Power Over Prejudice (POP) Club

 

A number of our schools have formalized programs for students who attended the Power Over Prejudice Summit by way of a POP Club.

 

The Club gives students and faculty a chance to continually challenge prejudices at their schools while promoting tolerance and diversity. While each school's culture requires customizing these Clubs, there are a few standards that might guide the club's creation.

 

Starting a club: You already have your first members--those students who attended the 2005 Summit. However, membership should not be limited to these students. At first, it is best to ask each student to recruit one other student to join. Rather than focus on friends, students should be encouraged to invite others who are school 'leaders,' whether that leadership is academic, athletic, or social.

 

Find Advisors: Your club should have, at a minimum, two advisors drawn from your faculty. In addition, a parent advisor who is a member of your school's PTSA should be asked to serve as a third advisor. You might want to determine if club advisors receive compensation from the school or school system.

 

Develop By-Laws: A club must have by-laws that cover specific aspects of its organization and function (sample). Students should be given the duty of creating these by-laws, but the following sections should be included:

 

  1. GENERAL PROVISIONS

1)    Official Name

2)    Mission of Club

  1. MEMBERSHIP

1)    Who may be a member

2)    Types of membership

3)    Dues and/or Obligations

  1. ADVISORS

1)    Selection

2)    Duties

  1. OFFICERS

1)    Duties of Corporation Officers

                                                    i.     President

                                                  ii.     Vice President(s)

                                                iii.     Secretary

                                                iv.     Treasurer

2)    Elections and Terms

  1. MEETINGS OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

1)    Regular Meetings

2)    Annual Meeting

3)    Special Meetings

4)    Place of Meetings

5)    Notice of Meetings

6)    Procedural Rules at Meetings.

  1. COMMITTEES

1)    Executive Committee

2)    Standing and Special Committees

3)    Committee Chairs

 

Seek recognition: Each school and school system has regulations governing the formation of clubs. You will need to make sure your by-laws conform to the requirement of your system.

 

Meetings: You will have to determine when and where to hold meetings. Some schools have time set aside for student activities; others do not. Adjust your meeting schedule to fit your student body and school schedule. At a minimum, your club should meet monthly during the school year.

 

Activities: Again, students should be allowed the freedom to explore possible activities for their school. You might want to refer to the ISF Timeline for some possible themes--for instance, you might want to suggest students develop a program around a Heritage Month.

 

You might want to set up your activities in three categories: Personal, Club & School wide. Your club would set goals in each category. For instance, each student will engage in one Personal activity each month, there would be one Club activity every other month, and you would have one School-wide activity each quarter.

  • Personal would be projects that members take on individually. Mentoring new students is one example. These could be called 'Random Acts of Tolerance.'
  • Club would be events designed for members of the club only. A guest speaker at a club meeting is an example.
  • School-wide would be a project in which the entire school participates. A Mix-It-Up day is an example.

 Funding: Although expenditures will be at a minimum, some activities will require funds. In addition, where permissible, you will want some snacks for meetings. There are three sources of funding:

  • Anti-Prejudice Consortium. APC offers each school $100 each year to support In-School Follow-up Programs. Although not substantial, it could be seed money for activities.
  • PTSA. The Parent-Teacher-Student Association for your school may be willing to investment in your club.
  • Fund-Raising. Students might decide to raise funds through a variety of activities. In each case, these activities should advance the mission of the club. On a limited basis, selling Stereotype bracelets and t-shirts could raise funds. The students may also want to design their own t-shirts. Care must be taken to insure that fundraising does not become the main focus of club activities.

 The Anti-Prejudice Consortium is here to assist in whatever way possible in starting and running your club. Your POP Partner is a great resource in this effort. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact your Partner or Richard Welch, executive director, at 678-547-0084.

 

The Power Over Prejudice is in each child.
All it takes is an adult to open that door.