How to hold your first youth group meeting
Ideally your first meetings should be well-planned, have clear goals, involve all members and have a strong focus on taking action. This guide will explain how.
Planning
- Plan the first meeting very early in the term to get the momentum going early on. Set a clear agenda beforehand and get other people to help you
- Try and avoid clashes with any other meetings or clubs
- Try and hold meetings in the same room every week a nd book it as far ahead as you can
- Give yourselves plenty of time to set up the room
- Put up a poster on the door of the room you are meeting in
Publicity
- Make announcements – use assemblies and daily registration or form time
- Run a publicity stunt - dress up, kidnap a teacher (ask permission!), do a stall...
- Launch a mystery poster campaign. The final poster reveals all.
- Tip - Find out where you are allowed to put up posters around your school or else they may be taken down straight away
- Send a reminder on the day of the meeting through form tutors, registers and assemblies
- Give out flyers
How to make flyers
You can turn posters into flyers by reducing them to A5 size on a photocopier.
Plan what the meeting will cover
You can follow our suggested plan or agenda
- Introduce yourselves and the agenda
- Give a general intro to Amnesty and introduce our current campaigns
- To get people to feel involved straightaway, brainstorm ideas for anupcoming event or activity
- Take Action – always include an action in your meetings
- Before you go remember to agree ona time, place and plan for the next meeting and get everyone’s contact details so you can communicate with them about the next meeting