This blender event is both beautiful and engaging. A tree, at the entrance to campus, covered with poetry is a splendid image, and a hard experience for a student to walk by without noticing. Students, administrators, and faculty gather at the tree between classes, reading the poems and sharing the moment together. Suddenly, engagement on campus has increased with the rising temperature.
In Dance Floor Theory, we talk about using unexpected surfaces to create this effect.
This type of event has a very low gradient to get involved with, and might even be less scary than other ways of getting involved, if a student isn’t quite yet a level “5” of engagement yet. It doesn’t take a speech or presentation – no one has to notice you put your favorite poem up. In this way, anyone can participate in the tradition, and then reap the benefits of adding something to the conversation. That’s an x+1 moment – a student easily going up one level of engagement, without feeling overwhelmed.
Want to do something similar on your campus? Here are some things to consider during your brainstorm:
- What are the “hubs” on your campus? Where do students gather?
- What would make students on your campus stop and linger? (Like reading poetry?)
- What small action can someone take to participate in your blender event?
- What would cause positive buzz on your campus?
The tradition of hanging poems on a cherry tree during springtime can’t help by make someone smile. What objects on your campus could you use to create a new campus tradition, with a low level of engagement, just like the poetry tree?
