Big talk

Small group, big talk. A group of strangers are prompted by conversation cards to cut the small talk and go straight to big questions i.e. What is your favourite way to feel calm, what would you like to get better at? What object would you save in a house fire? What do you miss? What is your next great adventure? What makes you feel really alive? What are you thankful for this very moment?

Collab project series

Team up with students from other Schools/faculties to work together on a project. It might be to break a Guinness World Record together, to propose a mental health initiative for students like a regular space for ‘water cooler’ conversation online, make a birth map of your team on Google maps, host a virtual games night or movie night, complete personality tests like 16 Personalities or Four Tendencies together etc.

Demo Day: Virtual Pitching Event

Students complete a virtual scavenger hunt to find objects around their home i.e. a mug with writing on it, a sock in a colour not white, a roll of toilet paper and they have three minutes to ‘sell’ that product to the group.

Employer panels

around a theme e.g. Women who code, diversity in the workplace, the future of flexible working etc.

Expert masterclasses/workshops

Student, employers, QUB staff invited to submit blogs, vlogs, videos etc for the Development Weeks site on a topic they are passionate about/expert in. Example topics from CES staff/employers:

Critical thinking Women in the workplace Creating powerful habits Negotiating effectively

Future Skills Challenge

Teams compete in virtual skills-based tasks e.g. designing a bridge from household items etc.

Hackathons

Teams compete online to complete a computer programming challenge set.

In conversation with

Film/record yourself interviewing someone you admire, someone from your community or someone important in your life, whether well-known or not. This can be in podcast form, video form or written form and hosted on the Development Weeks site/shared on our social channels

Instant topic debates

A virtual debating challenge where students debate instant topics generated from an event hosting pack e.g. JK Rowling and cancel culture.

Roundtable debates

Industry leaders and or students debate hot topics.

Tenx9: Bring your subject to life

Tenx9 is a storytelling event where nine people have up to ten minutes each to tell a true story from their own life. In this format, Nine students have up to ten minutes to bring their subject to life by presenting on a current issue/news story with insight from their subject e.g.

Law student on the Johnny Depp and Amber Heard case; Health student on cancer care in Covid; Politics student on election fraud and Trump etc.

Make a podcast

Script and record your own podcast episode to be hosted on the CES podcast to cover anything from career management advice to mental health to comment on current affairs.

Peer forum

To combat negative self-talk, this peer advocacy forum would encourage students to talk up another student and why they are unique (the opposite of a roast).  To encourage awareness of themselves in order better design a career path that fits personal values, interests, personality, and skills.

Playlist parties

Share your ultimate study/chill out/mindfulness spotify playlist with your peers via the Development Weeks site.

Powerpoint parties

Using digital screen sharing tech, students share short presentation on topic they’re enthusiastic about, whether it’s a recipe, a book or QUB Club/society.

Rate My Art

Social media competitions – photo/art/stories/poems/doodle challenges live on social media channels.

Skills arena

Showcase your skills by creating a YouTube video demonstrating your hobby/tech/musical/acting skills to be shared on the CES skills arena webpage. Think Joe Wicks’ workouts or Sophie Ellis Bexter’s Kitchen disco.

Social media takeovers

Instagram live opportunities to broadcast live on CES channels about your club/society and highlights from your year.

Student lunch and learn

Students grab a virtual lunch and exchange tips and advice around a central theme e.g. mental health, dealing with stress, exam prep, staying connected to campus etc.

Ted-x talks

Host your own Ted-x talk/performance.

Thoughtlabs series

Pose a big question and invite others to join you to help tackle it. Are we doing enough for climate change? Has the UK become less tolerant? This could be posed as a blog that others respond to, a discussion forum or as a roundtable discussion.

Virtual business breakfast

Join employers and industry leaders for a networking event.

Virtual employer challenges

A company/employer presents a group of students with a task/problem that they have to work through in a virtual group and present i.e. Social media marketing challenge, sales development challenge or enterprise challenge – e.g. come up with an idea for a new product or service and take part in tasks that replicate real business development and planning for a new product or service.

Watch parties

Host a watch party for a lectures, videos or TED-x talk that changed your life.