Q: I’ve done a lot of volunteer youth work in the past but I’m thinking about starting up a new group for the first time. Do you have any tips on how to start a youth group from scratch?
A: Starting a new youth group may sound like an easy task – get youth together and viola – you have a youth group. But there are a few more things to consider when starting any youth program, be it a youth group, youth project, youth council or any other activity involving groups of youth.
So here are four areas that you need to analyze before you start a new group:
Youth
It’s easy as adults to assume we know what youth want or need. However, it’s always best to ask some first. When you start to see a need for a group, talk to the youth you know or contact local organizations that are working with that population, to find out what their thoughts are about your idea.
If the biggest reason you’re thinking of starting a youth group is because of a lack of local organizations providing support, check online for contacts that might be doing what you want to start or something similar and find out all the information that you can.
Volunteers
You can’t do it alone. Literally. Safe youth group ratios are 1:10 but in a mixed gender group you need one volunteer of each gender as well. Ideally, no matter what the group’s make up, two leaders are your basic requirement for any group of youth no matter the size.
You also won’t be able to do it week in and week out forever. You need to find other adults and older youth who are willing to volunteer in various capacities. Some may only be able to commit to once a quarter, once a month or every week. You’ll be able to care for yourself, your youth and your volunteers better when you have a team of committed people (even if it’s small) before you meet even once.
Venue
You’ll need somewhere to meet. You’ll also need to decide if this is a location that’s just an initial meeting place or if it’s a long-term venue that you can use on an ongoing basis.
Is everyone at the venue on board with the new youth group proposal? You may have the support of the center’s leader, but if the other volunteers providing other services aren’t enthusiastic about youth coming and going in their center, you may find your group times are a lot more stressful.
When considering a venue, think about the transportation needs of your youth. How will they get there? Do the youth drive? Do their parents? A center that’s on the edge of a town that relies heavily on public transport but isn’t near a bus or train stop might not be your best venue, even if it’s free and available.
Safety
I could have put this first, last and everywhere in between. Safety is paramount when planning any youth group, program or activity. Not just the child protection issues, boundaries and youth behavior policies, but the nuts and bolts of keeping youth safe while at the group.
When you’re checking out venues, planning activities and considering transportation, take the time to complete thorough risk assessments. Train your volunteers how to do them as well and make sure you stress the importance of the assessments in their planning and preparation for each session.
These are the basics when you want to start planning a new youth group. Next week we’ll cover four more areas to consider when starting a youth group.
Question: What advice would you give when guiding someone about how to start a youth group? Share your ideas in the comments below.
You can also connect with us by:
- Signing up to receive our posts via email
- Following us on Twitter
- Liking us on Facebook
- Signing up to our RSS feed