After-School clubs are a great way to explore your interests in-depth outside of the classroom or to become more involved in a specific cause. Starting your own after-school club can help you find classmates with similar hobbies, gain leadership experience, and grow your skill set.
1. Pick a subject (a sport, school subject, cause, hobby, anything!)
2. Find a teacher to serve as an advisor
Your school may require you to have a teacher who serves as an advisor to your club. This means the teacher would supervise any meetings or events the club has and provide help, whether it comes in the form of advice or something more. Check with this teacher if a formal proposal for your club needs to be submitted.
3. Find interested friends
Chances are some of your friends are interested the subject your club is about. That’s the reason you became friends in the first place – similar interests! These friends can serve as the first members of your club and help get things started.
4. Pick a time and place for the first meeting
The first meeting is the most important meeting your club will hold. With this meeting you will be able to gauge how much interest there is, what your members hope to accomplish, and if you will need to appoint any leadership positions. Leadership positions could include a president (runs meetings and enforces rule, would most likely be you, creator of the club), a secretary (takes notes on what is happening during the meeting), a treasurer (deals with any money the club has, if applicable), a historian (keeps a detailed history of all club events), and an events coordinator (in charge of planning details for club events, like location and materials). At this meeting you can also determine how often the club will meet and what time works best for all members’ schedules.
4. Advertise!
The best way to get people to attend your first meeting is by getting the word out. This can be done in many ways, the easiest being to talk about it! Ask teachers if you can make an announcement about your first club meeting at the beginning of class. Be sure to say when and where the club is meeting and what you will cover during the meeting. You can also create posters and distribute them to your classmates or hang them in your school. Posters can be made by hand with paper, paint, and markers or on the computer if you have access to one.
5. What to do in your club
Different clubs do different activities, so depending on what topic your club covers there could be a variety of different types of meetings you could hold. For example, if your club is focused on a specific cause like equality for women your club could hold discussions on how this problem manifests in your community, hold a fundraiser to donate money to an organization that helps with the cause, or brainstorm ideas on how you can make a difference. If your club focuses on a specific school subject, like your interest in Chemistry, then your meetings would concern completely different topics. With the supervision of a teacher, your club could perform Chemistry experiments you would not be able to in the classroom, create study groups for upcoming tests, or research interesting topics.
Helpful Tips
Stay organized! (Be sure to make a folder or binder that you can keep all papers in for the club and make sure everyone completes and does not stray from their assigned tasks)
Write everything down! (even if it doesn’t seem very important)
Make a catchy club name or slogan!
Below are some handbooks for example clubs to give you an idea of how to get started:
Best Buddies Handbook, UNICEF High School Handbook
Words to Know:
Coordinator = (noun) a person who helps in planning, organizing and executing events or performances needed; there are many different types of coordinators
Manifest = (verb) to make evident or certain by showing or displaying
