You belong at Durham College (DC), and there’s never been a better time to find your community here.

We want you to excel in your academic studies while embracing the full range of experiences that post-secondary education can offer. By joining or creating a student club, you can immerse yourself in the hobbies and causes you’re passionate about, while meeting likeminded peers and forging friendships that can last a lifetime.

“I met three of my closest friends in a club at university 20 years ago,” said Charles Wilson, Operations Manager for the Durham College Student Association (DCSA), who works alongside Clubs Coordinator Jaden Brough to help students find a club that speaks to them. With over 50 to choose from, there’s a good chance the right one is already up and running, but if it’s not, you can always create it yourself.

Students at DC are welcome to create their own clubs all year around. This allows them to get a better sense of what they’re interested in before taking the plunge, according to Wilson.

“I’ve always said that it takes a semester just to understand where you are, and who you are. Students have a short time here, so we have a rolling club application process,” he said. “It allows our students to grow and mature in a way that other places don’t, and that’s a very important aspect of our club system.”

While some clubs focus on shared hobbies, others bring people together via their shared religion, culture, or demographic.

“Our Bangladesh Club is a perfect example,” said Brough. “International students are far away from their families, their home, their friends. Being able to join a club is so important so they don’t feel isolated. Having that sense of community in a different country makes them feel safer.”

Here’s a closer look at just a few of the clubs currently in action at DC.

Blogging Club

This new club began as a small group and has grown to include over 50 active members. Meeting weekly, they combine their knowledge of multiple creative disciplines on their website, where they give students helpful tips, profile other clubs, and share life advice.

Club director and creator Britney O’Brien is a second-year student in the Entrepreneurship and Small Business program, and has found that running the club has been an ideal complement to her studies.

“Creating your own club is a great way to practice business skills, from figuring out the rules of the system to recruiting your leadership team, putting on meetings, and making plans for what you want to do throughout the year,” she said. “You get to host events and do giveaways and recruitment. From a business standpoint, it’s a very valuable.”

Debate Club

The Debate Club allows students to hone their communication skills in a variety of conversations and debates, with an eye towards improving their overall communication skills after graduation.

“We foster an environment that encourages conversations, listening to other opinions and perspectives even if you don’t agree with them, and aiding in people’s communication through various debates, lessons and activities,” explained vice-president Ted Njoroge.

Together, they’ve formed a community of people who, despite their different viewpoints and opinions, enjoy meeting regularly to engage in civil discourse.

Happily Ever After Book Club

This group of book lovers meets regularly in the Student Centre to share their passion for romance stories.

Trinity Vandeloo joined last year before stepping up to lead the club this year, and has enjoyed meeting peers who love reading as much as she does

“Growing up, reading was not really cool. I read all the time, but I never had anyone to talk to about it,” she said. “Now that I’m older and curate this book club for people who are likeminded, it’s very warming inside. I like the community that it’s built, because I wasn’t able to get this anywhere else.”

There are a multitude of other clubs for a variety of interests, from chess to Dungeons and Dragons and beyond. Learn more online, and find (or create) your community today.