Reach Out and Involve Someone

By Lyn Fiscus

Advisors of student clubs and organizations sometimes become frustrated with the level of involvement in their groups. It often seems as if the same students participate in everything and the majority of the student body doesn’t get involved with the great offerings of the school’s activity program.

Advisors understand that involvement in student clubs and organizations, with their hands-on approach to planning and carrying out projects and events, can teach students things that strictly classroom-based educational situations cannot. Students learn to work with diverse people and gain a stronger network of friends. They develop organization, communication, and interpersonal skills in getting peers to help with projects. They develop confidence and a stronger sense of self-esteem as they tackle project planning and rise to the challenges involved. The types of real-world problem solving student leaders face in student activities can’t be duplicated by word problems or case studies in a textbook.

Advisors also realize that being involved in student activities helps students feel a connection to school that often provides students with a reason for being there or motivates them to improve their academic performance so they can stay involved.
In addition to these benefits, a report a few years ago by SADD and Liberty Mutual Group, Teens Today 2004, reports that teenagers who challenge themselves by taking positive risks, such as joining a club, running for office, or volunteering to perform community service, are more likely than those who don’t to avoid alcohol and drug use. The report reveals that teens who take positive risks (risk seekers) are 20% more likely than teens who do not take positive risks (risk avoiders) to avoid alcohol and other drugs, and 42% more likely to avoid drinking because of concerns about academic performance.
With all these good reasons to participate in student activities, why don’t more students take advantage of what’s available? There are many reasons—busy schedules, other interests, after-school commitments such as jobs and younger siblings to care for—but for a large number of students it’s fear, although they probably wouldn’t verbalize it that way.
It can be intimidating to join a new group. Student leaders and advisors involved in clubs and organizations often forget what it was like before they were involved. For an uninvolved student, it’s a risky proposition to show up at a meeting where people already have established routines and relationships. Will they be accepting of a new person? How will they treat her or him? Will there be anything the new person can contribute to the group or even participate in? Group leaders might think they are being welcoming by making an announcement that “new people are welcome to come to the XYZ Club meeting,” but if you are sincere about wanting to involve more new people, you’ll have to make more of an effort than that.

Personal Recruiting

Sometimes recruiting new members is as simple as asking. Every time NEA does a survey on why nonmembers have not joined the association, the number one reason is that they were “never asked to join.” In most groups, the majority of members, both new and returning, came to their first meeting because someone in the club asked them if they wanted to come. The simple act of inviting a person to attend a meeting greatly reduces the intimidation factor. Now, instead of wondering what type of reception they’ll receive if they just show up at a meeting, the newcomer will feel more comfortable knowing he or she was asked to attend.

There are many ways invitations can be extended:

• The advisor can identify students he or she knows might be interested in the activities of the group and mention an upcoming meeting or opportunity for involvement. Just saying, “Pat, I think you’d be good for this group,” might be all the encouragement a student needs, particularly if the invitation comes from a person with whom the student has a good rapport.
• Faculty members often know students who have a particular talent or who are just coasting along in the middle and who might benefit from becoming involved in an activity. Send a letter to the faculty identifying the qualities and skills sets you are looking for in members and asking them to identify students who might be interested in joining if asked. Ask them to encourage the students to get involved in your organization. Or, send the students a letter of invitation saying, “a faculty member has identified you as a student who might be interested in…”. This works particularly well when your activity has a curricular tie, such as asking the English teachers to recommend students for newspaper staff, or language teachers for an international club.
• Develop an “each one reach one” campaign and ask each member to bring at least one new person to the next meeting.
• Brainstorm with your student leaders a list of people who might be interested in joining the organization. Organize a group of current members to make personal contacts, either by visits or phone calls, to invite the potential member to get involved.

Get the Word Out

Another reason students often don’t get involved in activities is that they don’t know about them. With announcements and posters all over the school, advisors sometimes find it hard to believe that students could be so oblivious, but in this media-saturated world, students have become good at tuning out what doesn’t seem relevant to them.
Publicize the accomplishments and activities of your group on a regular basis. If people don’t know what you do, why would they want to be a part of it? Your organization’s strongest recruitment tool is word of mouth. If kids are talking about it, interest will grow and others will want to get in on the fun. This should be an ongoing effort. Many times events happen at a school and except for the people directly involved with planning and organizing the event, most students are unaware of who sponsored it.

To help raise awareness of your group’s activities, try some of these:

• When making announcements, mention who is sponsoring the activity, and be sure that every poster you hang publicizing an upcoming event has “Sponsored by XYZ Club” on it. Or, develop a logo for the group and use that on all fliers, posters, correspondence, etc.
• Create a bulletin board or a display case that is kept current with photos and other items showcasing the activities and accomplishments of the group
• Design colorful, graphically attractive T-shirts for members and wear them on days that you are sponsoring an activity.
• Publicly thank student leaders for their work organizing different activities.
• Communicate with parents through the PTA, student handbook, school newsletter, etc. Keep parents apprised of what your group is doing; often parents find out about worthwhile activities and encourage their students to get involved.
• Create a hallway display with a supply of informational brochure about your group and its activities. Put a “take one” sign next to it and be sure the brochure includes information on how students can get involved.
• Create a video of highlights of some of your activities and post it on YouTube, then spread the word about it.

Positive Reception

When you are successful at attracting new members, be sure to get them involved right away in the group’s activities. All the work that goes in to attracting a new person to the group could go down the drain if he or she shows up at a meeting and is ignored. Talk to your group members about developing a welcoming attitude and being open to new people. Develop a standard protocol for what happens when a new person shows up. Give the new person some responsibility, pair them up with a veteran member as a buddy, and be sure they feel a part of the group. That sense of belonging will keep them coming back.

Lyn Fiscus is a former leadership teacher, student activities advisor, and editor of Leadership for Student Activities magazine. She currently manages Leadership Logistics, a company she founded in 2004, which provides writing, editing, training, and consulting services to support positive youth development.You can e-mail her at lyn@alliance4studentactivities.org.