The Ohio Association of Student Councils is an organization dedicated to the teaching of leadership skills, organizational skills, and people skills valuable to the members and officers of all student organizations!

During the weekend of November 19th & 20th, 78 students participated in Fall Retreat! This year's theme for Fall Retreat was Problem Solving. Through activities like Leadership Beats the Clock, and Marble Races students learned how to play to their strengths and balance out their weaknesses to overcome challenging scenarios when working in groups. Council sessions allowed students to recognize the challenges of nonverbal communication, and how to mitigate these challenges. We finished off the night with the annual Fall Games; sweet potato strut, caramel chews and pumpkin seeds contests helped to bring the competitive edge out of all our young leaders!

Did you miss retreat? Check out the TED talk that kicked off our Saturday night closing. Problem solving isn't always about a single moment of decision making, but also about a lifestyle of perseverance and GRIT.

State board to me is opportunity. It's opportunity to make a difference, to try something new, to put myself out there. This position has challenged me to really work for what I want and to have the grit and dedication to get things done. I was on board in middle school and I couldn't get enough so here I am again. Board is a whole lot of fun but we all know that at the end of the day, we have serious business to help better the organization. Not only do we talk for hours over planning and finances and all the things a board should talk about, we also develop a love for each other and a deeper love for OASC. Being on board gives me a chance to become a better leader and to hopefully inspire others to do the same. The involvement doesn't stop there though, I also love being a staff member and a delegate. No matter what position I hold, my love for OASC is what makes the experience worthwhile. I wouldn't be the person I am today without it, which I am truly grateful for. The people I've met and the experiences I've had will live with me forever. OASC is more than an organization, it's my second home.

Did you know Summer Workshops have been occurring for nearly 60 years?

The first OASC sponsored workshop was held at Ohio University in 1957. Over the next few years, increased interest added a second site of summer workshop at Kent State University in 1961. In 1961, a second year of programming was added at Ohio University, for students who had previously attended a summer workshop.

Middle Level programming was added in the summer of 1964 at Otterbein College. In 1967, all summer programming was moved to Ohio Northern University. To accommodate the amount of students attending summer workshop, a total of eight workshops were held in 1972.

Workshops continued to be offered at Ohio Northern University until the mid 70's. Since then, OASC Summer Workshops have called the following University's home: Oberlin College, Bluffton College, Kenyon College, Muskingum University, and Beaumont Boy Scout Camp at Inspiration Hills in northeastern Ohio.

In the summer of 2004, all summer workshops were moved to Wright State University, which has been Summer Workshop's home until the summer of 2016. In 2016, OASC officially partnered with the iBELIEVE Foundation to offer more summer workshops on multiple sites. 6 summer workshops were offered between West Liberty University, Muskingum University and Wright State University.

Due to the successful partnership of both iBELIEVE and OASC, NINE Senior High Summer Workshops will be offered during the summer of 2017 at the following sites: West Liberty University, Youngstown State University, Eastern Kentucky University, Muskingum University , Wright State University and the University of Charleston. In addition, TWO Middle Level workshops will be offered at Youngstown State University and Wright State University! Check out our January newsletter for official dates & locations!

Need easy ways to get to know your council? Try these out and let us know how it goes! Send pictures to oascoutreach@oasc-oh.org of your council participating in an icebreaker and you could be featured in our next newsletter!

In need of new ideas for your student council to try out? Here are a couple to get you started!

1. Put post-its with kind slogans and quotes on every locker
   
2. Bake cookies for students and hand them out in between classes.
   
3. Give out "free hug" coupons
   
4. Help your janitors clean the lunch room
   
5. Smile at 10 strangers
   

With a little bit of thought, your student council can create a no-budget week that makes everyone a little happier