Bucknell Student Government (BSG) and the Campus Activities and Programs (CAP) Center have joined forces to create the Lessons on Leadership (LOL) program this semester. Lessons on Leadership is a training program for student organization leaders with a focus on long-term sustainability.

The workshops will focus on six distinct areas: Club Operations, Event Management, Social Media and Marketing Communications, Navigating Your Environment, Fiscal Understanding, and Forecasting the Future.

By completing six out of eight training sessions, a group will become a “Certified Organization.” These organizations will also receive a bonus of $350 for their spring 2015 budget. This money will come from a designated fund, which BSG created specifically for the program.

So far, about 115 clubs and organizations have attended at least one workshop and 50 percent of clubs are working toward certification, according to Michael Duignan, CAP director.

“I am finding that clubs and organizations are actively engaging the CAP Center with questions and concerns that have stem directly from information provided to them through the LOL series,” Duignan said.

“While working with student organizations on recognition and budgeting throughout my terms on the Bucknell Student Government Executive Board, I saw the need for better leadership programming on campus. I found that major leadership programs on campus have excellent training and development programs. Student organizations, however, have very limited formal training,” BSG President Loren Jablon ’15 said.

BSG’s Organization Review Board has worked closely with the CAP Center to execute the program. Some of the topics covered in these workshops include event planning, budgeting, social media use, conflict management, and officer transitions.

“Many student organizations deal with similar challenges, such as officer transition, event attendance, and publicity. The LOLs will hopefully be a way for student leaders to connect with each other and discuss how to work through conflicts and difficult situations. I am optimistic that these conversations will additionally lead to more collaboration,” Jablon said.

All student organizations recognized by BSG are eligible to participate in the program, and must have attended the Mandatory Officer’s Workshop in September. The workshops of various topics will run until Dec. 5.