The Social Club, Brand and Organization Development
There is no shortage of communities that claim to provide access to co-founders and new ideas, but those communities are invariably too large, too homogeneous, and filled with perfect strangers. Most such communities at best achieve a sort of occasional networking environment that falls far short of how productive a community of innovators can be. Twice a year, the Iovine and Young Academy at USC produces a cohort of 30-40 people (the ideal size for a tight-knit community) with all the diverse skills needed to do pretty much anything. The “Social Club” is an organization that provides extra-curricular, professional and, social experiences to all IYA graduate students and alumni.
When The “Social Club” was first started, there was no extracurricular programming for IYA graduate students and alumni. We had this great degree training us to create our own ventures… and no structure to facilitate the transition from class-room work to actual real-world entrepreneurialism. That’s what the founders of The “Social Club” set out create; a spectrum of extracurricular programming with the singular goal of helping IYA students apply what they’ve learned in class to the real world.
Overview
Though IYA cohorts are primed for extra-curricular productivity, students are:
- not given many opportunities to work on their own ideas within the curriculum
- not provided a structured form of engaging each other outside of curriculum
- only given 1.5-2 years before graduating and potentially losing touch with their cohort
There’s an opportunity here to create that structured form of extra-curricular engagement, whatever form it ultimately takes, that sustains cohorts and prompts exploration of the earliest stages of ideation.
Our Pillars
The highest-level takeaway was that we as a collective established the following pillars, which will guide all “Social Club” programs to come:
- Casual Socializing - All play and no work. This is socializing for the sake of socializing, so leave your business hats at the door. If you enjoyed the networking event, that was just one example of the many things we can do to strengthen our friendships and social circles.
- Business & Entrepreneurship - Put your business hats back on. This pillar includes such opportunities as finding your next co-founder, discovering new projects to work on, and workshopping ideas with your inimitable peers.
- Professional Development & Education - Here’s to looking out for numero uno. This pillar provides opportunities to realize your full potential by learning from other members and non-member guests alike, exploring options for expanding your formal education, and strategizing to further your career.
Next Steps
As we move forward as an organization, we will continue to develop programming, resource toolkits, directories, and networking. As we grow, we hope to grow our organization to 300+ members while maintaining a web/social presence, along with an ongoing newsletter to ensure we are keeping stakeholders up to date.
Event Example
Topic: Portfolio Workshop - Wednesday, 1/27/2021 from 5 PM — 6 PM PST
Start Time : Jan 27, 2021 06:20 PM
Meeting Recording:
https://zoom.us/rec/share/uGoG0xNW94y3WeqmnKnmznsYXstCm_zTOj_MZty2OtH0IoDlrxvRcymneFHXi6dh.RgOJbFO3jqYoTi8l
Deliverable Example
The Social Club & Kwerk Portfolio Template: