Membership Ideas for PTSA

Membership Ideas for PTSA

BELONGING

• Students feel included through serving on committees.

LEADERSHIP

• Students can be instrumental in sharing what’s happening in the school and offering ideas on how their education and community experience can be improved.

CITIZENSHIP

• PTSA provides an interactive forum in which students, parents, school faculty, and the community can come together to share ideas that affect students.
• Students are voting members of the PTSA.

HAVING A VOICE

• Students are voting members of the PTSA.

MEMBERSHIP TIPS

• Make a presentation to the student council or student body officers stressing the advantages of membership for students. Enlist the officers’ support to recruit members and listen to their ideas about ways to involve students.
• Include membership dues on the registration form to encourage students to join.
• Ask business establishments to offer a reduced rate to PTSA members.
• Reduce the admission cost to PTSA sponsored dances, assemblies, and other activities for PTSA student members.
• Highlight PTSA activities to encourage interest and desire to join.

 

Recruitment and Retention of Students

Some helpful hints about recruiting student members

• Ask for help. Most students are willing to help if asked.
• Stress publishing and celebrating PTSA results. Students need a mental picture of how change in their schools and communities will be impacted by their participation.
• Publicize all PTSA achievements, benefits, and upcoming events through assemblies, school announcements, PTSA posters, programs, PTSA bulletin board, etc.
• Keep people such as counselors, administrators, and teachers informed of PTSA programs for students.
• Make a presentation before the student council, Peer Leadership Team, and other clubs, stressing the advantage of PTSA membership for students. Enlist the council’s support and listen to members’ ideas for involving students.
• If possible, start with a core of students who are already involved in PTSA. Use them as your recruitment/public relations team.
• Hold “each one, reach one” recruitment drives. Students should be part of the recruitment process as well as its result.
• Emphasize that PTSA can be fun, using logos, T-shirts, music, and PSAs to spark interest.
• Have a student be a membership co-chairperson or assist with your membership drive. Encourage student members to recruit their peers.
• Conduct campaigns to educate students about the needs they can meet. Provide information about the PTSA’s education programs and legislative initiatives.
• Make sure the administration and school commitment to PTSA is clear to all students.
• Demonstrate support by providing public awards for student leadership via news media, announcements in student newspapers, assemblies, etc.
• Concentrate on attracting students who might not ordinarily participate.
• Show potential members how PTSA activities relate to special interests such as art, music, writing, legislation, and other PTSA programs.
• Stress the following benefits:
  • Making a difference in the school and community.
  • Working with fellow students.
  • Learning new skills.

HELPFUL HINTS ABOUT RETAINING STUDENT MEMBERS

• Provide students with the means to evaluate their PTSA experiences. Make sure students see that steps are taken to address their concerns or requests.

 

Involving Students in Your PTSA

WHY SHOULD OUR PTSA INVOLVE STUDENTS?

• To put the PTSA objective into action.
• To provide a new perspective on your PTSA’s ideas and programs
• To give students the opportunity to participate in the planning and execution of PTSA programs; young people’s viewpoints and ideas are essential because all PTSA’s programs focus on youth.
• To give students better understanding of adults and adults a better understanding of students.
• To teach students useful skills, such as public speaking, decision making, and conflict resolution.
• To introduce students to the legislative process through your PTSA’s involvement in legislative activities.
• To provide your PTSA with information regarding students’ interests and problems. This will make your programs more effective.
• To encourage students’ personal growth and development.
• To increase the number of skilled volunteers in your PTSA so that you have the ability to conduct more programs.

 

ARE STUDENTS GENUINELY INTERESTED IN PTA INVOLVEMENT?

Students are genuinely interested in improving their communities, their education, and the world in which they live. PTSA offers them the means to realize these goals through legislative advocacy and programs. If belonging to PTSA means providing young people with the opportunities to develop leadership skills, communicate with policymakers, and contribute to their schools and to their communities, then they will be sincerely interested.

 

WHAT IF WE TRY TO RECRUIT STUDENTS AND THEY AREN'T INTERESTED?

The first few attempts at recruiting students may be difficult. Students may have an outdated image of PTSA as an organization composed only of mothers. As with any group that has previously been excluded from or uninvolved in an organization, you will have to make special efforts to recruit them (incentives, making meeting times convenient for students, i.e. right after school, finding reps from student council, appealing to students not currently involved in after-school activities) and you may have to persevere despite initial setbacks.

 

Laying the Groundwork

We want to get students involved in our PTSA, but where do we start? Our PTSA recruited some students last year, how do we get them on an equal footing with adult members? Here are some practical steps to take toward meaningful student leadership. Although they are listed in chronological order, feel free to adapt them to your PTSA’s needs.

1. Discuss student leadership with your PTSA’s executive committee or board—To stimulate discussion and thinking, you may want to use an assessment questionnaire.
2. Recruit student membership—Once your board has agreed to actively recruit student membership, have it make a formal commitment to student leadership.
3. Promote student membership—Advertise PTSA activities, the advantages of student participation, etc., to parents, students, teachers, and the community.
4. Include students on t he PTSA adult board committees
5. Develop and implement programs t hat involve both students and adults—Make sure students are included in the initial planning stages as well as in the execution of projects and programs.
6. Allow students to have an active voice in your PTSA—Listen and give consideration to what students have to say, even if their ideas seem unorthodox or impossible to implement.
7. Consideration should be given to electing students as officers or to having an elected student position on the PTSA adult executive board.

 

Things to Consider

A PTSA can provide enrichment, academic, and cultural experience for all students.

 

A GUIDING PHILOSOPHY

• Blend leadership
• Shadow job responsibilities so students get trained
• Practice effective, positive communication skills, including non-verbal communication
• Acknowledge and address all concerns
• Encourage and allow student input in decisions about issues
• Consider students’ viewpoints—their ideas are valuable

ABOUT RESPONSIBILITIES

• Attain the goal of total student leadership by making no distinction between student and adult members. Focus on doing “with” rather than “for.”
• Elect student to serve as a member of the nomination committee for the PTSA adult board.
• Involve students as equals in planning programs, membership campaigns, and in all action-oriented committees.
• Provide an atmosphere of mutual respect between adults and students so that issues may be discussed honestly and resolved fairly.

STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES 

• Communicate with adult members on the needs and concerns of fellow students. This will ensure clear, swift actions to remedy any problems.
• Interact with other students to plan meaningful programs and activities that will enhance the atmosphere at your school and help create a more positive learning environment for all.
• Represent students and the PTSA at school board and other civic meetings, wherever student input is needed or requested.