Keeping Your Members Engaged Strategies to Keep Members Returning Each Year

Advanced Training Workshops Presentations and Guest Trainers Lawyer Training Team Building Activities Refresher Trainings Presentations and Guest Trainers Mock Trials Each of our youth courts do training differently. Maria: explain lawyer training, team building and refresher meeting- they get community service hours for each activity. Mandatory to attend 1 meeting per month in the fall. (Oct-December) Karen: I break my first year group up from those who are returning. We call them “advance” training students and they are trained on objects, how to put things in evidence, we’ll go over what they need to improve from the trails and other skills Karen: I get guest speakers to come in to break up the training. In the past I had a holocaust survivor, league of women's voters, improve workshop, Sherriff dept with K-9 and drunk goggles demo, among others Maria: Explanation of Mock trials – 2x per month. Mandatory for each member to participate in one mock trial per month. (February-May)

Summer Trials Having a lighter schedule for the summer but continuing to hear cases does keep the members engaged and enthusiastic about the program Karen: I hear trials all year but not May during AP exams or June during finial exams. It keeps the kids engaged and interested, were if we take a break I tend to lose the kids because they get involved with other things.

Summer Activities This is a time to schedule some fun activities for the members. The key is to keep it consistent, i.e. 1st & 3rd Tuesday of the month. Maria: CSI Summer Program Trip to the Riverhead Jail

Events Fundraisers Friendly Competitions Community Service Projects w/ members & respondents Guest Speakers Trips Local jail Police Department NYC Team Building (Escape Room) Maria explain Fundraisers- Cupcake Wars, Chipotle , Catalog fundraiser, movie night Mock trial Competitions with small rewards Karen: Explain Guest speakers and trips

Communication Remind App Social Media: Facebook, Instagram, SnapChat Keeping in touch with the kids in the means that work for them. Maria; this is key for keeping in touch with members (explain “Remind”) It gives you the ability to text quick messages and reminders from your phone without giving up confidential information (YOUR CELL PHONE #)

Sharing Ideas Long Island Youth Court Coalition meets on a regular basis to discuss ideas, struggles and challenges. It is made up of 6 local youth courts in Long Island, NY. Meetings give coordinators an opportunity to share ideas that are successful in their youth court. Riverhead Youth Court offers their members a $25 per year scholarship for each year they are part of the Youth Court program. They receive the money their senior year. Also, they are given a gavel with their name inscribed on it. Nassau Youth Court has a volunteer appreciation dinner.

Who Are We Maria Danisi ,M.S. Karen Matz-L’HommeDieu, LMSW Huntington Youth Court (631)271-5547 MDanisi@HuntingtonYouthCourt.org Karen Matz-L’HommeDieu, LMSW Southampton Town Youth Court (631)702-2390 Kmatz@SouthamptonTownNY.gov