APCA SGA Track
Featured at ALL APCA Fall Regional Campus Activities Conferences!
Facilitated by Dave Kelly, America’s Student Leadership Trainer
BIO: Dave’s a professional student leadership expert, experienced campus, state and international student leader and advisor, speaker, author (published 4 books), trainer, coach, and consultant. He focuses on student leadership development, running better campus organizations, and building awesome student governments – Dave’s the APCA SGA expert! His presentations are high energy, interactive, fun, and content rich. He has spoken/trained more than 750 times on 400+ campuses. Dave coordinates APCA Serves!, APCA’s community service initiative, has twice received APCA Campus Speaker of the Year (2019 and 2022), and was 2023 Lecturer of the Year for the Canadian Organization of Campus Activities!
STUDENT SESSIONS:
1) What is SGA? Roles, Responsibilities, and Voice of the Students
This program will show what you should be doing as a student government leader focusing on: representing the voice of the students, advocating for positive changes to enhance educational experiences and opportunities, making life on your campus fun, interesting, safe, and more. You will learn key roles and responsibilities and how to develop student government objectives for the coming year and beyond with successful approaches from an SG veteran who has led hundreds of student government training sessions, events, and retreats. You will learn how to SWOT your SGA to be more effective and get more done!
2) Running and Participating in Meetings: Parliamentary Procedure Made Easy for SGA Members
Meetings are where most students connect with clubs and organizations. Well-run meetings are key to membership retention! This session covers all aspects of SGA meetings, including the role of the chair, creating agendas, minutes, making motions, submitting proposals, and voting options for members. Parliamentary procedure is intended to facilitate discussion and protect the rights of the minority voice in debate. Attendees will receive a guide to parliamentary procedure that can put all members on an equal footing. Don’t miss this informative, interactive training that will set your SGA up for success!
3) SGA Recruitment, Retention, and Engaging Meetings
Many student leaders do not know how to keep members involved. They run boring or unproductive meetings, oversell the organization, or miss warning signs and issues that cause members to leave. Retention, done right, can be the best membership recruitment tool! Come learn the techniques, tips, and tricks that Dave employed to recruit more than 10,000 students into membership! These techniques are easy to do, duplicatable by your SGA, and effective in engaging students who may not normally check you out. Learn the key features of retention, including running fun and engaging meetings, that will keep them coming back.
4) Your SGA as a Positive Force for Change
Making change as SGA on campus, in the community, state, nation, and world means being an advocate for a new way of thinking and looking at aspects of life. Serving leaders do this in a way that is respectful, thoughtful, and impactful. It requires critical thinking skills, the ability to communicate effectively while listening to differing opinions, and present persuasive arguments while engaging in civil discourse. Students will look at historical advocacies, discuss and grade them, and learn the most effective methods of creating change while working with other people. Effective communication strategies with decision makers will also be shared.
ADVISOR SESSION:
SGA Advisors in Action: Building Better Student Governments Together
Join fellow student government advisors for an energizing session packed with ideas, strategies, and real-world practices to strengthen student government associations and elevate their impact on campus. Through lively discussion and shared expertise, participants will explore student government structures, ways to break the annual rebuilding cycle, professional development for members, effective meetings, governing documents, and more. Bring your questions, challenges, and success stories—and leave with fresh inspiration, practical takeaways, and new connections.