How to Create an AI Club in High School with 6 Easy Steps
With CS/AI being such prominent and growing fields, having a head-start is crucial if one wants to stand out in these competitive fields. For those in high school or just looking to gather like-minded individuals, starting an AI club is a great way to become a leader very early on in the field. It also comes with the benefit of contributing to your school and/or community, which are attractive traits for colleges.
Read on to find out how to create an AI club in high school!
How to start an AI club in high school:
Find the Right Subject and Purpose
Like building a house, having a strong and solid foundation is the most important. Likewise, the creation of a club must be based on an intriguing idea that is both unique and most importantly something that you yourself enjoy. A bland overdone idea will not attract many eyes and might even discourage you from continuing the club.
For instance, if a Computer Science Club already exists, don’t create another similar one. A good starting point is thinking about other related fields, niches, or purposes of the club. Some ideas are data science, artificial intelligence, a computer science competition, or a programming tutoring club, just to name a few. Never be afraid to branch out and step out of your comfort zone to do something new.
Build a Team
The correct cabinet is crucial to a successful club. Everyone has experienced a group project where the members slack off, leaving someone else to carry the load of the entire project. A situation like that is very dangerous in a club since it can cause conflicts, ineffectiveness and inefficiency, or worse comes to worse, disbandment. Bad teammates can make something you enjoy into something you despise, which is the furthest thing you want for a club. To avoid this, choose people who champion the club’s vision. This can be accomplished by either interviewing candidates to find the right fit or recruiting those who you already know are good teammates.
Find a Supervisor
Another key member of your club’s team is going to be a teacher supervisor. The teacher supervisor watches over the club meetings, signs official minutes, the club charters, and proves that the club is properly functioning as intended. They allow for club meetings to be held in their classrooms. Preferably, this teacher supervisor teaches or has experience with the subject your club is pursuing like a data science club asking the statistics teacher to be their supervisor or a computer science club asking the computer science teacher. A general suggestion is to ask a teacher very early on to be the supervisor since they might not have enough space if you procrastinate and ask later. Be proactive.
Prepare for the Grand Opening
While the previous two steps are extremely important, an AI club wouldn’t be official without actual school approval. Usually, this is the job of the Associated Student Body at your school so talking to them whenever you have questions about the club-making process can be very helpful. For official documents, most club registrations require a constitution and club charter. Because these are official and final, filling these out ahead of time is crucial.
Gather Members
Now that you have built a foundation for your club, the next step is getting people to know about your it. Designing and distributing a flyer, posting an advertisement on Instagram, or just telling people about your club in general are effective ways to spread the word. Most schools have an event called ‘club rush’ where the school clubs gather to advertise their club. Each club will receive a table or stand where they can demonstrate the contents of the club with poster boards, flashy visuals, candy or food, and live demonstrations. In a club rush, examples of what a computer science club can do include a project they worked on, competitions awards, etc. This is a prime opportunity to get the word out about your club so participating in this is important to recruit members.
Plan Club Meetings
After advertising, you must now plan out your AI club meetings. It is what your members joined your club for, the real meat of the matter. To create a great club meeting, preparation and planning ahead of time is especially important. Meeting with your club cabinet and creating a cohesive schedule a few days before can really make a difference in the quality of your meetings.
The three Es are a good standard to follow: entertaining, educational, and engaging. For example, using Kahoot to create a fun environment where members can interact and compete with each other creates motivation to learn more. Prizes also create incentives for people to come or pay attention.
Conclusion
Now that you know how to create an AI club from the ground up, all that’s left is the most paramount step, actually doing it. Although it might be shaky at first, don’t be afraid of mistakes. As the cliché goes, you will never succeed if you never try. I wish you the best of luck on your club creating journey!
