STUDENT

ACTIVITIES COUNCIL
STUDENT ORGANIZATION RECOGNITION QUESTIONNAIRE
In addition to this questionnaire, please submit a Constitution, membership roster, list of past & future programs/events and any supplemental material you deem essential to your application for SAC recognition. To schedule a meeting with the Executive Board, send an email request to meeting@sacfunded.net. ORGANIZATION NAME: CONSCIOUSNESS CLUB PRIMARY CONTACT PERSON: JUSTIN BROGLIE
POSITION/TITLE: PRESIDENT/FOUNDER EMAIL ADDRESS: JBROGLIE@SEAS.UPENN.EDU

GROUP CATEGORY: (Please select the category that best fits/describes the groups primary mission)

Academic/Pre-Professional Arts* Community/Public Service* Cultural/International Instructional/Competitive(non-sports)

group must be recognized by the appropriate governing board.

Media/Publication Peer Education/Support Political/Advocacy x Religious/Spiritual Sports/Recreational*

CHAC for community service groups SCC for sports clubs

*NOTE: If the primary mission of your group falls under performing arts, community service or sports categories, before applying for SAC recognition the
PAC for performing arts groups

1. What is the purpose(primary mission) of your organization? The Consciousness Club serves to offer Penn students ways of experientially becoming more in touch with themselves and the needs of their surrounding community, and also bridging the gap between scientific findings and spiritual findings on how to deal with our minds. The group was started in response to the highly stressful, pre-professional lifestyle that many Penn students lead, which causes immense anxiety and depression on campus. The group is founded on the notion that the issues of the worldbe they psychological, cultural, economic, or environmentalare fundamentally reflections of our own psyches and internal conflicts, and through exploring these issues with techniques such as meditation, group sharing, and self-development processes, we can make a big difference in healing the wounds of our world. 2. When was the organization founded and whats the current stage of development? The organization was founded in 2009 and since then we have hosted over 30 events and collaborated on many others. We have made relationships with many other organizations and initiatives around Penn, including Active Minds, CogWell, Fox Leadership, CAPS, Penn Environmental Group, Office of University Chaplain, VPUL, Office of Health Education, the UA and the University Council. This year the founders are graduating and so are having a formal interview process to bring on a new Executive Board for next year, comprised of several people who have already been involved. 3. What benefit, if any, will SAC recognition have on the future existence and continued success of the organization? SAC recognition with both give us exposure to a wider audience, as although our events normally have a good turnout, there are also many people who tell us they would have love to have come to our events but did not hear about them. Also, the funding we receive from SAC will allow us to host two 4-day personal well-being retreats for students for free, through the Art of Living Foundation non-profit, from which we hire a teacher to lead the retreat. 4. How does the purpose and activities of your organization differ significantly from currently SAC recognized groups with similar missions? We feel that our events are very unique in that we go to what we feel is the source of human suffering: our own negative mental baggage and conditioning. We also show that activities that may be perceived as hippy, such as meditation and yoga, can actually be immensely helpful for career development and personal success/contentment. We feel that many students at Penn work more than is healthy for them, and do not understand themselves or what they really want out of life. We would like our main event to be a 4-day personal wellness retreat once a semester, which is currently not being offered. Many groups offer 1- or 2-hour events on mental health or personal development, but these events do not give students the space they need to open, heal, and transform themselves into who they want to be, as a retreat does. 5. What, if any, activities would the organization need funding support from SAC? As mentioned above, the main avenue we would like direct our funding towards is offering an innovative 4-day wellness course during the beginning of each semester. This course is offered through a non-profit called the Art of Living Foundation, whose mission is to create a violence-free, stress-free society by offering a variety of personal development courses. Art of Living has a course specifically designed for college students called the YES+ (stands for Your Enlightened Side) course, and they have a flat fee of $1500 to host this course on a University campus for an unlimited number of students. Given the powerful and uplifting experiences

participants testify during the feedback collection process, this is a small price to pay. Please listen to the following testimonial given by CC Founder Justin Broglie in front of University Council to see the reasons why he feels the YES+ course is needed at Penn: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RukYaaO2mDs Also, check out the testimonials of various students and alums of Penn who have taken the course: http://www.scribd.com/doc/88663639/YES-Penn-Testimonials We would like to receive $5,000 in funding, which would go to pay for one (1) course each semester, plus course materials, such as pens, paper, and art supplies. Our other events could use the leftover funding to pay for honorariums for guest speakers (see our event list for past speakers). 6. What are the criteria for group membership? Anyone can join our group to organize or simply attend events. People who have an interest in personal development, stress reduction, psychology, spirituality, wellness, neuroscience, and philosophy will fit in the best. 7. What is your membership goal and what plans or strategies will you use to meet this goal? We hope to create a tangible positive change in the student body at Penn. We envision having a thriving, dynamic, and creative group of students who will develop from attending our events, and this group will be inspired to become organizers themselves. Our main strategy to build empowered leaders would be for them to take the YES+ course, and then eventually organize it for others. Our other events will also engage the student body in finding personal well-being.