TFS - Canada's International School

CAIS When did you realize that the moment of inspiration would turn into several months of perspiration? Mihail K.: When the school year started in 2016, I realized the planning for this conference would be a lot of work after seeing the hundreds of back-and-forth emails. There was a point when I thought the process would calm down. That point never happened and the constant meetings and messages became the new norm. How did you and the team find an effective approach to take on everything that needed to be done? Laura B.: Although we were an incredibly fortunate group of students, we are simply that – students. We never dreamed of hosting or organizing an event of this scale. Rebecca and I in particular are very detail-oriented DQGVR,NQRZWKDWLWZDVLQLWLDOO\GLIÀFXOWIRU us to delegate. At a certain point, this entire process came down to trust. Once we reached DOHYHORIWUXVWDQGFRQÀGHQFHLQHDFKRWKHU we were able to make sure that everything got done because we held each other responsible for what we'd promised to do. In your area of responsibility, what challenged you the most, surprised you the most and was the most satisfying? Mihail K.: Contacting speakers was the most challenging. There was a lot of back and forth, answering questions, ensuring they were aware of their time slot and any changes due to scheduling issues. The most surprising moment was being able to set up the TFS CAIS app and to actually have it fully functional, because I had no experience in creating apps. Being able to see it work was the most satisfying moment of the conference. Describe the moment when you realized that all of this hard work was worth it. Rebecca A.: We decided to hold a talent show at the last minute because of a speaker cancellation. Throughout the show, I witnessed all the delegates coming together as a group and connecting with one another. Seeing the massive group of delegates made me realize that all this hard work was worth it. We were able to unite around 138 leaders from across the nation, and the talent show is when I became aware that these connections could last a lifetime. 4 profound days of discussion 4 fearless student directors 2 intrepid staff directors 138 engaged student delegates from across Canada 26 inspiring speakers and workshop leaders 17 TFS ENTRE NOUS 2018

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