Speaking from experience..workshop 1...

Thursday 28th April 2011- workshop 1

The five problems we came up with after the briefing with Fred:

1: saving up money
2: procrastination
3: homesickness
4: growing up
5: dealing with the course

The five problems within the problem plus possible solutions:

1: saving money up:

- guide on how to save
- poster with quirky statement- 'do you really need that?'
- map with local building societies to open a savings account
- ways to budget your money- buying value food rather than branded (with star ratings)- guide
- facebook pages for students to share tips on how to save and where to buy things for good value

2: procrastination:

- advice on time management
- a diary or a calendar
- time management posters- could be screen printed
- design a 'to do list' book to help students manage their time- with a feel good factor
- create a stop motion to motivate students- could be based around just type

3: homesickness:

- write letters to family and friends- could design special paper and envelopes plus packaging
- calendar design so students can count down the days to when they next go home
- poster saying something like ' home is only a phone call away'- something to make them feel better
- a guide to overcoming homesickness- things to do and keep your mind off home
- could be part of the survival kit/ guide- could receive when you start the course or move into halls?

4: growing up: cooking, cleaning, washing, job hunting etc...

- student friendly meal guide
- cheap cleaning products with guide on where to get them from
- ways to meet new people and make new friends- could be postcard based
- guide to finding a job- how to write a good CV etc
- managing play time with work time- guide/ booklet/ mail shots

5: dealing with the course: workload, printing, materials etc

- guide/ map where to buy good yet cheap materials for the course, maybe a reading list too
- how to manage your time- advice cards
- design a course blog, with first person advice about the course
- ask everyone in the current first year for one piece of advice for the new first years
- guide to having fun on the course- include things like typogateaux- its not all work and no play!

I am wanting to create some kind of survival kit for new GD students, i want to keep it light hearted and funny. I feel that if i make things too serious the new students will either worry about the course or lose interest in something that sounds too formal as it might seem boring.

The survival kit would include things like a book of the DO'S and DON'TS of being a GD student i.e dont use comic sans!

I want it to be full of quirky things that will make them feel at ease and maybe make them laugh but at the same time it needs to be useful to them.