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Getting Community Support

When developing a teen volunteer program, it is very important to form a community advisory group. This group can include teens, parents, teachers, and other significant members of the community. Forming the advisory group is time well-spent ‹ a good group will be able to offer advice, support, and practical assistance, and will be invaluable as you develop, publicize and implement this program and potentially other programs in the future. Developing the advisory group is also an excellent means of obtaining additional community support for the aims and mission of the library in general.

Forming the Advisory Group

• The recommended composition of this group is a parent, a teen, a representative from your local high school, and a representative from the community. The community representative might be associated with an agency or organization that is a partner with your project, a resident with strong ties to youth in the community, or a professional with another youth-serving agency such as a recreation center or YMCA. Try to select participants who have expertise or connections that will enhance your project in various ways. You may want to have a large group if there are other community people that would be helpful to the success of your project.
• Select a name for your group that suits your community and your library's culture. "Advisory Board" sounds impressive. "Advisory Committee" is a little more informal. "Advisory Council" might be appropriate in some circumstances.
• You might want the first point of contact with your prospective advisory group members to be a telephone call during which you can give them an overview of your project and what you expect from them. Many people want to know how often and when the group meets before they make a commitment.
• Follow up with a formal letter - perhaps from the Community Library Manager - inviting each person to join the advisory group.

The Duties of the Advisory Group

• This is easy. Just as the name implies, the advisory group gives you advice as you develop and implement your project.
• It is reasonable to expect that the advisory group will also serve as an advocacy group for your project. They should be committed to your project and help to spread the word about it in the community.
• It is a good idea to have in mind some specific questions or issues you want to get advice about. These might include: recruitment strategies, publicity ideas, or fund-raising.
• Be sure that you diplomatically communicate that you value the advice that your group gives you but that you have the responsibility for making final decisions. Do let them know the results of specific advice that you act upon. You want to empower your advisors without "giving away the store."

Conducting Meetings of the Advisory Group

• Be aware of the constraints that your group members might have. The teen obviously won't be able to meet during school hours. Late afternoon or early evening is often a good time to meet. Sometimes Saturday mornings will be better. Get a sense of preferred meeting times when you make your first contact with your advisors.
• Plan to meet once at the beginning of your project to provide an overview of the project and get some advice about how to proceed. Plan to meet again at the end of the project to let the group know what happened with the project and to get an informal evaluation of its success from the advisors. At the "ending" meeting, you should also let the group know what is likely to happen to the project. Will it be continued? Are more resources needed? Will you recruit new volunteers or continue to work with the current recruits? Will you be making any modifications to the project based on your first experiences?
• Have a formal agenda. Pass out handouts that explain the program. These might include the list of SCANS, an overall program abstract, and a short description of your own program.
• The group may want to appoint a "secretary" or note taker. Even if you don't keep formal minutes of each meeting, you should send a follow-up notice to the group to let people know what was discussed and what decisions, if any, were made.
• Since your group is small, you want to make every effort to have 100% attendance.
• If your advisors are unfamiliar with your library, take the opportunity to inform them about your services and resources. You might want to have a few handouts about the library in general, as well as the Teen Program. You could give them a brief tour of the library.
• Make your advisors feel important.
• Serve simple refreshments if you possibly can.

Getting Closure

• When your advisory group has completed its term, be sure to acknowledge the contributions of each member. Thank them personally and in writing for their service. The teen member may find this useful for college or work applications; others may find that it is valuable in their personnel files at work. You might want to send a letter that acknowledges the teen's contributions to the principle of his or her school as well.
• Continue to keep the group informed about activities at the library in general and the progress of your teen service project in particular. Put them on your library mailing list.

 

Determining Objectives | Choosing a Model of Community Service | Getting Support from Library Staff | Getting Community Support | Designing the Program

 

Revised 03/07