Re-engaging your participants

a swimming pool with competitors swimming in lanes. Crowds watching from the stands

It’s been a tough couple of years.

According to the most recent Community Pulse, over half of you are working with fewer young people than you were prior to the pandemic.

Many of you said that re-engaging previous participants is presenting a challenge.

Here are some ideas.

Run an open day

Great for showcasing your organisation, you can have coaches and volunteers on hand to chat about your group. Go for a Saturday, or an evening when you usually run sessions. Get everyone on board and plan a programme which shows off the best of your group. Think about how to spread the word specifically to the people you want to attend. 

Take a look at this resource from Scouts UK on how to run an open day.

Taster sessions offer people an opportunity to come along without making a major commitment. This can be really useful for a young person who is nervous about attending or isn’t sure if it’s for them. Let people know how many taster sessions you’ll be offering before needing to join/pay/get kit, and make the joining process easy. Think about how you welcome people when they arrive for the first time (or the first time back).

Tell people what you do

Get your message out there. No matter what great activities you are doing, if nobody knows about them you are not fulfilling your potential.

A website will showcase your work and provide a point of contact for people. Once it’s properly set up, it won’t need too much regular maintenance.

Social media is a great way to promote your group, and a lot of funders use this to find out more about your work. The big four are Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube and you can decide what you want to use based on the audiences you want to reach.

For more help and advice, take a look at our marketing resources on the Hub.

Cost of living crisis

Rising costs are affecting both groups and potential participants. You may be able to access financial support from your sport’s national governing body if you are affiliated or other local funders. Some funders offer Covid recovery grants.

Young people could be struggling to find the cash to pay for membership fees/ buying equipment and clothing/the cost of getting to and from your sessions.

Consider offering reduced fees and financial help with other expenses for your youth members. You could also run a second-hand scheme for clothing and equipment.

Give your members a stake in their club

Good engagement practice includes young people in the planning and running of their club. The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child includes a specific right to participation in all matters affecting them.

Real and valuable youth engagement is not without its challenges, but with dedicated thinking can be immensely rewarding. Check out this more detailed guide from UK Youth.

Involving young people in decision-making is a key foundation in maintaining engagement and improving outcomes. Think about what level of participation your members have in the decisions made about the running and direction of your group. Roger Hart’s Ladder of Young People’s Participation is a useful tool for assessing levels of engagement.

Do you have enough adult volunteers?

Providing a great service to young people depends on having enough adults to run your club. If you need some advice on how to recruit, retain and train up your adult volunteers, take a look at these 6 Top Tips on working with volunteers, along with our other resources.

Think about having an induction pack ready to go, with information on who is who and where to get advice and support. You could also check out these resources from Club Matters, and this from Club Solutions Wales.

Ask Sported!

Speak to your local Sported contact if you have any support needs around re-engagement, and our Sported volunteers can provide 1:1 support.

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