The First Meeting
Your first step, once you've called your club's or team's first meeting to order, is to ask each kid to take a moment to introduce himself by stating his name, interests, etc. Try to get even the shy kids to say something — at least their names, if nothing else. You don't have to ask the kids to stand up; keep this part of the meeting really friendly and informal.
The Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA), established in 1860, is a nationwide nonprofit organization consisting of 4,000 independent clubs, all of which seek to actively assist kids and “promote and enhance the development of boys and girls by instilling a sense of competence, usefulness, belonging, and influence,” according to the BGCA website (
Next, distribute an agenda — a printed sheet of items you'd like to discuss with the kids. Yes, the use of an agenda might seem awfully formal, but you don't necessarily have to discuss how you'll usher in an era of global peace. You just want to have a few talking points so the conversation doesn't degenerate into a pointless verbal free for all.
One of your first agenda items will be a brief information session where you explain how often the club will meet, dues that the kids will need to pay, and so forth. Next, explain your overall vision for the club or team. Let the kids know if the club will meet daily, weekly, or otherwise. If you've started a chess club, will you and the kids be playing just for fun or will they compete during the school year to determine an ultimate champ? Or will you take the kids to official tournaments so that they can compete with kids from other schools? Decides such issues beforehand then talk to the kids.
Note that the Animé Expo is generally held only in three venues: The greater Los Angeles, California, metropolitan area; the greater New York City, New York, metropolitan area; and the Tokyo, Japan, metropolitan area. So if your club members want to attend, all of you might need to make timely travel and hotel arrangements.
Next, solicit ideas or objections regarding the vision you've outlined for the club or team. If there's general disapproval or the kids just want to voice their own ideas, ask for alternative ideas then let the kids vote, if necessary. Write some of their ideas on the whiteboard or on large chart paper. (You might be surprised to discover that their ideas are even better than yours!) Then, if you trust democracy sufficiently, let everyone vote on the four or five ideas that you feel are reasonably sound. Once the kids have voted on their suggestions, tally the results and incorporate the winning ideas into your plans.
After presenting your vision and letting the kids vote on alternative ideas, you might next hold a group election for club officers, if you think officers will be necessary to facilitate the club's operations. Here are a few suggestions for club officers:
A president to help you call club meetings to order and introduce each meeting's agenda
A vice president who can take over the president's duties when the president is absent
A secretary to briefly record what's discussed and what's resolved
Finally, promise each other you'll do some really fun things on a regular basis and one spectacularly fun thing each school year. So, if you've founded an animé club, you could show one hour of a high-quality, appropriate animé movie during each meeting then have a round-table discussion afterward, if there's time. Then, every July when the annual Animé Expo rolls around, the club could decide to put its pennies together so every member can attend.
End your first meeting and every subsequent meeting on a positive note. Thank the kids for coming and express your sincerest wishes that this club will be not only educational, but fun.
