High School Open House Recruiting
From AFSWiki
Many high school PTA's sponsor open houses or "back to school nights" about a month after school starts, each fall. The primary reason for these events is for parents to meet their children's teachers, but they often also serve as an introduction to extracurricular activities. In one event we know of, parents spend most of the event visiting their child's classrooms, but they also pass a few times through the main gym, for initial registration, and during any periods in which their child doesn't have a class. The gym holds a bazaar, where various school groups have tables set up to publicize what they're doing.
When AFS can gain permission to have a table at the event, it can be a relatively quick way to generate sending and hosting leads.
Getting permission to participate can be easier in schools where there already is an exchange club- or AFS club, but that is not always required.
Volunteer Task 1: discovering the logistic details of the event
The work here is discovering how to get in. This could take 5 minutes for someone who already knows the school, or it could take weeks of asking around, making phone calls, and leaving messages that don't get returned. The work can be done any time in the year, and it's best to start before September. The information we need is:
- When is the event?
- Who allows organizations to participate, and what is that person's contact information?
- Is it OK if AFS or an exchange club has a presence?
- How does AFS register to participate?
Once this information is known, please document it on a page devoted to that particular high school.
Volunteer Task 2: staffing the event
Staffing is a very do-able ad-hoc assignment for one or two volunteers -- for example, one each for Sending and Hosting. A new Sending parent, Hosting parent or recent returnee could co-staff this with a more seasoned volunteer.
Minimum requirements for a presence:
- A poster or sign letting people know who you are. This could be as simple as a big piece of paper on which you write in dark lettering,
Become an AFS Exchange Student
Ask Me How
- Signage and displays can be a lot more eye-catching, if you have the time and resources.
- A form where interested parents can give their contact information to you. See lead sheet for ideas on the kind of information you might collect.
- Something physical to hand to interested parents. It can be small, to save money -- half of a sheet of copy paper could be plenty. This handout should provide, at minimum
- The word "AFS" and/or the AFS logo, plus the AFS website (www.AFSUSA.org, or your local team's website if you prefer)
- Your contact information
- A brief description of the opportunity. This could be just a few sentences:
Become an AFS Exchange Student!
AFS helps students at (name of high school) experience life in a different country for an academic year, semester, or just a summer.
Host an Exchange Student!
Bring an international exchange student into your heart and home
Interested? (Provide a next step, such as attending a scheduled in information night, or contacting you directly)
Don't be afraid to keep it simple. However, additional nice-to-have information could include:
- Fancier pamphlets about hosting and/or sending.
- Sending catalogs to give to the most interested parents
- Pictures of local students participating in AFS
For more tips, including how to make a table more eye-catching, see Recruiting at a fair.
