Here we are with part two of the series St. Lawrence clubs: Covid does not stop us! This second article will be about other wonderful clubs of the school and how they are handling the current situation. Whether it is how they have overcome the challenges the pandemic has put on their path or how they used the current situation as an opportunity, St. Lawrence clubs are a great example of resilience and perseverance.
ESPORTS – Interviewees: Vincent Lavoie and Yan-Alexis Trudel
The eSports is a relatively new club at school, an idea that emerged from two St. Lawrence students passionate about video games: Mathieu Poulin and Vincent Lavoie. Valorant, League of Legends, and Smash are some of the games the club is playing and competing with other schools. As the activities’ nature is already online, the eSports club was one of the least affected by the pandemic. However, they can no longer practice in person, like they used to do, which is something the members sorely miss. ”We are a hybrid between a club and a program since we do practices. Unfortunately, we were not able to do the Smash program. Nonetheless, the Valorant and League of Legends teams have continued games and practices as planned”, adds Vincent Lavoie. The club is also planning on performing at the Summit tournament in Montreal, but the current situation makes it hard to predict if it would be possible. For the moment, they are competing with other eSports leagues around the province and in the U.S. If eSports is something that might interest you, stay tuned for the next period of recruitment.
For more information about the club:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/St.LawrenceSocio/?ref=page_internal
Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/slc_esports
What the Heck Music Band – Interviewee: Ophélie Banville
For the What the Heck Band, the pandemic has hit hard. They had to stop their activities entirely as they cannot practice anymore. Some propositions have been made to the administration to do practices again, but the complexity of the situation and the sanitary measures that need to be respected to assure safety has made this return impossible for the moment. Recruitment is also something that the club is currently having difficulty with. They were 16 at first and are now only three as some members graduated and they haven’t been able to find new members. “The way we promote is via doing shows and posters in the school, so now it is pretty hard. It is going to be a challenge to revive the club,” adds Ophélie. As a final thought, the club wishes that even if the current situation makes it hard to resume their activity, they do not want to be forgotten and still believe in better days to come. If you are a musician, interested in joining a band, or have some ideas for the club, make sure to contact Ophelie Banville. Finally, if you are looking for videos from their past shows, make sure to follow their Instagram and Facebook accounts (links below).
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wth.slc/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WTHSLC
Bloom Communications – Interviewees: Derek Lee Dagenais, Ugo Camps, Catherine Dufresne
For Bloom Communications, the current situation has allowed them to work on some mandates and projects that might not have seen the light if it was not for the pandemic. Bloom Communications’ main activity used to be to create events. However, as the social distancing and sanitary measures make in-person events impossible, they had to switch their activities. For instance, they are doing accounting mandates for external clients and mandates for insurance companies. Moreover, Derek Lee Dangenais adds that the pandemic is “a moment of introspection” on the organization and who they want to be as a club. It also allows them to work on communication and how they can work together. In addition to the different mandates, the club is working on its social media plan. Their focus for this new strategy is communication and how it can be improved through social media. Bloom Communications is a great example of resilience as they transformed the challenges of the pandemic into efficiency. “It is a completely different workflow. It is different than going to the club’s room, and other places. It is more efficient and quickly online and everybody is on the same page about what needs to be done.” add the three implicated students.
About Propulsion
Propulsion is an online platform created by Bloom Communications in collaboration with Laval University. Students can find on this platform job offers as well as internship opportunities. It is a project that the club is very proud of, and which deserves to be taken a look at.
Note that Bloom is always looking for new talents. If you like writing, taking pictures, or video editing, now is your chance! Here is the link to the application form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScOKrfvac9HC8JeevwtTjnPPwJVHk3OBBe-5uZ5HgM9N_AqPg/viewform
Website: https://www.bloomslc.org/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bloom.communications/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BloomCommunications.SLC
SLC United – Interviewee: Alice Lortie
For SLC United, the COVID-19 has put the club on pause. As their main activities and projects are about travelling and helping countries in need, they have to change completely their work in order to adapt. The club had a plan to make a trip to the Isles of Madeleine, but it is currently on hold. They are currently looking for a way to help the community of Quebec as a group. Alice Lortie mentions that with the pandemic, “ there is a lot of individual help, but not much for the group helping.” If you have any ideas of how the club could help the community, you can send your ideas via their Facebook page (link below) or contact Alice Lortie.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SLCUNITED
Political and Science debate club – Interviewee: Hypatia Behar
For the Political and Science debate club, body language and seeing the other debaters are crucial. Therefore, the pandemic is a big challenge. One of the main debating events the club attends, The McGill Model United Nations Assembly, had to take place online because of the current situation. The effect of this forced virtual transition is directly linked to the number of members that attended the activity. Indeed, last year there were a group of 22 members, and this year five. “There is less bonding in the club because everything takes place remotely”, adds Hypatia Behar.
However, if there is one positive aspect the COVID-19 has brought is that students have been more interested in the club. Many first-years have gotten involved, so it has allowed the setting of weekly debates. Since all the events are taking place remotely, there are no fees for transportation which also means less financing, discusses Hypathia. Finally, the club is planning on participating in some debates with the CEGEP Garneau, which would be the first debate between school debate clubs since St-Lawrence’s club used to be the only political debate club in the region. Thus, the Political and Science debate club demonstrates that it is good in every bad situation, and one should remain open to new and different opportunities as it can have a great outcome.
If you are interested in the Political and Science debate club, do not hesitate to contact Hypathia Behar. Hypathia got herself involved late during the year but ended up being president at the end of the year. Timing is not an issue when it is about getting involved!
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PSDSpeakUp
Theater Club – Interviewee : Sofiya Kuznetsova
Around March, the Theater Club always presents a show that they have worked on and practice during the year. Unfortunately, because of the pandemic, this was not something possible for this year. The club had the idea to film it instead of presenting it to an audience, but this was not possible because of the required social distancing. As Sofiya Kuznetsova adds, “theater is a lot of teamwork; it is really about interacting with other members.”
However, the club did not discourage and is currently working on a great project: writing their own play. The theater club has never written a play before, so it is a project that would not have been considered if it was not for the pandemic. The play will be showcased next year, so if you are interested, make sure to follow SLC Socio-Entrepreneurship on Facebook to not miss the date!
FIT Impro St. Lawrence – Interviewee: Laura Garneau
For the improvisation team, the pandemic has hit pretty hard. Indeed, as Laura Garneau, a passionate member of the club, mentions “ it has changed everything because improvisation is a lot about physical contacts, and we could not do anything at all.” Thus, the club had to find some alternatives in order to remain active. Its members are currently meeting once a week on Zoom, and play games related to improvisation. The weekly meetings are also an opportunity to talk and discuss how every member feels and deals with the current situation. As this club demonstrates, being part of a club can sometimes be more than doing some activities and attending some events. It is a safe place where you can make friends. “As a team, we are kind of closer. We can share how we feel.“, concludes Laura.
If you are interested in joining the improvisation team, stay tuned for the fall semester’s auditions.
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/frenchimprovteam
