Your school’s Student Nutrition Action Committee (SNAC) is a great resource for students interested in nutrition, but how can you make sure students join the club? Spread the word and recruit new members by following these simple tips!
Speak on the announcements. If your school has morning or afternoon announcements, ask if you can use this time to spread nutritional messages. By broadcasting quick nutritional facts yourself or by asking an adult to read them, you can easily reach the entire student body. Remember to say that each nutrition fact is “courtesy of your SNAC” so that interested students know where to go if they want to learn more.
Create social media profiles. Students spend a lot of time online, so this can be a great place to reach out to your peers. Create for your club a Facebook page, Twitter profile, or even an Instagram account. Ask your friends to ‘Like’ or follow the accounts and spread the word to other students. Use these profiles to announce meeting times and highlight fun projects the club has done or plans to do.
Post flyers throughout the school. Design fun, catchy flyers announcing the SNAC’s meeting time and location, as well as 4-8 reasons why students should join the club. Keep messages short but interesting. After getting approval from your club advisor and the school’s administrators, post the flyers throughout the school, focusing on high-traffic areas such as near doorways, stairwells, and where students line up to buy school lunch.
Ask for teachers’ help. Approach teachers and ask them to spread the word as well by mentioning SNAC to their students. Ask teachers of Health & Wellness, Nutrition, Family & Consumer Science, and other related fields to give extra credit to students who actively participate in SNAC. Ask SNAC sponsor to announce SNAC initiatives (including recruitment) and request help from fellow staff members during staff meetings.
Contributors
Tisa Hill and Julie Apuzzo, Cornell University Division of Nutritional Sciences
Source
For More Information
Become Involved in Healthy Lunchroom Initiatives by Running a Student Nutrition Action Committee
Benefits of Being a Student Nutrition Action Committee Student President
For an example of a Student Nutrition Action Committee in action, see SUNY Potsdam’s SNAC here
Popular Ideas for Student Nutrition Action Committee Events and Fundraisers