Charles, that’s a great idea. Starting an inter-tribal club is a great way to bring people together and make a large school seem smaller. It’s not that hard to do, and it could have an awesome payoff in the end.
You might want to consider talking with someone at the principal’s office first to explain your idea. Find out if an inter-tribal club existed in the past and if so why it ended. Also ask for advice on how to start a club at your school. This can be useful information, plus it lets people in your school’s administration know your plans. Most schools are welcoming to clubs so the process shouldn’t be too hard. Plus it would be great if your club had an ally in the administration.
Next, you will probably need a sponsor or adviser for your club (like a teacher), who will be responsible for the groups’ activities. Pick someone who you think you could work with well and who would appeal to a lot of students.
After that you’ll need to advertise. Figure out the best way to advertise at your school. It may be a combination of school bulletin announcements, flyers, and word-of-mouth. Also get food and tell people there will be food: people always come to meetings when there is something delicious!
At your first meeting, you might want to start out by discussing why people think having the group is important. You can brainstorm things your club would like to do this year, and set goals for what you would like to work towards.
After you’ve started your group, let us know what your club is up to. You can submit photos or video of your club events on We R Native, so others can see what you are doing and get ideas for what they can do at their school.
Hope this helps Charles!
Good luck, Auntie
