.
The student-led organization is committed to promoting this value among its student body with this week’s Gratitude Week. Gratitude Week is an initiative adopted by student senate aimed at raising the countenance of students by focusing on the many blessings present in the Calvin community.
Occurring for the second year, this week-long event is becoming a new tradition worth keeping.
The week has four main focuses, a different one for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, and a shared focus for Thursday and Friday. Monday is the kick-off day, filled with initiatives that build awareness of the week and the many ways students can participate.
Tuesday continues by highlighting outstanding student organizations, particularly on student senate’s Facebook and Twitter account.
Wednesday moves from students to Calvin staff and faculty as the senators encourage their peers to demonstrate gratitude by writing thank-you cards in Johnny’s and the senate office, located in the Commons Annex.
This component endures for the rest of the week at peak traffic times, such as chapel break and B-Quiv, in order to give as many students as possible a chance to formally express their feelings.
To top it off, Thursday and Friday introduce a new component for the week: a Gratitude Wall prominently placed in the Commons Annex for students to sign. There will also be a free giveaway.
Laura Steele, the senator who is leading the events of this week, is elated with this opportunity to serve the community. Between her and her colleagues, there are a great number of chances to creatively invigorate this community.
Beyond the work of this week, Steele and her team plan to implement a thank-you ice cream social for those who have contributed to student senate initiatives and short video-messages specific to certain student groups. Overall, Steele’s team is searching for multi-platform avenues to better engage the broader student population.
“[Gratitude Week] is a great time to uplift the school and demonstrate thankfulness as we remind ourselves what a great institution we go to,” said Steele.
It seems as though this event is meant to be both a challenge and a source of relief to the community — a challenge in the sense that students are called to think more deeply about the resources and people around them that are normally taken for granted and a relief to the slump that usually occurs after spring break and right around midterms.
But gratitude is more than a community event, Steele holds gratitude close to her own heart:
“It matters to me because I don’t think we take enough time to sit and realize how lucky we are with provision and resources,” said Steele. “So we hope to do our part to help students along the way, whether that means handing a pen and paper or making some other form available.”
In the end, the hope is that many smiles are brought to a large number of people. Take a stroll past the senate office and you’ll witness a few of these, and though they’re grateful, the office hopes it spreads beyond their doorway. When asked what she most hopes to gain from this week, Steele pointed to the new gratitude wall initiative:
“The thing I most look forward to this week is how many cards that we get and the faculty’s expressions when they get them.”
