Looking for ways to recruit new team members to your TDS team? Here are some tips we’ve gathered from teachers who have been great team growers!
- Put recruitment in the team member’s hands. Help them with ideas and logistics, but they should be the face of the team and efforts.
- Attend Freshman Orientation with information
- Conduct Lunch & Learn events where potential team members can learn about the team with a free lunch
- Conduct activities at feeder middle school students
- Keep the team open to anyone who wants to join
- Ask your administration to support team efforts
- Partner with other school organizations
- Provide the TDS t-shirts as an incentive to join – don’t forget to pick a day to wear them consistently
- Design and purchase your own team t-shirts
Once you have your team, here are some ways to keep it successful!
- Take care of the team’s reputation by requiring safe driving and passenger habits, team involvement, passing grades, and school attendance
- Plan and conduct consistent activities to keep team’s involvement
- Encourage and support teen’s ideas
- Work towards available TDS incentives to bring in gift cards and cash for the team
- Provide growth opportunities that will help with the teen’s future. Things like the TDS Summit, the Teen Advisory Board, and workshops to develop peer leadership skills – all great additions for college applications
- Develop your own TDS board to build a leadership structure and defined roles and responsibilities
- Support team leaders to mentor and be examples to all