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So you want to start a Support Group?
The first thing you need at ask yourself is these questions:
Do I have time to do one more thing? This is a real consideration. Do you have the time? If you are feeling run ragged….perhaps this is not the time to start a new project. Are you expecting a new baby in three months?….then….get off your feet, Honey, and let someone else start the support group! LOL
Is there a support group in your area already? There is only one support group in my area. The membership has ebbed and flowed. There have been attempts at making new support groups, but there just aren’t enough people to support two support groups in this area. Clicks begin to form and people get their feelings hurt. We, the long term homeschoolers in the area, have put up a great truce on certain issues and come together as a whole to work together nicely. Religious practices have been made a none issue at larger meetings.
If no…..are there enough interested people for a support group? Check amongst the other homeschoolers that you know and ask if they’d be interested in a support group. You could also ask them what they would like to see in a support group. This will give you some idea of where the focus will be in the new support group. Ask to see if there has ever been a support group in your area. There may have been. Try to contact the person who ran the support group and ask why it is no longer operating.
If yes….Are there problems in the existing group that make it unfit for your needs? There has to be a reason why you want to start your own group if there is already a group formed.
Is the group too restrictive religiously? Within every major religion, there are sub groups. You join a Christian Homeschool Group. The group is mainly Catholic and you are Pentecostal.
Is the group so large that is hard to feel a bond with anyone? Sometimes when a support group starts out…there is a rather tight bond within the beginning members. If the group becomes popular….the group may out grow itself. It may loose the personal feeling that it once had.
Is the group not meeting your needs? The group geared toward day to day “coffee talk” and you need curriculum help….or vice versa. The group geared toward the practice of a particular religion and it’s not the religion that your family follows…..you’d like more guidance in homeschooling in your chosen religion. You are new and need more new comer advice….your current group is mainly veterans….or vice versa. Your group is made up of mostly elementary aged children….you have high schoolers or vice versa. You are using packaged curriculum and much of your group Unschools.
Is there anyone that you would like or would like to co-found a group with? It is difficult to run a support group on your own. Things come up in life and you may need a break. Rather than let all your hard work go down the drain if you have a car accident or something….start it with someone else. This also gives them the security of knowing they can do the same. Two heads are always better than one…..as long as the heads get along well in general. Pick someone that you already have had the change to work with. If you and this person work well together, than this would be a good partner. If the person that you have the chance to start a group with doesn’t work well with you or with others in general….save yourself some frustration and don’t start the group at this time. Running a group can be hard at times and it’s nice to know that it doesn’t rest ONLY on your shoulders.
Are you a leader? Some people are not born leaders.
Do you want to be? I am often called to be a leader. I am pretty good at being a leader. But, I really don’t like being a leader. I often take the leadership position, but I always end up resenting it. You need to want to start and run a support group. Do not do it just because someone told you you’d be good at it.
What do you hope to get, give, or do with the support group? You need to have a clear view of what you intend to accomplish with your support group. If you need a group where you can go to talk out your frustrations about the day to day problems of homeschooling your child….then that’s what the support group will mainly be for. If you want a group that shares curriculum ideas and teaching techniques, then that’s what the focus will be. If you want a group to run an informational phone tree to keep people up on the latest trips and get-to-gethers than that’s what your focus would be. Write down all the things that you like and dislike about the current support group. You’ll want to “take” the positive things with you to your new group. Leave the list of dislikes behind….they are only to guide you. You don’t want to start your group on a negative note. “we aren’t going to do it THAT way anymore”….kinda thing. Anger will never give you enough energy to see a project of this size, through.
So you STILL want to start a Support Group?
Make a list of the things that you like about your current support group.
Include everything. Even….I like the coffee cake that Martha always
brings, I like the room that it’s in, Bobby’s mom always plays
with the little kids so I can talk for a while, etc.…..it’s OK
to like Martha’s coffee cake! LOL
Make a list of the things that you do not like about your current support group. Include everything. Even….I really don’t like that Wendy lady….she gives my kids the creeps. Be very honest with yourself….it’s OK if you don’t like Wendy…but she runs the support group….so it matters.
Do your homework! Do some research into whether there would be a need for the type of support group that you would like to start. Ask the homeschoolers that you know if the current support group is meeting their needs. Be careful not to step on any toes or make people angry. Choose your words wisely. You will want to be friends with the other support groups in your area….not bitter rivals.
Find out where your meetings can be held. If your group is very small, the meetings can be held at someone’s house. Maybe have a rotating sign up schedule so one person doesn’t always have to play hostess. Local churches often let non profit groups use their facilities. Non religious groups can often use school facilities after school hours. Some school districts don’t like homeschoolers, so if you get a no, drop it.
Make a list of local people that are willing to do a tour of their business for field trips, local government offices that will do tours, local attractions that would be willing to give group discounts to homeschoolers.
Make a list of what people want. Do they want field trips? Do they want to do group curriculum writing?
Compile your data. Does your list of what you want out of a support group come close to the list of what others want? If not…..rethink your idea of starting a support group. You will not be happy putting your valuable time and energy into a project that you will be unhappy with the outcome. If you want to go head on into field trips and the members of your support group want coffee talk…..well, you are going to be ultimately unhappy with the outcome.
Does your idea of a support group match others? Are they interested in your ideas? Then move on to the next section.
So you are going to start a Support Group?
Take the data from the last section. These are your rough notes that lead
you in the right direction.
There are many types of Support Groups:
Coffee Talk- This would be a group that has very little planning. Homeschoolers just get together and shoot the breeze. You could make the meetings on a schedule once a week or once a month on a set schedule or just whenever anybody wants to. This type of group doesn’t need much space for meetings…..someone’s house usually works quite well.
Activity Planning- This type of group requires much more planning. You will need to find a meeting place for discussions…this could be at someone’s home. Ask: What activities do people want to do? You don’t want to plan a trip to the local zoo if everyone has recently been there. Bring a list of suggested activities to the first meeting and pass it around for others to add their suggestions. If someone has an idea….ask them if they would be in charge of setting that activity up. For group craft days, you will most likely want to find a hall or other large room to meet in. Be sure to clean up after yourself when using someone’s facilities.
Religious- This would be a group for the specific practice of your religion. I strongly suggest that if this is going to be a “Christian” group, that you lay some ground rules as to what can be discussed and what cannot. There are as many Christian factions as there are Christians. Not all of the Christian factions work well together. This will need to be your personal call….I could write a book…..but it would still be your call.
Play Groups- This is a group devoted to getting kids together to play and interact with each other. Not school….play. This group needs no meeting place other than the local park. You could get very involved and plan volleyball, baseball, basketball games. It snows where I live, so we meet and go sledding.
Discussion Groups- This type of group is for those that want a place to discuss topics of interest. The topics could range from current changes in Homeschool laws, political, religious…or topic of the day. Again, someone’s home is usually a good place to start. Pick a topic….so people can do their homework on that topic….and pick a time and a place to meet. I would suggest writing down some ground rules….us homeschoolers get heated sometimes! LOL
Co-Op- This group is for homeschoolers that are in need of swapping time or talents. “I am no good at math, but I am good at English”. You can trade time. On Tuesdays Fran has the Hendersons, the Ryans and the Martins for math class. On Thursdays Marsha has all of them for music class, on every other Wednesday, Laura has the bunch for French class, etc.
