Conclave: Moments That Shaped Us

Conclave brings the Fellowship together in a way that can be difficult to explain to someone who has never experienced it.

Some moments are unforgettable because of what happened.

Others stay with us because of who we met, what we learned, what we felt, or what we understood differently afterward.

Conclave: Moments That Shaped Us is a Sword & Spear initiative created to preserve those experiences, not only for the Fellowmen who were there, but for the generations who will come after them.

Whether your story happened recently or decades ago, we want to know what stayed with you.

Do not worry about writing perfectly.

Take us back. Tell us what happened. Tell us what changed. Help another Fellowman understand why Conclave matters.

First & Last Name

First NameLast Name

GKA | Season | Line Name

Chapter Name & Location

Panther VI Chapter : Adelphi University (Long Island New York)

Email

(Enter the best email for us to contact you)

THE CONCLAVE

Which Conclave are you remembering?

Share the year, host city, location, and any other details you remember.

Before you arrived, what was going on in your life and in your relationship with Groove?

Help us understand your starting point.Was this your first Conclave? Were you an Undergraduate, a newly initiated Fellowman, an experienced member, a leader, or someone returning after time away? What were you thinking about Groove at that point? What were you hoping for, or unsure about, before you arrived?

What did you expect Conclave to be, and what did you actually experience?

Think about the difference between what you imagined before arriving and what became real once you were there.Was anything bigger, more personal, more challenging, more meaningful, or simply different than you expected?

Take us to the moment that became the story. What happened?

Slow the memory down.Where exactly were you? What was happening around you? Who was there? What led up to the moment? What was said or done? What did you notice? What happened next?Write it so a Fellowman who was not there can picture the scene.

What made that moment different from everything else that happened during Conclave?

Conclave can contain dozens of events, conversations, and experiences. Why is this the one you still remember?Was there a surprise? A realization? A difficult conversation? A connection you did not expect? Something funny? Something somebody said? A moment of pride? A moment that challenged you?What made this one stick?

Looking back today, what do you understand about that experience that you could not have understood then?

Time changes the way we see certain moments.Has the meaning become clearer? Do you appreciate something now that you overlooked then? Does the memory mean something different at your current stage of life?

When Conclave ended and you went home, did anything change because of what you experienced?

Did you become more involved? Build a relationship that continued? Step into leadership? Reconnect with the Fellowship? Approach your chapter differently? Pursue an opportunity? Or simply carry yourself differently afterward?Sometimes the impact is immediate. Sometimes you do not recognize it until years later. Tell us what happened after the moment.

What did being physically present at Conclave give you that you could not have received from a group chat, social media, chapter meeting, or hearing about it afterward?

Be specific.Was it the scale of the Fellowship? Meeting Fellowmen from different generations or places? Seeing leadership up close? Brotherhood? History? Relationships? Access? Exposure? A sense of belonging? Seeing what was possible?What had to be experienced in person to be understood?

There is a Fellowman right now who has never attended Conclave and is debating whether it is worth going. What would you tell him from your own experience?

If this were the only story future Fellowmen ever read about this particular Conclave, what would you want them to understand?

Finish this sentence:“I will always remember this Conclave because…”

PRESERVE THE VISUAL STORY

Upload the strongest photographs, videos, programs, or other materials connected to your story. Honor the memory with the strongest version you have.

Whenever possible:upload the original photo files instead of screenshots;upload original video at its highest available quality;avoid compressed files downloaded from Facebook, Instagram, or other social platforms when originals still exist;choose photographs that are clear, focused, and help us understand what was happening;submit multiple strong images when they help tell different parts of the story;include programs, flyers, badges, publications, or other materials that provide historical context.We are not looking for the largest number of files. We are looking for the files that help tell the story best.

Help us understand what we are looking at.

Who is pictured? Where were you? What event or part of Conclave was taking place? Approximately when was the image or video captured? Who took it, if known? Is there something happening in the frame that would not be obvious to someone seeing it for the first time?

The Sword & Spear, Preserving the Leadership, Fellowship, and Service of Groove Phi Groove Social Fellowship, Inc.