Game on – Imperial Club Experience Project

‘It’s 2017 at Imperial College Union; clubs are abundant and resources few. Their quests are ambitious, but it’s dangerous to go alone.

Their Union has devised Imperial Club Experience Project (ICXP) to equip clubs with the tools they need for development and to enhance their members’ experience. By completing a set of goals, clubs can gain the experience they need to level up. Club that opt in will be richly rewarded.’

At this point anyone with a penchant for 80’s arcade games should get the (dubious) references, but the real challenge is extracting meaning from such an abstract concept. ICXP – what is it and how does it affect clubs at Imperial?

ICXP is a new reward and recognition scheme for Clubs, Societies, and Projects (CSPs). The idea is that clubs can gain points for meeting a series of goals related to the management of their group. For example, by running a Give it a Go session – essentially a free or low cost taster or beginner’s class – a club will gain five points. Clubs can build points spread across five different themes to reach a total score. Points are then calculated to define a clubs’ overall ‘level’ and the associated rewards. Many of the goals link to existing club activity, like running an AGM or meeting a minimum of 20 members, while others recognise clubs that are expanding their activities, such as running large events, trips, or tours.

Benefits to clubs range from priority location at Freshers’ Fair to exclusive development opportunities and grants. As a minimum, clubs will be afforded a unique badge displayed on the Union website A-Z; with nearly 17,000 hits during Welcome Week, virtually speaking this is the place to stand out. Clubs will also receive certification and consideration for the ICXP Award at this year’s Union Awards on 15th June. For those that need extra support, ICXP offers clubs 1-2-1 development planning to help map their long term growth, and level up to reach the juicer rewards in the future. You may be thinking ‘that’s all fine and dandy, but why now, and what’s the purpose?’ With such a diverse range of CSPs it’s a minefield for students to understand the ins and outs of all 370-something of them, and more importantly, those which are well run. From a member perspective, if I join a club will it a) be good value for money, b) provide a good experience, and c) even be ‘alive’ still? ICXP gives students a way to navigate the maze of clubs at Imperial, and sets apart those focused on their development, and those simply existing (looking at you Croquet)*.

CSPs that join now will have all points backdated to 1st August 2017 so there’s no excuse not to get involved and see where you stand in the leaderboard. In all truth, we all just want to know who wins the game of clubs…

Ready player 2?

*Now dormant, RIP.

You can sign up your CSP before the deadline (21 May) here. For any questions email activities@imperial.ac.uk.