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Section 2: How to start a club

Five steps for starting a club

This section will help you prepare to start a club and prepare for your first club meetings. It provides instructions on how to complete the following five steps for starting a club.

STEP 1.

Ask for permission from your school head to start a club.

STEP 2.

Register the club with WCG.

STEP 3.

Decide how many members you can cope with and who will join your club.

STEP 4.

Decide how you will run the club and who the executives will be.

STEP 5.

Decide on the rules of conduct of your club.

After you have considered this information, you will have made a plan of action for starting your club and will be ready for your first club meeting.

STEP 1. How to write a letter of permission for the Head of school and parents of club members.

It is very important that you write an official letter requesting permission of your head of school to form a club. In the letter, be sure to inform him/her of the following:

You must write a letter capturing the above information in one way or the other, for your head of school. Write a similar letter for the information of the parents.

Now write your letter to your Head of School with the above information

STEP 2. How to register the club.

On the inside back cover of this book you will find a club registration form- do not tear it out, photocopy the registration form and submit it to your regional co-ordinator with your registration fee of three thousand Cedis ¢ 3000.00 only. This registers the School as a recognized Wildlife Club institution. This fee does not have to be paid again.

Now photocopy and complete the registration from found on page 53

STEP 3. How to decide on your membership,

The most important thing in a Wildlife Club, apart from the leader, are the members. The goal of the Wildlife Club is to teach the members about wildlife through the club activities. It is very difficult to lead more than thirty members in activities.

If there are two club leaders or more, the leaders can split the club into groups of thirty and effectively lead activities in groups. You must decide now how many members you can lead with the interested leaders available. The important question is, "How many other leaders do you have?" Consider the following:

Now write down the number of leaders and members you will have in your club

Good members are also important, if you can only have a limited number of members, how will you choose the right members for your club? Sometimes people want to join a club although they have no real interest in the objectives of the club. Many times people join clubs simply to go on field trips or because they think it is a high status symbol to be a member of particular club. It would thus be good to have some sort of selection or screening of potential members. Consider the selection criteria below. Which of these, if any, is the best way for choosing who may join your club?

Now write down or advertise locally who can join your club

STEP 4. How to decide on your executive,

How large your executive will be and how active in managing the day to day functions of the club depends entirely on the size of the club, the age of the club members and the role the patron or leader decides to take for him or herself. In JSS and Second Cycle Schools the club, executives can perform a great deal of the work in organising and running the club. If the club leader were a patron (a patron is a teacher or Head of school who represents the club, but doesn't run it on a day to day basis), it would be best to provide the executive members with this guide to use as soon as the club is formed. In this way the club executive can take over the day-to-day management of the club.

For continuity, the executive should be a cross-section of the members (i.e. not from one particular class/form). Depending on how large the club is, you may want to have a larger executive including assistant secretaries. If you have a large club, it is very helpful to have younger members to under study (shadow) the executives. In this way, they will already have learned how to manage the club before they are old enough to be executives.

Each club normally has an executive usually with the following positions:

i. President/Chairman - responsible for the overall running of the club.

ii. Vice-President/Chairman -acts in the President s absence and assists him in his duties.

iii. Secretary - responsible for recording and circulating the minutes of club meetings, dealing with correspondence and keeping records.

iv. Treasurer - responsible for the finances of the club including the collection of membership fees, co-ordinating fund-raising activities, payment of bills, maintaining accounts, etc.

v. Organiser - responsible for the day-to-day running of the club. Ensure that members attend meeting and on time. Organizes members to attend or undertake programmes.

vi. Porter - ensure orderliness at meetings and other functions.

Now write down what your executive positions will be

STEP 5. How to decide on your rules of conduct for your club,

The WCG are about learning to preserve our environment and having fun. In participating in activities, you and your club will be representing the WCG and the GWS. As a member of the WCG, your behaviour and the behaviour of your club should reflect the values and principles of the GWS. The GWS believes in conserving wildlife and the environment for the benefit and improved quality of life for all human kind; meaning that we believe that all people are equal and that they and their resources should be respected. Your club members should therefore be encouraged to:

Now write down your rules of conduct for club meetings and events

Checklist for Planning Your Club

By now, you should have completed the five steps for starting a club. Go through the list below and ensure that you have completed each step. If there is anything that you have not done, do it now.

  1. Have you prepared and submitted the club registration including the ¢3000.00 ?
  2. Have you written your letter of permission?
  3. Have you decided what kind of membership you will have? (And decided on what your membership rules for your club will be?)
  4. Have you decided what kind of executive you will you have?
  5. Have you decided what rules you will have for the way club members must behave?

Congratulations, You Are Ready, Call Your First
Meeting And Form Your Club
- The Activities On The
Following Pages Will Help You.

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