Steps 5 to 7: Getting Started

Step 5 - Decide when to have the first action club meeting.

Obviously, try to choose a time that will allow the maximum number of children or young people to attend. You may need to consider any other local activities that may complete for their time and also their transport requirements to get to and from the meeting. Step 6 - Recruiting members to the first meeting of the action club.

There are many ways to do this. By far the easiest way is through enthusiastic word-of-mouth. Get some children or young people interested by telling them about the club and some of the exciting projects they can become involved with. In no time they will tell their friends who will tell their friends and so on. Children and young people can also put up posters (see below), give out leaflets (see below), ask their school to make an announcement at a school assembly or over the loudspeaker or get their teachers to tell each class. If they are part of a religious or youth organisation you can get them to ask its leader or announcer to make an announcement to the followers or members.

For any adults who want to know about the action club you can give them a copy of the adult introduction handout below. For children and young people you can give them a copy of the introduction handouts below. Make sure you have updated both pages by hand or by computer with the date, time and venue of the first meeting in the spaces provided. You can also include a contact phone number or email if they have questions or want more information.

Resources:

Shanti Action Club Poster for Children: (In PDF) (In Microsoft Word)

	Shanti Action Club Poster for Young People: (In PDF) (In Microsoft Word)
	Shanti Action Club Leaflets for Children: (In PDF) (In Microsoft Word)
	Shanti Action Club Adult Introduction handout: (In PDF) (In Microsoft Word)
	Shanti Action Club Introduction handout for Children: (In PDF) (In Microsoft Word)
	Shanti Action Club Introduction handout for Young People: (In PDF) (In Microsoft Word)

(You can get a free copy of Adobe Reader for reading PDF files by clicking here.)


An important note on the next steps:

The next steps give instructions with the intention of helping the action club to become organised, focused and effective in its actions. It's not necessary for you to follow every single step for the sake of it. Some things may be more relevant and more suited to your club than others. For action clubs for children many of the suggestions and resources will be beyond them. In this case the steps and resources are offered to the adult facilitator to do themselves if they think it will help run the action club well.

The steps and resources provided should be particularly useful to older action clubs of young people who are taking on more serious issues and problems. Learning and applying these organisational skills will likely benefit young people throughout the rest of their lives in dealing with all manner of situations. They will also make a difference to the overall effectiveness and health of the action club, and how seriously it will be taken by people in the community whose co-operation may be needed to succeed with particular projects.

Finally, an action club can be compared to a ship. The more organised it is the more seaworthy it will be. And in times of heavy seas, when numerous difficulties can arise, being well organised can make the difference between it sinking beneath the waves and seeing out the storm to sail on to successfully accomplish mission after mission.

Step 7 - At the first meeting.

Preparation Bring materials to the meeting that you will likely need, like a chalk board or paper and pens etc. Arrange the chairs in a circle or get everyone to sit in a circle so everyone can see and hear each other.

'Peace begins with a smile.' — Mother Teresa

When the first members arrive

Get everyone to sign an attendance register, (see below) unless your action club only includes a small group of young people who already know each other well. You should always keep an attendance register of everyone who attends an activity or meeting. That way if there is an emergency, for example the building catches fire, you can evacuate everyone and quickly determine if anyone has been left behind or is missing. Relying on your memory during times of considerable stress is obviously not wise.

Hand out a contact details form for each of the members to fill out during the meeting. (Please see below)

Starting the meeting Try to keep things as informal and as fun as possible. Give a quick overview

Give a quick overview of the action club's potential to fire the members' enthusiasm with what could be done and why action clubs are so important for your community, your nation and the world. Also, be sure to let them know that their involvement is vital. Giving examples of what other action clubs have done can help. Likewise you can mention some of the astounding successes of other children and young people and also the works of outstanding humanitarians.


Encourage participation

Encourage members to join in and get to know each other better. You could get them to each say their name and a little about themselves if they choose. (If they are shy, no problem, many people take time to relax and be themselves around new people and situations)

Encourage questions You could encourage members to ask any questions they may have. Some members in particular may want to hear about what they can get out of the action club. Increased happiness and satisfaction; a real sense of achievement; a better world to live in; personal development; better social skills; increased confidence; are the best rewards on offer.

Discuss and / or select start-up projects

In Step 4 you would have already chosen a start-up project or a narrow list of them which would have been used to draw in the first members. For simple first projects for young children you will need to lead the way from the start. Youngsters are more likely to join in on an effort rather than an idea. Make sure they are made to feel a vital part of any effort so they can feel co-ownership of it. To help with this we offer the following simplified worksheet to choose and plan projects. It can easily be used along with the information throughout this step-by-step guide.

Basic project worksheet for simple projects and children's projects: (In PDF) (In Microsoft Word)

For young people if they have their own ideas on what projects the club should start with you can all decide as a group what to start with. If there is any conflict over which activities to pursue this can be solved by either voting or splitting the action club if it has enough members. There is no limit to the variety of activities an action club can take up over time if everyone is keen. That's why it's vital everyone is encouraged to join in and take co-ownership of the club.

If you are working with young people a helpful resource is this advice sheet on maintaining smooth and effective relations. Likewise this advice sheet maybe useful for young people.

Research and learn about the project Decide what the next step will be to encourage everyone to learn as much about the project as they can and share what they find with each other. The more everyone knows about the cause behind the project; the more effective the action taken throughout the project will be.

	Action Club sign-in (attendance) register: (In PDF) (In Microsoft Word)
	Action Club contact details form (For new members at their first meeting): (In PDF) (In Microsoft Word)
	Action Club research help sheet: (In PDF) (In Microsoft Word)
	Research Guide: Potential sources of information relevant to your community

Basic project worksheet for simple projects and children's projects: (In PDF) (In Microsoft Word)

For action clubs with children:

Shanti Action Club parental consent form: (In PDF) (In Microsoft Word)

Basic project worksheet for simple projects and children's projects: (In PDF) (In Microsoft Word)

For action clubs with young people:

	Action Club emergency contact details form (For new members to fill out in privacy at home for the next meeting) (In PDF) (In Microsoft Word)
	Advice sheet for adults on how to maintain smooth relations with young people
	Advice sheet for young people on how to maintain smooth relations with adults