I’m currently planning on starting up a support group or club for my school. I’m a sophomore in high school and I want to help people. There’s so many of us in my school and I want to help people. I could use any suggestions on how to get people to show up and what I should do to help. Thank you to anybody that can help out
9 comments
Ask a few friends to bring a few of their friends. Hopefully, word of mouth will build the group over time. Social media can be a big help, too. Perhaps creating a ‘closed group’ on Facebook (so that only group participants can see the posts) can help group members keep in touch in-between meetings.
Figure out whether you want the group to be structured, free-flowing, or a mixture of the two. Do you want to discuss specific subjects during each meeting? Or can people bring their own subjects that they’d like discussed? Perhaps a combination?
I’m sure that others here will have some insights, too. Your intentions are admirable. I hope it’s a success.
Will the group help others that aren’t part of the group or be a support group to help each other.
The first is easier to structure, the second can descend into mayhem if not done the right way.
I plan on making it a support group sort of thing.
Do you know what the purpose of it would be, the people it would try to help?
How often are you planning on meeting? Where and when would you meet? On school grounds or would other arrangements need to be made? If it is on school grounds, you might need to have a faculty advisor, I’m not sure.
Making up flyers would be a good way to get the word out, also getting an announcement over the intercom, you could ask a teacher or two who can make that happen. Also possibly the internet.
thelost,
Not sure what to say? what would it be about? Most support groups for example are away from our peers and around others that been through simular circumstances, if you were a girl that was raped i don’t think she would want the whole school to know about it? if it’s about education then i believe it the perfect place. just my two cents.
I did the same thing when I was in high school. Start by getting some of the staff behind you. Mainly the principle. You’d be surprised at how much they can help.
Thank you, everybody. I’m trying to make this a support group for anybody who will participate. Using my personal experiences and everything. Right now I’ve talked to the counselor and I want to do this on school grounds. I plan on starting with some ground rules.
1. Nothing leaves these meetings. Nothing
2. No previous crimes will be reported
3. What happens in these meetings stays there, no fights or arguments afterwards due to statements made
4. Anybody who breaks any of these rules will be persecuted
Nothing leaving the room and no fighting are good ground rules to start. Breaking the rules isn’t necessarily a violation of the law so you probably won’t be able to prosecute. But you could remove them from the group.
You’ll probably have a smaller number to start and, over time, attendance will probably increase as word gets out.
One thing to remember about groups is they are not owned by any one person. So they evolve. A little lesson learned by someone who posted this morning in this group concerning how this group wasn’t doing things the way the group should.