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Getting Started with The PLUS Program
The process to implement the PLUS Program on a campus or in a community offers two simple options. Whether you are part of a school, community organization, or after school program, the options are the same.
Step 1: Identify Training Option
Option 1 – Advisor Training: A team of up to 4 Advisors will attend a 2 day PLUS Program training held at multiple training locations throughout the year. This hands on training will equip a team of advisors from a school site or organization with the capacity and curriculum to implement the PLUS Program model. Designed as a Training of Trainers model, staff attending will learn the strategies to train their student leaders in the facilitation strategies to implement the activity based PLUS Program curriculum.
Option 2 – Onsite Student and Advisor Training: A certified PLUS Program trainer will visit your site and facilitate a 2 day training for the identified student leaders and advisors in the PLUS Program model. Student leaders will be guided through a highly interactive training session that is tailored to the school site for the best outcomes. A team of advisors will participate alongside the student leaders and get hands on insight from the PLUS Program trainer in how to facilitate the 2 day training program, as well as ongoing program development for the school year.
Step 2: Training Date
Whether you decide to attend an Advisor Training or host an Onsite Student Training, identify the best date that works for your school or organization. If you choose to attend a 2-Day training, fill out the registration paperwork and submit to the PLUS Program offices as soon as possible to secure your place at the training. For optimal learning and activity participation all PLUS Trainings are limited to set amount determined by the trainer for that event. For an onsite student and advisor training, contact the PLUS Offices to secure a date that works for both the school and PLUS Trainer. Training timeline is flexible and can be implemented after school on day 1. Contact the PLUS offices to tailor a training to meet your needs.
Step 3: Identify Staff Member For PLUS Program Oversight
Whether you are doing the onsite student training or offsite Advisor training, the next step is to identify the staff member or members who will oversee the PLUS Program. The activity director on the campus should be the lead advisor for the PLUS Program. If not the activity director, then a teacher who is connected to the students on the campus and has a pulse of the student body should be the lead. A diverse cross section of students should enjoy being around the PLUS Advisor.
Step 4: Identify the Student Leaders to be trained in the PLUS Program.
Putting together the team of student leaders is probably the most critical phase in this program. The student leaders that will participate in the PLUS Program training will need to represent a diverse cross section of the student body. These youth leaders will become role models for not only students on their campus, but for younger students in the district as well. These student leaders should be handpicked from all groups on the campus and have the ability to meet on a regular basis throughout the school year. Ideally these identified leaders are already in your student leadership program.
The best method in recruiting students for the PLUS team is simply to go out at lunchtime, on breaks, before school and after school and identify a list of students in each group who have influence over that group. Each school will have different “groups” on their campus. Identify these groups and then begin to target the students you see that have influence over other students within these groups. These are the true leaders on a campus. These students are the ones with the most influence and can create the most change. Many of these students will never approach you to be a peer leader, but when asked to join your team, these students develop a special connection with you and will desire to help.
The making of a powerful PLUS team:
- Include equal representation from all student groups that create your student body.
- Represent all multi-cultural groups on the campus (Hispanic, African-American, Asian, Caucasian, Native American, Middle-Eastern, Polynesian, etc).
- Include students who group themselves differently by their personalities, hobbies, and sports (marching band, drama, choir, athletics, step team, ASB, cheer, alternative sports, academic clubs, etc).
- Represent the different styles of music that are on your campus.
- Assure that the team of student leaders are balanced with males and females.
Step Five: Training Room Reservations
If you are attending one of the offiste 2 Day Training of Advisors, it is advised to secure a room at the training location in advance. The cost of the training registration does not included any lodging.
If you are hosting an onsite 2 Day Student Training you will want to secure a facility for the training.
- Secure a facility that will be large enough in size to hold your estimated number of students leaders in a large circle.
- Facility must allow for moveable chairs, projector and screen.
- Training should be implemented in a facility that allows for adequate sound and few distractions. A gymnasium does not allow for the proper acoustics for group discussion and should only be used as a last result
- A large classroom might be good for some activities if the chairs can be moved.
Step 6: Get Trained and become a PLUS School!
Attend or host the PLUS Training. The PLUS Training will take place over a 2-day period.
