Intro to Essence AC

Essence is the study association for the environmental science program at AVANS. It is A place for all of the ESSET students to get to know each other, make memories together, and occasionally step outside of their comfort zone. But what is behind of all these events and programs? I'll try to give you an inside look at what goes on behind the scenes!

The people in charge of the committee are a group of enthusiastic students who meet once a week to discuss any upcoming or planned projects. All of our events are planned with care and love with the goal of connecting students with one another and relieving stress.

Our chairman, the event manager Remko H Pape, leads our meetings and communicates between the committee also called the AC (who plan and organize the events) and the board (who are responsible for everything not-so social and fun, like paperwork). The board and the AC are changing every year, mostly made up of second-year students.

During these meetings, we first choose the events, then plan how and where they should be done. We aim to not go into the deepest details, but it is easy to get carried away. We all express our opinion and concentrate on how we could provide the friendliest atmosphere. These meetings are quite professional and time-to-time we try to break it with a drink in the city afterward, where we invite all members as well. This might sound very spontaneous, but all our planned events require a couple of weeks of planning. After the idea is finalized, a ‘head’ of the event is chosen, who is responsible for the event. This person is always supported by others and can divide their tasks as well. (Our bigger events such as Halloween party requires more planning.) Therefore, our roles and responsibilities are always changing according to the event we organize. The head of the event needs to fill out a plan of approach, which is basically the financial and logistical background for the event. This needs to be accepted by the event manager, Remko and needs to be approved by the board. If everything is finished, all information is fixed we send out our invitations. This process might sound easy but even for a smaller event we will take at least 4 meetings.

There is much more to it than earning elective credits for your efforts and time. It allows you to hone your organizational skills, be socially active, and simply try something new. However, I believe that what you get out of it will vary from person to person. I gained memories simply by planning the events; I improved my planning and organization skills, and I needed to improve my focus because the meetings could be very long.