Foreign language classes, tutorial sessions on various subjects, entrepreneurship workshops, and the like – are just some of the examples of the school clubs or after-school activities that aim to extend every student’s education.
These clubs, according to research, provide the opportunities for students to participate, get involved, try and explore activities. Certain clubs also allow you to interact with different people in a supervised setting, form relationships and bond with adults, and allows the development of skills and interests in a variety of areas that your chosen club/s offer/s.
In addition, because adolescent years are when teenagers like you are more prone to developing a mental illness like anxiety and depression – school clubs can be great distractions to focus your attention on.
However, while it is truly an enjoyable and memorable experience joining the school club/s of your choice, you might be the one who doesn’t just go with the flow. Rather, you have the initiative, passion, leadership skills, and capabilities to plan, run, and organize your own school club to help your fellow students pick the right choice, explore further, and develop their skills and talents. The very reason why you are reading this article!
Remember that there are a lot of things to consider when starting your own school club. But the very first step to make is to choose what type of school club you want to consider starting.
At this very moment, it is understandable that you might be feeling straight up anxious about the what if’s. To help you with that, this article discusses the different types of school clubs that you might want to consider starting.
Consider starting academic clubs.
Be more specific about what kind of academic club you want to organize – is it Physics, Mathematics, Chemistry, Literature, History, or the like? There are plenty of subjects to choose from and to explore more deeply.
To make it thrive, consider gathering peers and classmates who are as enthusiastic as you are about the particular subject matter. And once you’ve done this, think about what specifically you want your club to focus on – do you like doing free tutorials to help with projects and assignments or do you want to provide lectures and review classes?
Academic clubs are one of the interesting school clubs to invest your effort in. Many students struggle with the anxiety of dealing with both their subjects and extracurricular activities. You can start by providing them support and helping them survive the difficulties of academics.
Consider starting hobby or activity clubs.
Now, if you’re not into academics that much but into hobbies instead, then why not start hobby clubs – such as anime, chess, video games, hiking, painting, or poetry writing clubs.
While this idea is already very exciting in itself as it will allow students to enjoy what they love doing while making friends, you can make it more interesting. For example – organize a small anime convention if you consider starting an anime club.
If you prefer the chess club, you can hold a tournament. As an added bonus, think about how your club can give back to the school or community. You might want to consider charging reasonable fees for your events and use the collected money to benefit a charity.
Consider starting sports clubs.
If you are passionate about sports, if there is/are sport/s that you are good at and you want to teach others, or if there are sport/s that is/are not offered in your school – forming a sports club is a good idea.
However, consider the following – how many students are interested in participating especially if you want to form a not-so-famous sport and convincing students might be a little challenging? Are you going to seek for competitions against one another or against other schools’ clubs?
While competitions in sports are a great way to build confidence, bonding, and friendship, it doesn’t necessarily have to be competitive at all. What’s necessary is for it to be safe and enjoyable at the same time.
Consider starting political clubs.
There are many things that you can do when you start a political club, however, remember to be specific as well.
For example – you can focus on organizing a political magazine/journal/newspaper club that aims to analyze and understand political issues through interviewing local politicians.
How about a debate club? You can host and organize debate activities and contests or make your club a platform for aspiring student debaters to improve their abilities and brush off the anxiety when speaking in front of the public.
But, remember to consult first with the school. While most institutions won’t mind that their students are engaged in political issues, you have to clear it out that your beliefs as a group don’t reflect that of your institution’s.
Consider starting theater and arts clubs.
Shakespeare, monologue, comedy clubs, and the like can be great choices if you are interested in the theater and arts club.
Read different plays and put on a production. Help students find the monologues they like and have them perform in front of the group. Let your members write scripts, direct, and perform, and finally give feedback and ideas on how to improve and develop more of the performance.
A lot of students aspire to attend college for acting. And because they have to perform as part of the audition, feeling anxious is inevitable. For this matter, let your club be the platform and training ground for a great practice where your members can improve and develop more of their talent.