Starting a Club

STEP 1: Hire Club leaders

Hire your Club leaders. We recommend a minimum of 2 and a maximum of 4 per club. Refer to “Recruitment Section” in Manual. There must be at least 1 Club Leader per 10 participants. We now require that there must always be one leader present that is First Aid Certified; please keep this in mind when recruiting leaders. If none of your club leaders have recent First Aid Training please contact the Director of Programming to inquire if the organization is able to cover the costs or subsidize First Aid Training. Provide training to new Club leaders and yearly training to previous leaders by referring to the training section. Any Willow Youth Network members present at any Clubs or workshops must have received Club training.

STEP 2: Acquire a location to run your Club Program

Our current Club programs are located at elementary schools, community centres or online. In some locations, you may be able to directly contact the elementary school to introduce the Willow Youth Network Club program. In other locations, you may need pre-approval by the local school board. In this case, call the school board to set up a meeting/phone call with the superintendent. Be prepared to present a club proposal. Sample emails proposing the club to principals can be found in our online resource center, as well as sample emails to local community centres. Feel free to find alternative locations to run your Club, however, ensure that the location can provide insurance in case of an accident/injury. Reach out to the Director of Programming for assistance in setting up a location if needed. Additionally, clubs can also be done virtually synchronously or asynchronously based on the needs and schedules of the communities you’re working with. 

STEP 3: Decide which workshops your team would like to run. 

Our complete list is available in our online resource center. Feel free to create a workshop in partnership with local clubs, organizations or speakers. (ex. Kingston partners with Women in Science/Engineering at Queens for our STEM topic presentation). We recommend asking participants what topics they are most interested in at your first session and selecting workshops based on that. Any guest speakers and collaborations should be pre-approved by Branch Leaders. Make it your own and have fun with your team! 

STEP 4: Meet, create a schedule and build your Club binder 
Meet with the administration at the location where you will be running your club. Provide them a list of possible topics to choose from and decide on a day of the week and time the program will be run. Start collecting all of the materials you may need in your Club Leader binder. 

Club Binder

1. Tentative list of topics with dates that they will be presented 

2. Registration forms/ emergency contact with photo release forms

3. Attendance/sign out sheet for each week 

4. Workshop materials (stickers, take-home sheets) 

5. Incident report forms 

6. Injury report form

7. What-to do Flow Chart 

8. Evaluation forms (Day one evaluations and end of session) 

STEP 5: Create a registration package

Registration forms, letters to parents/guardians, and topic schedule documents can all be found in our online resource centre. Ensure that you adhere to the schedule of topics that is provided to parents/guardians, and inform parents/guardians of any changes to the schedule as they happen.

STEP 6: Advertise

Advertise your Club in your local community! Consider community newspapers, school newsletters, posters and online community groups. 

STEP 7: Prepare for your Club

Once you have received registration forms, prepare for the Club by completing attendance and participant contact list documents. We are now trying to collect the emails of the parents/guardians of the participants prior to the start of clubs - inform the parents that their email will ONLY be used for sending forms during the club duration. Ensure that your leaders are educated and trained with Willow Youth Network resources prior to initiation of your club. Discuss transportation methods with Club Leaders prior to the start of the club, and if possible, acquire materials and snacks (if location allows - check with your community partner first!) for the first week. 

STEP 8: Run your Club!

Ensure that sign-in & sign-out on your attendance list is completed each week.

First Club (See First Club Workshop in Resource Centre)

1. During your first club, create a safe space contract with participants. See safe space contract below for examples of what should be included (on Bristol board or a platform that can be brought back and displayed weekly). This must be signed by all participants and leaders participating in the program! (any volunteers coming in to speak or assist must also sign this contract) 

2. Ensure in the first week an introductory/ice breaker game is led with the participants, as well as all leaders should introduce themselves and introduce their pronouns (ex. she/her, they/them, etc.). 

3. First day evaluations must be completed and sent to the Director of Programming.

4. Give the participants an opportunity to select some of the workshop topics from a list of topics you are comfortable running. Once the participants have shared their input, the schedule should be updated and given to parents/guardians during the second week.
   

STEP 9: Program evaluation forms

At the end of your club program, ensure to receive feedback from parents/guardians and participants that attended the club. Provide this information and feedback to the Director of Programming! Additionally, please track your club attendance numbers in the outreach statistics document.