Written by Neal Eckerlin, WyldLife Representative of the Southwestern Division
Sometimes we continue do things at club because we’ve always done them but we often forget the purpose and how to make certain club components effective. One example – the raffle! The raffle is fun and kids seem to like it, so we keep doing it. But it’s important to regularly ask ourselves why we do what we do. Is this a good club component for middle school kids? Yes! The raffle has the potential to be one of the more meaningful and key components to your WyldLife club.
The Raffle’s Purpose
- Highlight kids just for showing up! The raffle gives us an opportunity to notice kids who are not the most outgoing or great at games or activities.
- Middle school kids LOVE it! When a middle school kid wins a raffle prize there often is genuine joy and excitement. Many kids have never won anything before.
- You can use it to motivate kids to listen. Middle school kids are excitable and “squirrely” when they get over-stimulated at club. The raffle can help with crowd control.
- If kids are listening when you need their attention, you can give those kids extra tickets
- Use the raffle to give kids boundaries. If they can’t listen when they’re asked, the raffle can be cancelled or they aren’t eligible to win.
The Raffle’s Effectiveness
- Simple prizes work great!
- Candy
- 99-cent store toys
- It can help you do contact work.
- Raffle off Jamba Juice with a leader
- Raffle off lunch with a leader for a kid and two of their friends
- Raffle off an item to be used with a leader
- Frisbee - set up a time to play
- Homework help
- Nail polish to paint nails with kids
- Have a lot of items so more kids can win.
- Hand out tickets during club not before because kids tend to lose them.
The raffle can end up being the highlight of club for some kids. Utilize it to impact your relationships with kids and their club experience.