Establishing Youth Organizations

1. Establishing Youth Organizations

2. Why establish youth organizations? Advantages for young people: • Develop important personal and interpersonal skills. • Gain self-confidence and self-esteem. • Reduce the risk of unsafe activities. • Develop job skills and acquire experience. • Offer opportunities for leadership. • Develop a strong support network of young people.

3. Why establish youth organizations? Advantages for the community: • Change public perception of young people . • Youth less likely to cause problems and more likely to want to look for solutions . • Allows youth to carefully develop their leadership potential. • Other community organizations can often partner with youth organizations, to mutual benefit.

4. When is a good time to establish an organization? • When a dramatic, disturbing, or significant event occurs in the community. • At the beginning of the school year. • When new information becomes known. • When a significant issue specifically concerning youth needs to be confronted. • When current organizations are not meeting community needs. • When a group wants to create broad, significant community changes. • To respond to threats to the community, such as increased violence.

5. How do you establish youth organizations? • Decide what type of youth organization you want to form. • What problem is being solved • Concerns • Cause of the problem • Decide where the organization should be based. • Recruit members • Define your goals clearly with group members. • What do we want to do? • How should we go about doing that? • Find out what resources are available to your organization.

6. How do you establish youth organizations? (cont.) • Obtain and use those resources. • Orient and train staff, adult assistants, and participants. • Get to work! • Celebrate your successes!