By Elise LeBlanc
I am at a turning point in my life as a volunteer.
Elise LeBlanc is a retired English teacher from Louisiana
For the past thirty years the majority of my volunteer work was intertwined with my teaching career. I was the advisor for Jackets Against Destructive Decisions (JADD), my school's Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) club. The club focused on issues teenagers deal with—substance abuse, time management, passenger safety, distracted driving, healthy relationships, internet safety, human trafficking, bullying, leadership, etc. Club members dealt with these topics at school and in the community. They presented skits and workshops at local schools, community events, and at state and national conferences. Some were members of youth advisory councils at the state and national level. JADD activities often necessitated coming to school early, giving up recess, staying after school, or working on weekends.
We Achieved Success
The club was very active and successful. We had the Louisiana SADD Student of the Year four times, Louisiana SADD Advisor of the Year once, Louisiana Activity of the Year once, and were Louisiana SADD Chapter of the Year once. We also won numerous scrapbook, essay, and skit contests at the state level. At the national level we won Chapter of the Year twice, Activity of the Year twice, and Advisor of the Year once. We are the only club to win all three awards at the state and national level. That's a decent track record, especially since we didn't enter contests very often.
The How Do's and the Why's
How do you do it? How do you get students to join? How do you get club members to be active? How do you get teens to give up their free time? These were frequent questions from teachers who sponsored other clubs at my school, but not questions I pondered as I was busy with our activities. Actually, I doubt I even considered them “real” questions. I mean, why would students join a club if they didn't want to participate?
In 2010, LYP Services, home of Louisiana SADD, abruptly closed. JADD carried on, but some clubs around the state faltered. In an effort to keep SADD active at the state level, I helped plan a state youth conference with several organizations and people scattered across Louisiana. We plodded along for a few years, but conflicting schedules and long distances made regular meetings impossible. A lack of state funding prohibited meaningful training and programming at the state level and a yearly conference was not going to replace a state organization.
Realizing the entire state was too much territory for teachers with full-time jobs, and since all funding was local, I proposed organizing Livingston Parish SADD to Penny Wells, SADD National Executive Director. She supported the idea and LP SADD was born in 2013.
In its earliest days, LP SADD activities were staffed by JADD members and JADD alumni. We supported the few existing clubs in Livingston Parish and tried to develop new clubs. It was, and still is, a slow process. Those “How do you” questions came back to haunt me. Now, I realize the teachers really wanted to know the secret to my club's success, and so did I. It was hard to duplicate JADD at other schools, which brings me to my turning point.
My Turning Point
I retired from teaching in August 2017. JADD is in the capable hands of three co-sponsors—two of them former JADD members. I now have more time to devote to LP SADD and our most active volunteer is now a full-time employee. We had a realistic plan for the 2017-2018 school year. In addition to our regular events/activities which include sponsoring a student leadership council, making tobacco compliance checks in three parishes, hosting SADD leadership training in north Louisiana, and several other special events, we set out to start a new SADD club at an elementary school, a middle school, and a high school.
In a matter of days three new clubs became “at least” three new clubs, because why wouldn't we get both elementary schools housed on the same campus due to the Great Flood of 2016? And both middle schools? Now the real number is as many as we can get because we have an ally with a way in.
Answering the Tough Questions
So, I brooded over those “how do you” questions, and after a few days I dealt with them the same way I approached JADD activities. I asked the volunteers themselves – the kids who participated in the program. There were common themes in their answers.
Why did they join?
Some of their answers:
“It started as a circle of friends and peers that were like minded.”
“JADD stood for ideals I truly believed in.”
“It's amazing to see other young people trying to make a difference in the community.”
“I wanted to be an advocate.”
“You made the organization seem welcoming regardless of our background.”
What made you participate/give up free time?
Some of their answers:
“It gave me a sense of leadership and purpose.”
“You let us have a say in the things we did, and you actually listened to our concerns and ideas.”
“You didn't tell us what to do. You let us work together to accomplish our goals.”
“I believed in the message and enjoyed working with my friends.”
“You pushed many of us out of our comfort zones and challenged us in a good way.”
“I realized JADD was more than just a school club. It was an organization that was changing people in a positive way, and not just within the school. The change was overflowing into the community.”
Why do you continue to help after graduation?
“My beliefs didn't change with graduation, and I couldn't bear saying goodbye to the wonderful friends and sponsors that I had grown so close to.”
“I developed lifelong friendships.”
“You said we never graduate from JADD.”
A Simple Answer
In reality, their answers were ridiculously simple. To be successful you need to believe in your cause, ask others to help, let your volunteers voice their opinions and share ideas, listen to them, give them meaningful opportunities, and treat them with respect.
Elise LeBlanc is a retired English teacher from Louisiana.