Recruiting people for SADD

It’s that time of year when we are looking to kick off a brand-new term and some new exciting and engaging SADD activities!

Sometimes SADD groups carry over people from the previous year. This can be super helpful as it allows them to share knowledge and valuable insight as to what went well in the previous year and what your community responded to.

However, some groups can experience lower numbers than the previous year due to people finishing year 13 last year or having too many commitments this year (that’s cool, we won’t hold it against them!)

If you feel like you need some more peeps in your team then it’s time to recruit! Read on for some handy tips and tricks as well as some testimonies from SADD group members who have been in the same position. 

Spread the word!

It is kind of hard to recruit if no one knows you exist! First things first try getting the SADD name out there. There are plenty of ways you can do this, and it is worth having a think about what your peers might respond to. Has there been a successful event or campaign (it doesn’t have to be a SADD one) that managed to recruit lots of people for their cause in your community or school? What did they do and how did they do it? Can you take any learnings from them?

Fergus from St Kevin’s College in Oamaru recommends kicking off the discussion as early in the year as possible. From his experience it is much easier to start strong and build as much momentum as you can within the first few weeks of term rather than wait. At least that way, if you get busy you’ve started something strong and have hopefully recruited a couple of people to help you!

Use your networks:

Starting with people you know is always easier than going straight to the masses. Are any of your friends interested in signing up? Check to see if they have friends who are interested too! It doesn’t all have to be on your shoulders, use the power of word of mouth!

Talk to teachers and other school staff, they can help too!

Chatting to your teachers is a great way to enable you to reach more people. Teachers can help organise meeting rooms, book you a slot in assembly, help you find equipment if you need to do something like make a video and can help you with supplies for creating resources. Even finding a friendly teacher to help you with printing flyers is a great start! Zoe from Craighead School in Timaru says to find a friendly teacher that you trust, they can help you put together a powerpoint presentation and can help get you in front of assembly. Finding a teacher who is passionate about road safety is a bonus!

Use your SADD staff:

The team at SADD are always here to help! Usually, you should hear from your local programme delivery lead within the first few weeks of term. If you haven’t heard from them, you can always email team@sadd.org.nz or you can go to the SADD website and look up each staff member's individual contact details under “about” then “meet the team”.

The team have been doing this kind of thing for a while and can share experiences of things that have worked in the past as well as connect you with community partners such as FENZ and the police. Having a police car or a fire truck show up to your event can be a bit of a draw card!

If you can, make sure to attend a term 1 workshop as well. This is a great way for you and your new members to learn all about what SADD does and how you can be involved.

As Emma from Fiordland College says: “You can literally save a life by reaching out and starting something”. 

For more information, check out the “promoting your SADD group” section of our website and here’s to an awesome term 1!