Whether you are a new Middle Level chapter or an experienced Middle Level chapter, the first chapter meeting of the year is crucial to membership and your chapter’s success throughout the upcoming year. In order to ensure your first chapter meeting is successful, you will need to have these three essential elements: excitement, energy, and enthusiasm.
Modeling your first chapter meeting along the lines of a social activity will help you ensure that all three elements are encompassed. A social activity allows for returning chapter members and new chapter members to mingle, allowing ideas and experiences to be shared. This will also help new members find returning members within your chapter who can act as their mentor or guide throughout the year. Also, a social activity will allow room for some fun and games, such as icebreakers. This is a great way to get your new chapter to network with each other and start strengthening their bonds.
As you begin to plan the first chapter meeting with your fellow chapter officers and your local adviser, bring up the idea of a social activity. There is no one correct way to conduct a social activity, so brainstorm ideas and consider everybody’s opinions. Remember that a social activity should also include food and entertainment to keep the attendees occupied; otherwise, it could become boring for the attendees. Once you and your fellow chapter officers have decided on food, entertainment, icebreakers, and the activity for the social event, make sure to get the plan of action approved by your chapter adviser. Once your social activity has been approved by your chapter adviser, you can check off that you successfully completed an activity from the Entrepreneur Level of the Middle Level Achievement Program (MAP)!
