How To: Begin a Pro-Life Club/Organization in your High School or Youth Group
by: The USCCB.
1. Get yourself started! The essential things: • Research school protocol for creating a club
- Find a Faculty Advisor/Spiritual Advisor
- Find a place and time for your meetings
- Advertise! Signs, fliers, word of mouth, facebook, email, etc… Invite people to join!
2. Weekly/Monthly Meeting Necessities: • Set a structure to follow for every meeting (see 3)
- Sign in sheet of members (can use a communication vehicle such as a facebook group)
- Content for each meeting
- Refreshments are helpful
3. Structure:
- Begin in prayer
- Officer/President overview important events/news/plans
- Briefly advocate “fact of the day”
- Bring plans/ideas to group for discussion
- Business details (collect dues, add new members, assign members for events/planning, etc…)
- Closing prayer
4. Important Details:
- Club e-mail/Facebook group should be checked daily to maintain meeting times, event planning, member questions, etc…
- E-mail list or text list for all members to receive notifications/updates/invitations, etc…
- Mission Statement or Constitution to which the Club will adhere and which clarifies its purpose, goals and boundaries, to be created at the beginning of the club and signed by founding members
- Budgets – collect an annual due and plan fundraisers for events
5. Education:
- Reading articles/blogs/news on important life issues should be encouraged
- Educational materials (pamphlets, press releases, pro-life statements, prayer cards, statistics, etc…) should be available for handing out at events, in school, fundraisers and so on
- This website, www.usccb.org/prolife, contains many resources
6. Ideas/Events:
- Rosary for Life – whether this is in your meeting room or outside of a clinic, peaceful prayer for an end to abortion is the most powerful thing you can do
- Speakers –bring in a speaker at least once a year and preferably once a semester to encourage awareness and activism on important issues. Invite non-members to spread awareness.
- Trips – the March for Life every January, Respect Life Month or the Life Chain every October, Crossroads in the summer, conferences or seminars, etc…
- Online – Blog, Youtube channel, podcast, website, Twitter, Facebook group etc…
Download the pdf
