On Sunday, October 5, 2014 9:33:04 AM UTC-4, XC wrote:
Ten Reasons to Add a Junior Program to Your Glider Club



We at Harris Hill are always going on about our club's junior program. It is because we all take great pride in it. Many other clubs are doing a great job at this too, but not enough.



I get the sense that a lot of clubs view subsiding youth gliding as unnecessary expense. On the contrary it pays dividens in many ways. If you need help convincing your board of directors, here are 10 reasons to have a youth group.



1. Adds youthful energy to your club - It is just more interesting to have multigenerational club.

2. Seeing the kids grow is very rewarding - Kids show up and don't even know how to shake hands properly. Before you know it they are off to the military or college full of pride and ready to take on the world. What a joy to be part of it.

3. Adds purpose to your club - Being on the board of directors is a pain. Meetings, disagreements, grief from members. Volunteering at the club takes on a deeper meaning and members give more of themselves when it is benefiting the young people

4. Fun to pass on what you know - The collective knowledge of a glider club is pretty amazing. One guy's an A&P, one guy's an IT genius. We have one member whose job is inventor. How cool is that? Great to see young people gather knowledge and skills.

5. May qualify your club for tax exempt status - If your club is truly helping young people you could qualify for 501(c)3 status.

6. Glider club becomes part of the community - Once your club is not just about your flying, you'll be surprized at the number of ways local governements and groups are willing to help your organization.

7. Helps with membership recruiting - It works in multiple ways. Adults in the club have their children join or parent and child join together. We've also had several cases when the parents joined after seeing how much fun the kids were having. Soaring is a great family activity.

8. Helps with membership retention - Especially in the case of families. A family atmosphere, with some facilities for families, allows for Mom or Dad to stay in the club as the family grows.

9. Cheap labor - Let's face it the young members do a lot of work for the club. It would be much more expensive to pay someone even minimum wage to do that work.

10. Junior members return to be senior members - Several young members have returned to the area after college and initial job experiences. Our club helped to bring them back.



I have a lot more tips about starting a youth club, what works, what doesn't, if anyone is interested.



XC

How sad, - as I write this, 10 posts and only 310 views. There doesn't seem to be much interest in who will buy our gliders from us in the future, let alone preserve our beloved sport.

At my club www.yorksoaring.com, we have had a robust youth program for almost 15 years. We have an 'affiliated' registered charity (like a 501.c.3), which as of last spring has an endowment of around a quarter million dollars to fund the Youth Bursary (more or less British for scholarship) program.

I agree especially with a couple of the tenants expressed, and one significant difference.
- Our program focuses on already licenced pilots, graduates for the most part of the Air Cadet League of Canada, and fewer from our own and other gliding clubs. So we don't have the dropout rate and the wasted money. If someone has had the tenacity to succeed through a licence program.
- We too believe in the Critical Mass need. We have up to 20 bursaries available.
- Some of our instructors are graduates of the bursary program, and more f them were Air Cadets (think C.A.P.). They understand the training background of these kids, who are 16 - 22.

here, from our Instructors bulletin board are the objectives:

Objectives for Bursary Students

When we award a Bursary to a youth pilot, there are objectives behind the money other than to merely facilitate more 12 minute flights in a 2-33. In fact transition to the 1-34, and then mentoring to utilize the financial assistance and the more advanced aircraft to optimize the advanced skills and judgement that are core to a good soaring pilot. To this end, please:

Give the Bursary recipient a Bronze Badge PTR card, and explain the requirements briefly
Ensure the Bursary recipient registers for the Member's Forum
Direct their attention to the Piloting Files folder in the Archive section
Ask them to read and be prepared to discuss Dick Johnson on Thermalling and Speed Bank and Yaw
Discuss using the white board and amplify as needed
Give them a mentoring flight in a glass twin (note flights in GIKI and NUO will not result in a charge to their account for glider rental; they are owned by Youth Flight Canada for that purpose).
Have them go and practice what they have just learned in the 1-34
And please, - when you see it, discourage the self-taught 'skill' of coming in short of a proper aiming point, closing the spoilers, and floating the glider in ground effect to 'grease it on', which will have to be unlearned to master precision landings required by the Bronze Badge and good off field technique.

Acquaint them with the list in the office of those willing to mentor, and encourage individual sessions with a qualified Instructor on the theory topics.

They are permitted only two flights with friends or family in the 2-33 with bursary rates, - after that, the friend or relative must pay the tow.

In addition, we have on-field accommodation, and members car pool for those without wheels. The club culture is pretty much condescension-free, and youth are treated as peers.

To fly, they 'pay' $5.00 for each flight, and the balance at regular club rates is drawn down from their accounts, funded by the charity. Additionally, they are obliged to give an hour of volunteer service, over and above the normal club member, e.g. waxing the glass ships of the club and the two 103's owned by the charity. So they are invested. And they are well regarded by regular members because of their contributions to the club.

Some have returned for a 2nd or even 3rd season, and become proficient cross country pilots and instructors. One of them, Chris R, won the Ontario Provincial Championship in the club's LS-4, and instructs regularly.

Although our intake is reduced, our retention is higher, and that now includes the youth.

I too am willing to chat further about such programs with anyone interested..