The Dreaded Third Year

The truth is, it is demanding and often stressful, but it is also extremely rewarding. I’m writing this article on a Sunday night with an exciting week ahead of me. I’ll find out where I’m going on my first Social Work placement, which begins at the end of November and I cannot wait to finally get the taste of the real world and implement everything I’ve been learning about for the last two years.

However, the thing that I’m personally most excited about, is a conference I’m running on women in activism. This has been my little project since the end of September and one that’s kept me busier than my studies and work combined. That being said, it’s also been the most exciting thing I got to work on. We’re going to have amazing guest speakers, who agreed to share their stories with us, such as Malaysian activist and writer Marina Mahathir who won the UN Person of the Year in 2010 or the founder of the Glasgow Girls campaign Amal Azzudin. And since we’re pretty much done with the planning process, let me give you a few tips on planning a conference (or any other event):

1. Give yourself at least two months to secure a venue. When you get an automatic email saying someone will get back to you within two working days, don’t believe them. Certain places take up to two weeks to reply, if they end up replying at all.

2. Don’t be afraid to reach out to local business for discounts and sponsorships. People are more than happy to collaborate, especially if it’s for a good cause.

3. Catering agencies are expensive and you’re probably better off making a trip to Costco and/or placing a huge order at Greggs.

4. Don’t do everything yourself and don’t try to micro-manage everything. It’s okay to need help and trust people that they can handle the tasks you give them—sometimes even better than you could have done so yourself. You’ll save yourself a lot of time and stress.

5. Enjoy the process and pat yourself on the back when it’s all done!