What Should The Student Web Team Be Like?
04. Mar, 2010 
5 Comments
During the Campus Summit, one of the Knowledge Cafe questions is “how to increase student ownership of VLM in our movement”.
One key thought arose – to identify key students who are existing adopters (of VLM) and are already actively doing something. This is in line with the action step of forming a student web team. And I like to share some ideas how this student web team could look like and who should be in it.
Purpose of the Student Web Team
Firstly, this team is a student task force that helps to formulate online strategies of WIN, BUILD & SEND on a OCM (One Campus Movement) level. Secondly, they should communicate these strategies to the local campuses staff members and student leaders.
Wait a minute… This sounds huge! Being a pragmatic person myself, we may form this team with lower expectations in the initial stage. However, the local campuses’ staff and student leaders must increasingly empower the student web team. Only then the student web team can innovate ideas to help us integrate VLM in our local movements. We don’t want to make the mistake of reducing the student web team to make nice websites or silo the VLM to be just for the techie.
For now, let me suggest that how the student web team may be like using 3 Cs:
- Cross-Campus Team
- This team is made up of students from all campus ministries.
- This helps to bounce ideas and garner perspectives on how VLM can be done on OCM and local levels.
- Calibre
- The team should have a mix of techie and less techie students to bring in balanced view in our meetings together.
- There can be the “low-tech” digital natives who have the passion and insights how we can use the virtual platforms to further the kingdom of God.
- Commitments (of student involving in the team)
- 6 months – 1 year.
- Meetings and discussions will be carried out online via online platforms i.e. facebook, google docs or blogs.
- There can be the “low-tech” digital natives who have the passion and insights how we can use the virtual platforms to further the kingdom of God.
To the campus staff, I like to interact more with you how this student web team would affect the structure of your ministry e.g. the student from your campus who will be involved in the student web… should they be also part of the servant team? Let’s also dialogue how we can empower your students to lead this VLM on your campuses. If you think about it, the VLM is essentially a student-led movement in the long run.
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*Just added another blog to follow up on this article: “What Should The Student Web Team Be Like? – Part 2“
Agreed! Great thoughts. Now my question is are we going to limit the discussion on this blog to student-led movements only or should we intentionally engage @amosang and @simon and the many others who have a burden for VLM beyond campus, on this blog?
this blog is a result of the follow-up for integrating VLM into campus ministry from the Campus Summit discussions. But I don’t intend it to be exclusive for campus staff only. It should evolve to engage more staff and students to think VLM, and apply VLM concepts to their ministry.
And yes, I do really encourage all staff from different strategies to contribute to this site too.
So the student web team has a commitment of 6 months to a year. Means that staff need to actively seek out 1-2 students from their ministry to be involved every year? Can the same student be involved all 3-4 years of his/her school life or must they be rotated?
i hope so. Now students have to go for attachments or overseas program, so it might be more realistic for them to join at most two years. Of course with the Internet, they can still give inputs from their computers.
Hi can you clarify “identify key students who are existing adopters (of VLM) and are already actively doing something.” Doing what actively online?? Sharing Christ online? Most students have facebook but it might take a while to identify students with a heart and vision for VLM.
Also it’ll be good to give a time frame how long the students will be involved as they are very busy… especially this season. I wonder if it’s possible that you wait a while (for Uni students) to finish their exams in early May before they interact with you online meaningfully on this.