If you’re a high school student, one of the most effective ways you can help to spread the pro-life message is to start your own pro-life club at your school or church. Follow the steps below to get your club up and running:
- Get your Generations for Life curriculum
- Hold a Founders’ Meeting
- Hold your first club meeting
- Hold your final Founders’ Meeting
- Hold your second club meeting
- Hold officers’ meetings
- Your future club meetings
Get your Generations for Life curriculum
First, download a copy of the Pro-Life Action League’s Pro-Life Club Curriculum.
Next, gather a few other students who share your convictions and are willing to help you get your club up and running, and set up a time to meet with the person at your school who is in charge of extracurricular clubs — most likely, this would be an assistant principal or some other administrator — and ask him or her what the steps are for starting a new club.
You’ll likely be asked to find a teacher or other faculty member who is willing to serve as your club moderator. Being a moderator means that he or she may need to attend all club and officers’ meetings, but make it clear that you, the students, will handle the majority of the club’s talks.
Once you are recognized as an official club by the administration, gather with your interested classmates and moderator for the first Founders’ Meeting.
Hold a Founders’ Meeting
Your next step is to hold a Founders’ Meeting. The purpose of the first Founders’ Meeting is to gather with interested classmates and your club moderator to discuss what you would like to achieve as a club. At this meeting, you will:
- Begin with prayer (optional; see Chapter 8: Prayers and Icebreakers in the Pro-Life Club Curriculum).
- Assign someone to take notes (also known as “minutes.”
- Talk about the purpose and goals of your club.
- Write a mission statement that clearly reflects the purpose and goals of your club.
- Decide on a name for your club.
- Select the dates and times for future meetings.
- Prepare for your First Club Meeting (see below).
Hold your first club meeting
Your first club meeting should be open to anyone who would like to attend. The purpose is to share the vision of your pro-life club and to get input from interested students and get them excited about the upcoming year. Be sure to announce that at the Second Club Meeting (see below), officers will be elected.
Things to Do:
- Assign one of the founders to record minutes.
- Assign someone to prepare the agenda. The agenda should include the purpose of the meeting, the dates, time, and locations of future meetings, your mission statement and the names, email addresses, and phone numbers of the founders and your moderator.
- As students have each person sign in and hand out the meeting agenda.
- Begin with prayer (optional; see Chapter 8: Prayers and Icebreakers in the Pro-Life Club Curriculum)
- Share your vision of the club and read your mission statement.
- Announce upcoming elections and explain the duties and responsibilities of club officers:
- President: Run meetings and keep order. Create and distribute agendas for each meeting. Attend all Officers’ Meetings and Club Meetings. Welcome new members at each meeting.
- Vice President: Perform duties of President in his or her absence. Attend all Officers’ and Club Meetings. Help other officers when necessary.
- Secretary: Take attendance and minutes at each meeting. Keep a record of all events, activities, and flyers. Attend all Officers’ Meetings and Club Meetings.
- Treasurer: Keep an accounting of how much money the club has. Attend all Officers’ Meetings and Club Meetings.
- Public Relations: Over see advertising (see see Chapter 5: Advertising in the Pro-Life Club Curriculum)
- Announce dates, times, and locations of future meetings.
Hold your final Founders’ Meeting
After your first club meeting, hold your final Founders’ Meeting. After officers are elected, the new officers will have Officers’ Meetings instead.
Things to Do:
- Begin with prayer (optional).
- Go over minutes from the First Club Meeting.
- Set the agenda for the Second Club Meeting (read over the Second Club Meeting section below) and assign someone to present a Life Topic (see Chapter 3: Life Topics in the Pro-Life Club Curriculum).
- Assign someone to contact new members to remind them of the Second Club Meeting.
- Prepare for elections (make ballots, etc).
- Assign someone to advertise the Second Club Meeting (see Chapter 5: Advertising in the Pro-Life Club Curriculum)
Hold your second club meeting
At your second club meeting, you will elect officers, attend to Old and New Business, and discuss a Life Topic.
Things to Do:
- Have each person sign in.
- Hand out the agenda.
- Begin with prayer (optional).
- Have students nominate candidates.
- Elect officers.
- Cover Old Business (e.g., what was discussed or decided at the First Club Meeting).
- Attend to New Business such as upcoming events or activities.
- Have assigned person present a Life Topic.
- Assign someone to present a Life Topic for the next meeting.
- Announce election results.
- Announce next meeting.
Hold officers’ meeting(s)
Before each Club Meeting, it’s important for officers to meet beforehand to ensure that Club Meetings are organized and productive. Try to keep Officers’ Meetings to no more than 30 minutes.
Things to Do:
- Begin with prayer.
- Go over minutes from First Club Meeting.
- Have each officer give a report.
- Set the agenda for the next meeting (see “Future Club Meetings” below).
Prior to each club meeting, officers should gather to discuss past meetings and events and plan future meetings and events.
Things to Do:
- Prayer (optional).
- Committee/Officers’ Reports
- Old Business.
- New Business.
- Announcements.
- Date and time for next meeting.
Your future club meetings
The purpose of regular Club Meetings is to educate yourselves, discuss ways to share the pro-life message within your school, and to build community within your group.
Things to Do:
- Have each person sign in.
- Begin with prayer (optional).
- Old Business.
- New Business.
- Have assigned person present a Life Topic.
- Assign someone to present a Life Topic for the next meeting.
The most effective pro-life clubs are those that frequently sponsor their own activities or take part in activities sponsored by larger pro-life groups in their own communities. Chapter 4 of the GFL Pro-Life Club Curriculum lists numerous pro-life activities that your group may want to consider.
Using the guidelines above, you should be able to get your new pro-life club up and running. If you need any assistance, please feel free to contact us, and we would be happy to help!