SCHOOLHIGH GUIDEBOOK

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WELCOME Table of Contents Dear Pro-Life Student Leader,

Students for Life of America is a non-profit organization dedicated to assisting and training pro-life students across America. Our mission is to identify, educate, and equip pro-life students to abolish abortion in our lifetime.

Our team has created this High School Guidebook as astarting point and resource for you, a student who can lead other young people to stand for Life. We hope it will encourage you, give you a practical starting point, and help you to create a vision for what you can accomplish at your school and in your community.

Please know that our full-time team at SFLA is here to help you every step of the way as part of this nationwidemovement to abolish abortion.

Since abortion became legal in 1973, over 56 million babies have been killed. That is one-fourth of our generation lost. This is our battle, and with your help, we will abolish abor-tion in our lifetime.

For Life,

Kristan J. Hawkins President

Dear Parents and Youth Ministers,

You are instrumental in the organization of a successful Students for Life group. While many students are self-sufficient and may not be very dependent on adults, others require their parents’ support in activities outside the home. This assistance can range from the need for transportation to some guidance in decision making. Parents and youth ministers should also be prepared to counsel and advise students in the aftermath of exposure to certain experiences (such as a day outside of an abortion facility). In all of this, you should know that your children will be positively enriched by their involvement with Students for Life.

At Students for Life of America, we encourage active participation between youth and their parents and mentors. As young people continue to come alongside of you, they will develop personal ownership of their work as they fight for a truly just cause. Thank you for raising such a wonderful child!

For Life,

Kristan J. Hawkins President

Getting Started 3 Resources and Trainings 4-5Legal Rights 6-7Vision and Mission Statement 8Constitution 9-10Leadership Positions 11-12 Interest Meeting 13 Plan Your Year 14Budget and Fundraising 15Events 16-17Sign Up and Attendance Sheets 18Leadership Transitions 19Retaining Members 20Student Testimonies 21

Contact UsStudents for Life of America

9900 Courthouse Rd. Spotsylvania, VA 22553

540-834-4600 info@studentsforlife.orgwww.studentsforlife.org

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GETTING STARTEDThe task of starting a club can be intimidating, but don’t worry, we have your back! Here’s a list of things to do to get your new Students for Life group up and going!

Contact Students for Life of America We have Regional Coordinators all over the nationwhose sole purpose is to help you start and maintain your student group. Email info@studentsforlife.org to find out who is in your area to help!

Find Fellow Pro-Life Students Find at least three other pro-life students to help you start your group. Talk to your friends about helping, and visit other clubs in your school where you would be likely to find pro-life students. Also, look on Facebook for peers with similar interests. These core members will be the people who help build your group and provide the necessary manpower to make your efforts successful.

Pick a Name What do you want to call your club? Pick name that adequately describes your group, but make sure it’s clear and professional, such as “Students for Life of Smith High School” or “Smith High School Students for Life.” You can also use your mascot and create a name like, “Raiders for Life.”

Find an AdviserIn order to be an official club at your school, you will need an adviser. This is usually an adult who works at the school. Be clear about the club’s expectation for the adviser when asking for them to be involved. Are you simply looking for a place to hold meetings? Or do you want the adviser to be actively involved in your club? Be sure to communicate your intention with the club and make sure the adviser is on the same page before committing. If you are having trouble finding anadviser, contact teachers who oversee religious or conservative clubs. You can also ask youradministration to assign your club an adviser.

Draft a Constitution and Mission StatementSee pages 8-10 for a sample constitution and mission statement.

Talk to Your Administration Once you have fellow students, an adviser, and a rough draft of your constitution and mission statement, follow your school’s protocol to become an official student group. If you have to meet with your principal, be sure to take another student or your adviser with you. Keep a copy of any paperwork you turn in and document every time you meet with your administration and what is said. If your principal or other administration denies your club, see page 7 for how to proceed. *Note that if you attend a public school, you cannot be denied the right to have a pro-life club.

Plan Your First Meeting After receiving approval for your club, it’s time to have an interest meeting! Set a date, time, and location of the meeting and begin advertising for the club. Be sure to pick a location that will be convenient and comfortable for students. Put up flyers around your school withinformation about your club and invite students to come to the meeting. Visit other clubs and ask to make announcements at their meetings about your Students for Life club. Ask your SFLA Regional Coordinator for a sample meeting agenda and tips on how to run aneffective meeting.

Create Facebook, Twitter, and otherSocial Media Accounts In order to ensure that your group is visible, be sure to create a Facebook page, as well as other social media accounts. Assign one member to update the social media accounts regularly. Be sure to post any events you are doing, as well as pictures afterwards! People love to see your activities. It can help you grow in members, as well as find adults who would be willing to contributefinancially.

HOST AN EVENT!Now that the club is up and running, start hosting events! See page 16 for the suggested sequence of events for new groups.

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RESOURCES & TRAINING

Being a new group can feel overwhelming: Where do we start? How do we get resources? We want to make it as easy as possible for you to become an active pro-life leader at your school and grow your club. SFLA has created a number of different free trainings and resources to help educate and equip you to become an effective pro-life activist!

*Please note, you must be an active student group to receive free resources from Students for Life of America.*

Trainings • Apologetics: Dialoguing with Abortion Advocates• Pro-Life Activism • Developing Your Leaders• How to Talk about Abstinence • Embracing the Controversy of Abortion• Recruiting and Retaining Members • Planning Your Year • Planned Parenthood’s Abortion Business• Fundraising for Your Group

Topic Cards We have topic cards for all of the tough questions! You can request any number of the topic cards to hand out at events and counter demonstrations, use for tabling, and distribute throughout your school. Email SFLA at info@studentsforlife.org to order as many as you need.

• What about the Life and Health of the Mother?• What about Rape and Incest? • What does Planned Parenthood have Planned for You? • Dispelling the Myths about “Safe Sex” • Does Overpopulation Justify Abortion?• Has Legal Abortion Really Helped Women? • And MORE!

Event-in-a-Box Each month during the school year, SFLA releases a new theme for the month, along with resources (flyers, event and speaker suggestions, talking points, and other marketing materials) that your group can order and use at your school. The monthly boxes are announced in an easy-to-access blog post at highschool.studentsforlife.org/event-in-a-box.

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RESOURCES & TRAINING

Download, Customize, and Print Flyers for your Events! SFLA offers a number of flyers that your group can customize and print to fit your needs. Visit highschool.studentsforlife.org/flyers and click on the flyers for a high resolution and printable image. Print these out and use them at your school! (If there are flyers that you would like us to create, send your suggestions to info@studentsforlife.org.)

Get One-on-One Support from your SFLA Team! Students for Life of America has an expert team of professionals to help students, wherever you live! Our team is available to you! We are here to help you by offering one-on-one support for your group. Check out our team page to find the SFLA team member nearest you: highschool.studentsforlife.org/where-our-team-is-located.

SFLA’s Thaddeus Stevens Leadership Fellowship The Thaddeus Stevens Fellowship has been developed to raise the next generation of pro-life leadership. The Fellowship trains high school student pro-life activists to be leaders at their schools (and beyond) and helps network those student leaders with their counterparts in the national pro-life movement to help further develop their skills. Simply put, the SFLA Stevens Leadership Fellowship is the training you need for a future in the pro-life movement!

For more information on theThaddeus Stevens Fellowship, visit highschool.studentsforlife.org/ste-

vens-leadership-fellowship/.

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LEGAL RIGHTSAs the pro-life student movement has grown, discrimination by public school administrations has become more frequent. Students trying to start a club or host events as an active club are constantly being censored by their principals, teachers, and other school officials.

Denying acceptance of your club on any grounds, including but not limited to:• It’s too “offensive”• It’s “religious”• It will “disrupt the learning environment” Forcing your group to be a committee in a religious orconservative club, instead of its own independent club.

Making your club undergo more approval requirements than other clubs.

Prohibiting your club to participate in the same activities as other clubs, including:• Flyering• Tabling• Literature distribution• Hosting speaker• Fundraising

Restricting you from accessing student activities funds that are available to other student groups.

Bottom Line: If you attend a public school, your administration cannot censor you or place higher standards on you in any way. This includes:

If you are facing any of the above situations, or you suspect you are being discriminated against, contact Students

for Life of America immediately at legalhelp@studentsforlife.org.

We have free legal counsel readily available for students to ensure your first amendment rights at your public school.

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LEGAL RIGHTSIf you think you are experiencing discrimination, please follow the directions below:

Document Everything• Keep logs of every conversation you have with your

school officials concerning your club. Include the date, who was present, and the outcome of the meeting.

• Keep any emails sent to you from your administration concerning your club.

• Keep a photocopy of all documents you turn into your administration.• After meeting with administrators, send a follow-up

email to confirm what was discussed and decided.

Always Attend Meetings with your Administration in Pairs• You can take a fellow member or your adviser, but always have at least two people representing your club in every meeting.• If you do not have someone to attend the meetings with

you, reschedule.• One person should be taking notes in any meeting.

Ask for the Denial in Writing• Whether it is for starting your club, hosting an event,

or flyering, have the administration give you their denial in writing. This can be a letter or an email. You can send them a letter or email asking for permission once again and place a time constraint on the reply. For example:

Remember, if you are experiencing

discrimination from your public school officials, contact Students for Life of America

immediately at legalhelp@studentsforlife.org.

Dear Mr. Smith, I have recently inquired about starting a Students for Life club at Jones High School. After some research, I believe it is well within my first amendment rights to start and facilitate a pro-life club at our public school. Please reply in writing to grant or deny our club’s ability to function as an official student group at Jones High School by August 1st at 3pm. If no reply is given by this date, it will be considered a denial. Thank you for your time.

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VISION & MISSION STATEMENTSIt is important that your club has vision and mission statements. Your potential, current, and future members need to know exactly what your Students for Life group is all about! Your vision and mission statements need to be written down and kept with your club documents.

VisionThe following questions can help you develop a vision:

• What do we want to accomplish short term and long term?• Where do we want to be a year from now?• How do we want to impact our high school and community?• What kinds of activities are appropriate for our group?

Write a short paragraph explaining what you want the group to become and share it with your club. Use it as a reference as you plan events and measure your success. Establishing a common vision is important so that you can keep your group on track and everyone on the same page. You do not want your group to become disillusioned because the group is not what members expected it to be.

Mission StatementAs you are planning your vision, write out a mission statement to give your group a steady focus. The mission statement tells people how your group aims to achieve your vision.

Here is an example you can use:

“The mission of Jones High School Students for Life is to establish an active pro-life culture among the youth of our community by educating our peers on life

and by actively promoting the right to life for all persons (pre-born and born).”

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CONSTITUTION Developing a constitution can be overwhelming. But don’t worry, we have a sample constitution your group can adapt to make their own! Be sure to read through the whole document and make sure it matches your group’s needs.

(Your School) Students for Life Constitution of (Your School) Students for Life (Date)Article 1: NameThe name of this organization is (your club name).

Article 2: Mission (Insert your mission statements here) “The mission of Jones High School Students for Life is to establish an active pro-life culture among the youth of our community by educating our peers on life and by actively promoting the right to life for all persons (pre-born and born).”

Article 3: Members Section 1 – (Your Group Name) is open to all (Your School) students, faculty and staff. No (Your School) student, faculty, or staff, may be denied membership on the basis of race, sex, religion, ethnicity, national origin, color, age, or disability. Section 2 – To become members, one must request membership verbally or via e-mail to president, vice-president, or other executive officer. Members must provide adequate contact information and attend (#) meetings. Section 3 – If official membership requirements specified in Section 2 cannot be fulfilled, a minimum of three officers may consent to dismiss the requirement(s) for an individual to allow that individual official membership.

Article 4: OfficersSection 1 – The officers will include a president, vice president… (List your officers here. See pages 11-12 for examples of officer positions and descriptions). Section 2 – Officers will hold office for one school year (August–May), starting and ending at 12:00 pm on the last day of classes for the spring semester. For the first year of existence, officers will be appointed. No officer should hold any position for more than two school years. However, they do have the option of running for another office after their two years are over.Section 3 – Roles of Officers: List officer positions and their main responsibilities.Section 4 – The impeachment of any officer can only occur when two-thirds majority of official members are present to vote for impeachment, or a unanimous vote is reached by officers. Officers must clearly state the reasoning for impeachment and take a secret vote. Grounds for impeachment can include violence against another member or other students, lying, inappropriate speech or actions, etc. Section 5 – In addition to the officer positions, it is at the president’s discretion to appoint students to committees to coordinate specific events or activities. Section 6 - Officers who maintain or advocate points of view regarding abortion and other life issues and practices that are contrary to (Name’s) mission and stated goals, will be removed from their office until the bahavoior and or/unorthodox views are corrected. The voting memers are responsible for removing and reinstating officers who pertain to this section. Removal and reinstatement require two-thirds majority vote of the voting members.

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CONSTITUTION

Article 5: ElectionsSection 1 – Elections of officers will take place at an election meeting to be held once a year during the spring semester, at least one month before the last day of classes. Section 2 – Any official member may be nominated for office or nominate oneself. Section 3 – Members who are running for office must be nominated and accept their nomination at the nomination meeting, which shall occur a minimum of one week prior to the election meeting. Section 4 – Officers must be elected by a simple majority via secret ballot. Only active members are eligible to vote. Members must be present to vote. Section 5 – Elections must be announced at least 2 weeks prior to them being held and advertised through all official group commnuication channels. Section 6 - If any officer decides to step down, nominations will be accepted at the next meeting and a new officer will be elected one meeting later. Section 7 – In the case of no persons to fill the role of president or vice-president, an interim will be appointed by the previous president. The interim president will hold the position until the fall semester and new elections can be held. The interim president will have no authority to hold the position after two months of the new semester has passed and can be removed from their office at any point by the adviser or executive board.

Article 6: Adviser An adviser will serve at the request of the president for as long as he or she is willing. However, if the group finds that the adviser is not in agreement with the vision and mission statement provided in the constitution, the executive board may vote to request a new advisor and must win by a two-thirds majority.

Article 7: MeetingsSection 1 – The president must call a meeting at least once a month during the fall and spring semesters. Any official member may call a meeting through the consent of the president and two officers. Section 2 – The secretary (or other assigned officer) will pass around a sign-in sheet and will keep minutes on the meeting.

Article 8: Independence(Your Group Name) is not associated with any national, statewide, or local groups.

Article 9: AmendmentsIn order to amend the constitution, an amendment should be submitted to the president or at least two officers. At the next meeting, the president, or the two officers, will announce the proposal and a vote will take place by secret ballot. Two-thirds of the official group members must be present to vote and a majority is necessary for approval.

LEADERSHIP POSITIONS

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It is important that your group has a strong core group of leaders. This is known as your executive board. The executive board consists of your main officers and committee leaders. This will help keep your group structured and organized. As your group grows, you can add positions to your core, but it is important that you have at least a president, vice president, treasurer, and secretary. Below are some sample descriptions of what positions you can have and what their responsibilities can be. Executive BoardPresident• Provides vision and direction, short-term and long-term• Oversees all other officers and helps them carry out their duties• Delegates tasks among officers and members• Runs meetings• Is the public face of the organization• Ensures all tasks are completed - If someone else drops the ball, the president's job is to pick up the slack.• Sees that at least one officer meets individually with potential members• Motivates other members Vice President• Assists the president in managing officers and members• Fills in for president when needed• Helps plan events• Meets every new attendee at meetings• Helps president develop ideas• Manages committees (Note: Some larger groups have two vice presidents who split duties and assist the president in managing the group.) Treasurer• Manages finances• Coordinates fundraising by organizing events• Tracks donors and writes thank you notes• Develops budget and turns into Student Activities• Solicits Student Activities’ Funds• Pays bills• Keeps track of all banking information

LEADERSHIP POSITIONS

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Secretary• Keeps minutes of meetings• Contacts and encourages inconsistent members• Sends updates to SFLA; we love to hear how you’re doing!• Backs up all picture and files in multiple places Public Relations/Communications Coordinator• Makes life and abortion a topic of debate at the school• Takes pictures/videos of events• Manages social media accounts - Keeps track of all login information for social media, email accounts, and websites• Handles media (local news, school newspaper, etc.)• Develops relationships with local, regional, and national pro-life organizations, along with president• Partners with other pro-life friendly groups, advertises to them and through them Faculty AdviserThe faculty adviser supports and directs the group. He or she will typically attend meetings, assist in organization, mediate with administration, and participate in events. The faculty adviser can be the mediator if a dispute arises between officers or members.

INTEREST MEETINGNow that you have approval from your school, you have drafted your constitution and mission statement, and you’ve begun advertising for you club, it’s time to have an interest meeting!

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Be sure to choose a time and place that is convenient for as many students as possible. If you can provide pizza or desserts, it will entice more students to attend. Make a flyer that is simple and clear, stating the name of your club, the date, time, and location of the interest meeting, your group contact information (create a group email account so you are not advertising your personal information), and that will you will providing dinner or desserts! Hang up your flyers with ample time for students to plan for it, preferrably about one week in advance.

Create an agenda for yourself and the other leaders who will attend to keep the meeting organized and running on time. (See below for a meeting agenda.)

Sample Meeting Agenda:

I. Introduce yourself and other students who are helping start the club a. Have each person say their name, grade, and why they are interested in the pro-life club. b. Pass around a clipboard for everyone in attendance to sign in with their name, grade, email address, and phone number. (SFLA has a sample sign in sheet on page 18.)

II. Explain your vision for the club and what you would like to accomplish as a student group. a. What events and activities would you like to do to accomplish this? b. Ask for different event and campaign ideas from the group.

III. Poll the students on the best time to meet and what interests them the most. a. Make sure your official meeting time as a club is convenient for as many students as possible. Take this time to ask the potential members when they would prefer to meet and how often. (Twice per month is the suggested amount.) b. Ask the students for their areas of interest. Do you have students that are more interested in apologetics or pregnancy resources? Make a note of it so you can be sure to include them when you host an event they would be interested in or give them opportunities to lead new outreaches and projects.

IV. Set aside some time for people to ask questions about the club.

V. Set a date and time for your next meeting and decide on your first event. (See the pages 16 and 17 for suggested events for new clubs.)

VI. Eat and socialize! a. Make time to get to know the people who came! Play a game or have an ice breaker so that students feel they have connected with each other.

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PLAN YOUR YEAR One of the key aspects of a successful group is planning ahead! Before the school year, or as your group is forming, sit down with your adviser and other club leaders to plan your year. This is simply to create a structure and should be flexible. Ask your Regional Coordinator for a Plan Your Year Guide to help!

How to Make a Plan

1. Use your SFLA Plan Your Year Guide or another calendar to mark the following dates:• Freshman Orientation• First day of class• All major holidays, breaks, or school events (football games, homecoming, etc.)• Exam week• Last day of class

2. Next, fill in all national pro-life events and campaigns, such as:• Respect Life/LifeChain Sunday• National Day of Silent Solidarity• Pro-Life Cupcake Day• Fall and Spring 40 Days for Life Campaign• March for Life• Students for Life National Conference• Students for Life Regional Leadership Summit• Pro-Life T-shirt Day• National Pro-Life Chalk Day• National Community Baby Shower Day• National Adoption Day• Elections

3. Now that you have an idea of what your year will look like, propose a few meeting times. Do you want to meet twice a month? What day of the week works best for the majority of members? What time? Go ahead and mark your meeting times on your calendar so that everyone can plan ahead.

4. Next, plan recruitment events for the beginning, middle, and end of the school year. Have a tabling display or event specifically aimed at recruiting new members. Plan to attend club activities fairs for incoming freshmen! (See pages 16-17 for information on how to recruit.)

5. Most importantly, set goals for events. We recommend that your group has at least one event per month. This can include a flyering campaign, a baby item drive or baby shower, a fetal development display, etc. (See page 16- 17 for more event ideas.) Propose at least two days per month for possible events and ask your members what best fits with their schedules. Solidify those dates as soon as possible so the group can plan.

When deciding on events, use your vision and mission statement to guide your discussion. What events can you do that will help you

accomplish your goal? This keeps your group focused and makes event planning easier.

If you want to host a speaker, show a pro-life movie, or find more ideas on exciting pro-life

events, visit highschool.studentsforlife.org.

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BUDGETING & FUNDRAISINGBudgeting and fundraising can sound intimidating but can be very simple. Having a budget and fundraising plan will ensure that there will be money to do important events throughout the year.Creating a BudgetThe key to budgeting is to plan ahead. To help develop your budget, consult your group calendar listing all the events that your group is hosting or events your group will be attending. You will need to project the cost of each event (including supplies needed, food, gas, lodging, etc.)Make sure that you anticipate events costing more than you expect. It is possible that events will come up during the year that you did not plan and your group will need finances to participate. Check with other pro-life or active groups in your area to get an idea of what they generally spend per year on certain items. Throughout the year, it is very important that you refer to your budget before and after every event that you host. During your first year, it may be difficult to project costs correctly, but it is important to keep a record of everything you spend. That way you will have a better idea of how much you will need to plan for the following year. FundraisingFundraising isn’t nearly as daunting as it seems and is a key part to your work in abolishing abortion. Don’t worry, you aren’t begging people for money. You are giving them the opportunity to work alongside you in the greatest human rights struggle our world has ever known. Regardless of the type of fundraising you choose to do, the most important thing you can do is understand and appreciate your donors. For more information on how to connect with potential donors, ask your SFLA regional coordinator for help or request an SFLA Activism Kit.

Here are a few ways to fundraise:

Find Personal Contacts – Every member of your group should start by collecting the names, phone numbers, e-mail addresses and mailing addresses of family and friends. Contact them to see if they would be willing to help you save lives by investing in your pro-life group.

Contact Local Churches – Visit your local churches and ask if they would like to partner with you to educate your peers and save lives at your school. Be sure to present them with clear goals and contact information. You can also ask for a time to take a special collection after a few services.

Call former students and local businesses – Contact former members and ask if they are willing to help the group! Tell them how the group is continuing to grow and impact your school and ask them to come alongside your group. You can also ask local businesses, especially those who are family-run or religious. Contact them and see if they are willing to help you financially or donate food or office supplies to be used at your meetings.

Hold a fundraising event – You can plan an event specifically focused on raising money for your group, such as bake sales, concerts, carwashes, etc. These events can also serve as anadvertisement for your group!

Partner with local pro-life organizations – Ask local pro-life organizations to sponsor your group or even co-host an event with you.

Remember, always promptly thank everyone who gives you a donation! Ask for contact information when collecting money so that you can send them a personalized thank you card. Keep donors up to date with what your group is accomplishing and invite them to events, no matter how big or small. If you need help developing a fundraising plan, or want more tips and advice, ask your SFLA Regional Coordinator!

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EVENTSAs a new group, it is important to start engaging your school immediately. Don't wait! The purpose of your club is to educate your peers and ultimately abolish abortion. You need to be visible at your school from the get-go and start dialogues about abortion. When people talk about abortion, we win!

Here are a few event ideas (listed in the order we recommend for new groups to have them) that are simple and easy, and will help your group gain momentum:

Flyering Campaign Post flyers around your school on a specific theme. For example, basic abortion statistics, fetal development, or Planned Parenthood’s abortion business. Visit highschool.studentforlife.org/flyers for pre-made, downloadable flyers you can use! Be sure to add your groups contact information at the bottom!

Host an Apologetics Training Ask your Regional Coordinator or a local pro-life leader to come and teach your group dialoguing skills. It is crucial that your members are comfortable talking to other students about abortion and that they feel prepared to answer the hard questions.

“When Does Life Begin?” Display Use a bulletin board, hang a large sheet of paper in a high traffic area of your hallway, or set up a display during lunch. Draw a line representing fetal development and fill in descriptions of the baby’s growth in the appropriate places. Have a member standing with the display between classes and during the lunch period. Ask students to put a Post-it note by the stage where they think life begins. Based on their answer, your members can start a dialogue about the humanity of the pre-born. You can request SFLA’s Fetal Development Topic Cards to distribute at this event.

Prayer Vigil/Memorial Service at Local Abortion Facility Pick a date and time that is convenient for the majority of your members. Drive to the nearest abortion facility and spend a set amount of time in prayer or silent reflection. Be sure to use inclusive language and help all your group members, regardless of their religious affliation, feel like they can participate. Download our sample memorial service program at http://highschool.studentsforlife.org/how-to-organize-a-prayer-vigil-at-an-abortion-clinic/

EVENTS

Cupcakes and TriviaLet's face it, everyone loves cupcakes! Set up a table during the lunch period and provide freecupcakes to everyone who answers a question about abortion correctly. Be sure to have a sign-up sheet and information about your club at the table as well.

ChalkingAsk your school for permission or find public sidewalks and write life-affirming messages on them! This is a fun and creative way to get students active! Be sure to write contact information for your local pregnancy center or post-abortive recovery counseling centers.

Volunteer at your Local Pregnancy Resource CenterCall your local Pregnancy Resource Center and ask if you can bring a group of students by for a volunteer day. This can include yard work, office duties, or babysitting!

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For more advanced groups, host events like a Cemetery of the

Innocents, movie night, baby shower, diaper drive, and a day of silence!

Be sure to attend your local SFLA Regional Leadership Summit and

the National Students for Life Conference! For more information on

our National Conference, visit sflalive.org

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LEADERSHIP TRANSITIONSSuccessful leadership transtitions are crucial to your group’s long term ability to impact your school. You are building a movement and a legacy that will last long after you graduate. The key is to start early! Be on the look-out for upcoming leaders from day one. Finding Future LeadersOnce an officer knows he or she will be transitioning or graduating, they should begin to plan for a replacement. The transitioning officer should identify the potential leaders and begin working with them throughout the year in order for the transition to happen well. The transitioning officer should be training the new potential leaders for an extended amount of time before the transitioning officer has finished his or her time, in order to see that the new leadership is confident and ready to assume the leadership role. Delegate Tasks As a leader, you must know the importance and value of delegating tasks. Delegation take a great deal of trust and time up front, but in the long run, you will have members who have input and buy-in because of the trust you have placed in them through delegation. This not only builds up the clubs membership, but you will also have more committed members (See page 20). Elections Elections should take place in the spring semester. At the end of the fall semester, announce the election date and give a brief description of each position that will need to be filled. Invite members to begin thinking about a position for which they may want to run, and highlight the value the current officer and the position has brought to the club. Most clubs work best by electing certain positions and allowing the executive board to appoint the rest of the positions. Your club can decide what works best for your group. The president should be elected first, and then the other roles. This way if someone runs forpresident and is not elected, he or she is not prevented from seeking another position.

Candidates In the spring semester, current officers should focus on encouraging their replacements to take on more responsibilities and begin thinking about taking over a leadership role. Current officers should help potential officers realize their capacity to make an impact and nominations should be taken a week before the election.

Transition The new officers should receive their official responsibilites on the last day of classes, but begin to transition them into the role before the end of the school year. A transition time allows for new officers to learn and slowly take over the role from the current officers, which helps make a smooth transition.

Celebrate Find time as a club to celebrate the new officers and thank the ones who are graduating or moving out of a position. This is a fun time to socialize as a group and get to know members better.

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RETAINING MEMBERSRetention is a crucial part of your group’s success. Not only do you want to create an active group at your school, you want your pro-life club to last! Build RelationshipsThe most important factor to retaining members is developing relationships. Core team members should develop personal relationships with other group members so that each member feels welcomed and valued. By getting to know each person, the officers will be able to identify individual passions and strengths. These relationships will build community, and they will help bolster a positive attitude among your members. Have SocialsWhen a person gives her time and helps the club succeed, she deserves recognition. Building a bond between club members will increase their committment to the group. Be sure to thank members and to get to know them on a more personal level. One good way to do this is to have socials! Assign someone within the club to host and plan the event and use that time to get to know your group members. You can play games or make ice cream sundaes! But remember, this is not a time for business. Keep the social focused on celebrating your members and having fun! Leave the event planning and strategizing for a meeting. Socials should take place at least twice a semester. DelegateAnother good way to keep members involved is to delegate responsibility. When members have responsibility, they take ownership of the group and become more invested. Delegation requires leaders to come prepared to the meeting with an idea of what needs to be accomplished. Assign tasks to members according to their gifts and areas of interest. For example, if a student is good at math, ask her to help the treasurer with the budget! One common mistake when delegating is trying to delegate to anyone willing. The better technique is to use the personal relationships developed to assign tasks to the appropriate individual with the ability to get the job done. Your goal is to develop future leaders and activists by having individuals invest increasingly greater amounts of their time into something of which they will eventually take partial ownership. Once they begin to feel responsible, members will become morecommitted to your group’s success. If yourclub can develop the right culture and eventsto retain and develop members, it will always be growing and achieving greater success.

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STUDENT TESTIMONIESYou did it! Congratulations on starting a new club! Be sure to contact yourRegional Coordinator and tell us your success story! We love hearing how you are impacting your high school.

Here are a few testimonies from high school students, just like you! Sam B. - Conneticut “Learning how to better plan my year, coordinate members of my group, and how to be a better apologist and activist has helped me in all aspects of my pro-life activism. I learned much from other students, and have a great support community to refer to if I need advice or help on my group’s activism.”

Gabriel V. - Ohio “Students for Life of America has taught me so much and pushed me to always live to bring about a culture of life at my high school, in my community, and in my city.”

Kaitlynn W. - Arizona“Students for Life of America has helped me get a realistic glimpse into the movement which I hope to eventually work in and it has given me the training, knowledge, and connections I need to really be able to make a difference in my community.” Adam G. - Alabama“My SFLA Regional Coordinator has been by my side through my walk with starting my group. She has helped me a lot!”

We are so excited to embark on this journney with you to abolish abortion! You and your high school group are a part of the pro-life generation and will play a key role in abolishing abortion in our nation. Never give up! Stand strong in the face of adversity

and you will change your school culture, and ultimately bring a culture of life to America.

Let’s do it!

Students for Life of AmericaOFFERS

FREE TRAINING to your high school group!

WE CAN TRAIN YOUR GROUP IN ANY OF THE FOLLOWING TOPICS:

Pro-Life ActivismApologetics: Dialoguing about Abortion

Developing Your LeadersEmbracing the Controversy of Abortion

How to Talk about AbstinenceFundraising for your Group

Recruiting and Retaining MembersPlanning Your Year

Planned Parenthood’s Abortion Business

AND MORE!

Email us at info@studentsforlife.org or contact your Regional Coordinator to request a FREE training from SFLA!

Check out these awesome FREE publications from Human Life Alliance!

HLA publications are great for students to learn about important life issues and will equip you to share what you learn with others. Use them at school, youth groups, churches and pro-life events. Place them on lunchroom tables, hand them out at bus stops, distribute them in your neighborhood!

To see all of HLA’s publictions and request copies, visit us at

www.humanlife.org

humanlifealliance1614 93rd Lane NE | Minneapolis, MN 55449 USAwww.humanlife.org | 651-484-1040 www.CBRinfo.org

“We are now a much stronger and more courageous group. Interest in our club has definitely increased and we had about 50 students sign up to get more information about Students for Life.” (Cristina M. Barba, President, Penn State Students for Life)

“As a result of GAP, Students for Life has seen its active membership base increase dramatically.” (Andrew Shirvell, President, University of

Michigan Students for Life)

Visit our booth at the SFLA National Conference!

tension its exposure creates, to the light of human conscience and the air

of national opinion before it can be cured.” (Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Letter from Birmingham Jail)

“Injustice must be exposed, with all the

Win hearts, change minds, and save lives on your campus!

www.CBRinfo.org

“We are now a much stronger and more courageous group. Interest in our club has definitely increased and we had about 50 students sign up to get more information about Students for Life.” (Cristina M. Barba, President, Penn State Students for Life)

“As a result of GAP, Students for Life has seen its active membership base increase dramatically.” (Andrew Shirvell, President, University of

Michigan Students for Life)

Visit our booth at the SFLA National Conference!

tension its exposure creates, to the light of human conscience and the air

of national opinion before it can be cured.” (Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Letter from Birmingham Jail)

“Injustice must be exposed, with all the

Win hearts, change minds, and save lives on your campus!

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S T U D E N T S F O R L I F E . O R G

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Office Number: 540-834-4600