Model Club

Hey there Spray.....
Hello, and congratulations on your idea.....I am a teacher (who also was an Air Cadet, a T.O., and a C.O. of an Air Cadet Squadron) and I am also starting a model club at my school.
The biggest hurdle I have so far is funding......I have found the local legion to be a good place to go.
I am going to use non-toxic glue ( which I find doesn't hold very well, but is non-toxic) for the big pieces, and I will use CA glue (super glue) to hold some of the small pieces. I will be the only one who uses this, to avoid them sticking unwanted body parts together!!!
I will also use acrylic paint, to avoid fumes and the use of paint thinner. I am going to try using craft acrylics which I can purchase in bigger bottles at the local dollar store. This isn't ideal, but I think it will work and is a better bang for our buck.
The kids will supply their own model kits.
I hope this helps a little....and good luck!!!!

Some great advice there, Spray. I am a founder member and still Chairman of a group founded in 1980. The most important point from all the comments given is to be sure there is a fixed programme for each time the group meets. Leaving it loose with no set agenda is the guickest way to lose members. Have the committee meet on a day before the club meeting and set an agenda and have a chairman who can keep the meeting running will ensure that there are lots of things going on for the benefit of the members. That's why they come along - they want to be educated/entertained/informed, and a full programme will keep them interested.
Good luck!

What a great idea, and a fantastic way to get young modelers into the hobby. I don't have many suggestions to give in terms of club set up, as Gringe 88 had many excellent suggestions.

But I do have some suggestions to offer in terms of working with young people. I am a teacher, and have taught Junior High for 16 years. The age group you're targeting are one of the best to work with. Very energetic and enthusiastic once their attention is focused. So, in the interest of getting a successful club off the ground, here's a few simple tips for dealing with12-16 year olds.

1. Set up for success. Kids can get discouraged very easily, so make sure you set club goals and project goals that can be achieved easily by all members. Break up the big group builds into small portions that even the least experienced can handle. That way, each member will be encouraged to keep coming back and the club will grow.

2. Seriously consider bringing in more experienced modelers. Perhaps there is a chapter of the IPMS near you. Have them in to give "how to" sessions. That way the members will feel they are getting something out of the club, and you will see a growth in the level of skill within the club. That's one of the reasons I joined, and I'm over 40!

3. Get as much structure into your club as possible. Gringe's suggestion to have a club executive is an excellent first step. The routines and proceedures need to be very clearly spelled out. You'd think these kids don't like structure, but the opposite is true. Most of the time, kids just want to know what the rules are, so if you can be as clear as possible as to what is expected in terms of behavior, participation and the benefits of membership, then the chances of success are even greater.

4. You older guys MUST take the younger ones under your wing, and provide the leadership. It's called mentorship. The younger guys are going to be shy and nervous, which tends to manifest itself in some wierd behavior sometimes. So, you have to make sure you include the more junior members as much as possible. If not, you'll lose these kids, and the future of your club will thus be less certain.

Well, I hope I don't sound to preachy (or teachy) and I suppose alot of this may seem self evident, but you'd be surprised! I offer this advice only because I think your idea is an excellent one. I ran a "model club" at the school I taught at early in my teaching career, and it was great to start with. Attendance started to drop off as the year progressed. So these are some of the things I would have done differently. I wish you all the success. Oh, and check an IPMS affiliation. IPMS Canada (the "air cadet" thing was a tip off eh) has a site and contact information were you might be able to get more tips on how to set up a successful club. GOOD LUCK!

P.S. I almost forgot. It's sometimes easy to forget just how "fragile" kids can be, especially when you see them acting up. Please be very careful on how criticism is dealt with. Find the positive in their efforts, no matter how hard you have to look. NEVER say anything negative. Remember, they're just kids and trying their best. For some of them, just showing up with a model is a HUGE step and a personal risk. Be gentle, and they'll come back.

another word of advice here spray: just post a question ONCE! i think ive come across this thing on a couple other forums. just try posting certain questions in the forum most related to your topic. this would go well in the odds 'n ends forum, we all stop there once n a while. just a word of advice ( ok a little bit more sorry

Hey there!! nice ta meet ya! glad to see another junior here, and with such a great idea!! I've worked with my model club's kid build project for 2 years now, so maybe I can help. let's see...

set up a time schedule. my group meets once a month. check which days are most convienent for your group.

set up a time-table for meetings or gatherings. i.e.- starts at (whenever), first orders of business (i.e. projects, group builds, contests, meeting schedules, please would someone contact such-and-such about whatever, sort of the club's political aspect if you know what I mean.

maybe you could set up something like a government , with a club head, a second in command for whent he chief's not there, a treasurer if you'll have a member fee or something, stuff like what you had for a class government... (if you do create a government, dont forget to involve all the members in it, like by having votes on certain topics or elections) ( by the way, no, im not on a crusade to spread democracy everywhere, its just an effective form of governmen in this case). this might go along with the government of the club, having certain age members, elgiible for certain positions in the group. I'd guess this also goes along with the whole leadership ideas that such paramilitary (for lack of better wordage) try to build in their members (another good reason for the club, to explain to your superiors in your RCAC group) like the scouts and CAP in the U.S.

set up some rules and regulations. no stealing, inappropriate actions toward another member, damaging another's models, along with the consequences of such infractions. suspension, monetary fines, community (club) work (i.e. must help in setting up contest or meeting rooms, cleaning up, etc...)

make sure to have emergency supplies with you for injuries, adult help nearby or within contact. if the clubs within your cadet group (i think we call it CAP, Civil Air Patrol, here in the U.S., but don't take my word on it...) then you might have adults and emergency stuff around.

having some adult supervision is always a good idea. just for assistance in control, medical emergencies, assistance with whatever. have the older members be responsible leaders. make sure that they help the younger members in builds and such.

you might like to set up things like badges for group builds, and awards for contests, to promote the members to stay with it. (again something where having a government with a treasurey would greatly help. sales of some kind, dues from the members, would probably help in paying for such things, and the government heads could organize it)

I hope i didn't overwhelm you with this stuff. its up to you if you'd like to implement it. maybe your groups not big enoguh right now for a government to even be necessary. These are just some of the things that appear to be good aspects of my groups organization. hope you find at least some of it helpful.

see ya round the forums. and good luck...