Student Clubs: An American Perspective

September 17, 2014

 

 

Student groups and organizations were on display during our annual Club Fair, held last Friday, on September the 12^th. Extra-curricular life and involvement outside of academia are vital to student experience here at the American University of Central Asia. We, Gulazor and myself, were tasked with finding out more about the offerings available to students. I was interested, not only because I had to be, but also because involvement in extracurricular life was not one of the strong points of my resume; and I wanted to see how perceptions differed towards student groups in the American University of Central Asia from my home university in the U.S.

 

And so after reviewing what we knew about the groups we headed down. I was used to things like ‘International Relations Club’ and ‘Psychology Club’, so I was surprised to see a diverse range of groups available to students. I asked a student, Dimitry Bodnia about why he was interested in extracurricular activities, “It’s important to join social activities, because if you are only sitting and learning, and learning, and learning in a classroom, it’s just bad”, he replied. Maybe incomplete is a more apt word, but the feeling is astute. An education at AUCA is not relegated to classroom work, but includes personal development and community involvement as well.

 

As we approached the first table, one of the most major topical and contentious issue in today’s news cycle was tackled by the Green Campus Group. I talked to Dilya, who told me that their goal was to change “the whole culture” of environmentalism and “promote sustainable development” in Bishkek. They were well on their way as the cardboard recycling bins we see all over the school are a result of their initiative. They hope that AUCA’s new campus, the 1^st ecologically sustainable one in the area, will inspire other organizations to follow suit. I’ll admit that I don’t always throw my bottle in the right box, but I started paying attention after our conversation.

 

I noticed that quite a few of the groups were involved in charity, especially the Rotaract Club and Unity Fund Club. President of the AUCA chapter of the International Rotaract Club, Zarina, told me that charity was the goal but that “self-development” was a side effect, as “all programs and events are self-directed” by teams within the group. They also took trips to Azerbaijan and Turkey as a group in the past, not that it influenced me to sign up of course. The Unity Fund is a charity group as well, focusing mainly on children and orphanages. One of their past projects, with money raised from events and grants, was a summer camp in Issyk-Kul for orphans, with volunteer teachers and help. The Continuing Education Center here at AUCA is also looking for volunteers for working with kids, among other things (you can dress up as a superhero and run around). Give them a visit if you are interested, I did and now run the English Conversation Club twice a week!

 

Other groups focused on cultural exchange and knowledge. The Kelechek group promotes Kyrgyz culture, language, and food. They told me “they wanted to introduce Kyrgyz language” to both foreigners and locals; and that they visited Kyrgyz theatres and did volunteer work at orphanages as well. The Japanese Club promotes Japanese culture, and no knowledge of the language is required! They have showings of anime shows and movies, and help represent Japan during AUCA’s diversity week. I moved onto something of personal interest, the Craft Creativity Club. New this year, they aim to promote the multiculturalism of AUCA through handicrafts, and donate money raised from the sale of such to charities. I signed up, thinking in the back of my head that my family would want some handmade souvenirs and that saving my money would just be a happy coincidence.

 

I always had an admiration for those who can dance and sing. I was a spectator during Orientation, and I’d be lying if I said there wasn’t a twinge of jealousy in watching those who were able to perform so flawlessly in front of a crowd. I’m sure I wasn’t the only one, as there was dozens of sign-ups for the drama group, Theater Mirrors, previously the drama club. I told Bermet that I was not at all qualified to perform, but she said, “there are very few professionals in our group” and “they could teach” new members. They perform at many school events, including the upcoming Initiation Day ceremony. Entertainers of all kinds are welcome. I left the booth, another name added to the sign-up sheet.

 

In the same vein, BiG Improv (Bishkek Improvisational Group) hopes to promote and improve Improv comedy in the Bishkek community, where there are only stand-up clubs. They work both inside and outside of AUCA, so if you have a quick mind and want to free yourself of stage fright, take a look!

 

We visited the Debate Club or “Eloquent Crew” as you can see from the posters around campus, who both host an AUCA tournament and attend dozens of local and competitions as well as international ones, having traveled to Kazakhstan and Tajikistan in the past. They have two teams, English and Russian (and are the best in Bishkek in the English league).

 

Enactus AUCA, the local chapter, of the international organization dedicated to fostering socially responsible entrepreneurship, had a booth as well. They recently had a summer camp in Kazakhstan, to read more about it and if you are interested in joining, visit https://www.auca.kg/en/auca_news/1581/.

 

Reaching the Future Leaders of the World or FLOW club, we found out that this club was established in 2012 and is devoted to equipping and establishing the next generation of world leaders. “It really matters, when you have good leadership skills, as it helps students during their studies at AUCA and finding friends around”, said Marhabat Aisaeva, sophomore student of the ICP department. We thought that this would be a great opportunity for freshmen, who are on the first steps of their undergraduate studies at AUCA. The leadership skills gained now at this club will help them throughout their lives, even past AUCA.

 

There were more clubs of course that we visited and learned about: New Star, which is the independent student newspaper (with salaries), Football and Basketball clubs, Cultural Diplomacy Club, and I’m sure others who we either missed or were not able to have a presence at the event. Ultimately I noted that there was more passion and student involvement here than at my university, and it was contagious. I ended up signing up for Theatre Mirrors, Craft Creativity, Rotaract, and Kelechek; how will you involve yourself?

 

If you are interested in learning more about Student Clubs at AUCA, visit https://www.auca.kg/en/clubs/ for contact information!

 

Aaron Chalmers

<< go to news list