Steps 2: Getting Started


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 which case the steps and resources are offered to the adult facilitator as a rough guide to running 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 cooperation maybe 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 2 - At the next meeting

'Let us always meet each other with smile, for the smile is the beginning of love.'

— Mother Teresa

Discuss and / or select start-up projects

In Step 1 you would have already chosen a new project or a narrow list of them. For simple 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.

For adults running children's action clubs and for action clubs taking on simple tasks 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 do, you can all decide as a group what to do. 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.

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.

Resources

	Action club research help sheet: (In PDF) (In Microsoft Word)
	Research: Potential sources of information relevant to your community

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