How do I start a club/support group on campus?

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zeldapsychology
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25 Aug 2010, 8:42 am

I don't want to mention AS to everyone just start a group/club and see if I can meet other Aspies. I don't want to tell about my AS to alot of the main campus people but I'm not sure what to do? Hi I want to start a club or group about Asperger's Syndrome (I don't know how to ask outside of just coming out and asking but then you ask person 1 who says ask person 2 etc. What are your thoughts?



davethenat
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25 Aug 2010, 9:41 am

The easiest way is to approach the dean of students or student programs office and explore the possibility of starting a club. You can let them know it is a student support group for students with a particular documented disability (you don't need to say which one early on) and then ask them about advertising, promotions etc. They can get you started, help you reserve room space etc. The growth is up to you.


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YankeesGamer24
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25 Aug 2010, 9:44 am

It might be hard to find interest if you don't already know people. Studies suggest that 0.3% of the population has Asperger's. You won't find that much interest. Try to make it more general and make that club geared toward all disabilities and you'll get a lot more people. But you have to find some friends to help you start it. Making a club is a lot of work and doing it by yourself while working on your schoolwork is not easy.



9of47
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04 Sep 2010, 2:04 pm

Guess my idea of a university based AS support group is no longer unique :D. In futherance to what davethenat said, you may also want to talk to student services such as counseling, student welfare and services which cater to students with disabilities/disorders. They would probably be willing to give you support in this as having a bunch of students with a particular set of disorders supporting each other would benefit them as well in terms of ensuring those students get better supported with less cost to them in the long term. It would also further justify that department's existence and perhaps result in a bigger funding allocation to them.

I'm actually heavily involved with the student clubs on my campus and that extensive experience and knowledge is telling me to gain support and approval from the relevant student services first before considering a club through my university's clubs department. Firstly because those student services are best placed to advise me on what exactly needs to be done in the everyday running of such a group, they may have the funding or means to support it themselves and they deal with the potential members regularly so they are the best placed to promote it. And it sounds better if the proposal that went to the dean of students desk or clubs department came from the professionals from students services.

I'm a bit sleepy so this may not make much sense.