Great PACE Ideas
 

Hi ladies,

I was thinking about this today as my husband was teaching me how to properly stain treat/wax/care for a pair of my leather shoes, and I was thinking "Why didn't I learn how to do this stuff earlier? Like from my parents, or even in college?"

I remember maybe one or two PACE activities from my college days, but most of the time we generally thought they were only moderately interesting or relevant. The most memorable and useful PACE was with a self defense expert who taught us some basic movements in case we were ever attacked. He then ended the presentation with a pitch to purchase pepper spray, which many of us bought, and which I think was actually a pretty significant benefit of that particular workshop.

Anyway, I feel like PACE programming has so much potential, but like many plans, aren't utilized to its full effect. We never had a PACE on car maintenance, how to change a tire, financial literacy, resume writing, mock job interviews, etc.

So... what were the best PACE meetings you attended (collegiate or alumnae)? What chapters really shine in their programming? Should we make the PACE Chair position a more desirable/important one?

In college, we had both a counselor from the University Career Center come in as well as a local female police officer that showed us tips on personal safety and how to get away from an attacker if necessary.

I like the car maintenance and changing tires suggestion.

I like having a counselor from the career center.

Maybe part of my issue with the programming is that the PACEs (for us, at least) were always conducted in informal meeting format, which means that we were all crowded in the living room on couches, on the floor, etc. It's hard to really pay attention in a lecture format at the end of a long day. Maybe more interactive, workshop-style activities would have more of an impact.

We've had some wonderful PACEs at my chapter in the last year or so. One that I'll never forget was having a sister's mother come in and talk about what life has been like living with a prosthetic limb. It was extremely informative but also better equipped us to empathize and communicate with survivors of accidents and those with birth defects. Another favorite was last week, we had a student group called SWAT (sexual wellness advocacy team) come in and discuss sexual wellness and assault on campus. They're a theatre based group and it was engaging and insightful. Other popular ones have been members of our house corp board presenting on managing financial commitments (in the context of chapter dues and "real life"), members from the counseling center talking about stress management, and a woman from our Greek Life office presenting on how improv games can actually better equip you for interviews, presentations, self-confidence, etc. I believe that our next one will be a Red Cross member teaching hands only CPR!