Due to the tons of questions we are getting for the ambassador and seminar leaders position for this year’s conference, we would like to setup a FAQ to answer your questions.
Q: What is UTACCEL?
A: UTACCEL is a student organization which is dedicated towards bridging Canadian and Chinese students by promoting communication and the exchange of leadership. UTACCEL facilitates the exchange through annual conferences held in China, this year is our 4th year. UTACCEL will hold two conferences this year, the International conference which focuses on bringing the Canadian Campus life to the delegates and the entrepreneurship conference which will allow the entrepreneurial ideas of the delegates to shine in an intense competition.
Q: What are the roles of the ambassadors/seminar leaders?
A: The ambassadors are in the closest contact with our delegates, they share their stories, organize the fun activities and during the international conference the ambassadors will live with the delegates, the ambassadors embodies the UTACCEL spirit of exchange of leadership through person-to-person connection . The seminar leaders promotes their passions to the Chinese delegates through seminar sessions and course projects, they are also mentors for teams competing in the entrepreneurship conference to help them develop their ideas and organize their thought.
Both seminar leaders and ambassadors are bridging elements between the Chinese and Canadian cultures, they are expected to share their knowledge, experience and views, but at the same time much understanding of the day-to-day life and aspirations of Chinese delegates and the finer details of 21st century Chinese culture can be gained.
Q: When will the conference be held? How long is it?
A: The tentative date is the first two weeks of August. The length of the conference is about 2 weeks. The international conference will be 8 days, the entrepreneurial conference will be 3-4 days, and 2 days are allowed for transit between conference locations.
Q: Where will the conference be held?
A: The two conferences will span three cities in China. The international conference is held in Beijing, China, at the Affiliated school of Peking University. The entrepreneurial conference is held in Guangzhou, China, at the Four Point by Sheraton.
Q: What is expenses would the UTACCEL team cover during the conference?
A: UTACCEL will cover all accommodations and meals in the duration of the conference, UTACCEL will also cover the transportation expense related to go from one venue city to another.
Q: Is there any financial assistance for the conference?
A: Ambassadors will receive reimbursements to domestic travel to and from the venue cities in China, up to the amount of 1500 RMB (ie 免费国内机票*). Seminar leaders will have the benifits of the new forum program, fund raised in this program goes towards travel assistance for cost of airfare for seminar leaders, past fundraising for seminar leaders averaged 300 Canadian dollars per person.
Q: August is such a long time in the future, what if I cannot be sure about my plans of the summer?
A: UTACCEL acknowledges the uncertainty of planning for a major event so much in advance, nevertheless, we would encourage you go-ahead and apply for our positions. We have established a drop-out deadline of Feb. 29th, 2012. Even if you have accepted our offers and paid deposits, if you drop-out before the deadline, no financial penalty shall incur on you.
Q: How long and detailed does the seminar leader seminar/project proposal have to be?
A: The seminar/project proposal should be concise and within one page in length. Additional details regarding your seminar/project shall be included in the interviews, you would need to prepare a 10-15 minute presentation regarding your topic for the interviews.
Q: Is there a simple template as in what a 5-hour seminar should be composed of? Does the seminar topic have to associate with a hands-on project?
A: The seminar leader presents first an introductory lecture to all delegates for 30 minutes, then students will sign up for breakout sessions for individual seminar leaders. These break out sessions will have approximately 15 students, an hour each for 4 days. And the seminar should have a close relations with the course project (“Project Fantastic”), for example the topic “The United Nation” would be coupled with the project “Conflict resolution through simulated UN security council”.
Q: Is there a new deadline to applications?
A: Due to December 5th deadline is in close proximity of the exam period, we would like to extend our deadline over the winter holiday period, the new deadline is January 13th, 2012. Applications completed prior to the December 5th deadline shall have first priority for interviews, applications completed after December 5th shall have interviews scheduled according to application time. All positions of ambassadors or seminar leaders maybe filled prior to the January 13th, 2012 date, at which point all remaining applicants will be notified.
Q: What would the new timetable look like?
A: First Round Deadline: December 5th, 2011
Interviews: December 12th, 2011 – January 9th, 2012
Second round: Jan 6th, 2012 – Jan 13th, 2012
Rolling Application Deadline: January 13th, 2012
Decisions: Third week of January, 2012