So, you’ve decided to come to GES 2012. Great! Now, you’ve got some questions about what to expect. Here’s a quick guide to everything you need to know before the summit.

Who will be there?

We have around 70 delegates in total, from schools around the U.S. and 15 other countries, attending the summit this year. Each GES delegate comes with a project for sustainable social change. Some of them are already being implemented in places like Haiti, Guatemala, and India. Others are still just ideas for how to improve one piece of the world. Delegates come to GES to learn from professors, entrepreneurs, journalists, graphic designers, Internet gurus, changemakers, and just plain creative people about how to take their projects to the next level.

I don’t have a grand idea for social change. What is there at the summit for me?

So much! We have more than 40 facilitators this year, each with incredible knowledge and experience to share. Whether you’re interested in the ways faith communities come together to effect change or how to build community using social media, there is something at the summit for you. We have expanded our public events this year to include three short talks on harnessing group efforts for social change, the power of young people in social entrepreneurship, and how to live an engaged life. All of these sessions will be great for anyone interested in sustainable global change.

Wow, these delegates and facilitators sound so cool! How can I meet them?

The best way to meet delegates and facilitators is to come to workshops and hang out afterward. Ask a delegate about his or her project, and you’ll be fast friends before you know it. Our facilitators are all incredibly friendly (it’s a requirement!), so feel free to approach them at the end of a session with comments or questions. You’re likely to leave with an email address or business card to continue the conversation after the summit.

If I can only come to one workshop, which one should it be?

You definitely can’t miss our closing keynote with GOOD magazine senior editor Cord Jefferson. Cord writes on issues of race, politics and animal rights for GOOD, which is a publication that works to find the things that work.

If I were you, I would also check out “Power, Privilege, and Posture: Deconstructing ‘Leadership’ In Global Health,” with Jon Shaffer from Partners in Health. Jon will help us look critically at the ways that we work to “help” the poor and try to understand the implications of our individual and collective actions.

What should I wear?

We’re not picky, but I wouldn’t recommend rolling out of bed in your pajamas and hobbling over to Norris for a workshop. Formal attire is definitely not mandatory, but keep in mind that many of our facilitators are at the top of their fields (and might make good networking connections!) so you should try to look presentable. Dressy casual is probably a good place to start.

If I can’t make it to a workshop or short talk, how can I find out what happened?

Check out theges.org throughout the summit for workshops summaries, blog posts, interviews with delegates and facilitators, photos, videos, and much more! Also, you should follow us on twitter (@theges) for regular updates about everything summit-related.

-Jonah Newman