Spotlight on Community: The UW German Club

Submitted by Michael Neininger on
The UW German Club: Study Slam, 2018

This quarter marks the start of German Club’s second year since its rekindling by enthusiastic undergraduate students last Autumn. In this time, it has served as a relaxed social environment for students of German to meet up, play language-based board games, organize events, and practice their German skills.The club has organized a series of “Study Slams” each quarter, where students can come together to prepare for their finals as a group, with help from volunteer graduate students and advanced speakers.

German Club seeks to fulfill a unique role in the University of Washington’s Germanics department, by functioning as a casual social club with opportunities for event organizing and student professionalization. By providing a platform for volunteers to create and organize their own events, the German Club gives its members experience in extracurricular activities and leadership. Simultaneously, the organization functions primarily as a social club; our members meet weekly in Cafe Allegro to drink coffee and beverages, play German board games, and discuss all things relevant to German studies students. 

Looking ahead, the organization is trying to expand its regular membership, volunteer at cultural events from the Goethe Institute’s ‘Pop up,’ and continue to provide a welcoming community to any and all enthusiastic students of German. If we are able to increase our base membership and find stable avenues for funding events, German Club should be able to continue its work long into the future.

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