Transcript Recruiting and Retaining Millennial Peer Educators

Recruiting and Retaining
Millennial Peer Educators
Ann Quinn-Zobeck, Ph. D.
The BACCHUS Network™
The 2007 National Conference
for Advisors of Peer Education
Groups
Agenda
Are we any different than they are?
 Who are the millennial college students?
 Recruitment: Involvement Theory
 Recruitment Brainstorm
 Retention: Hart’s Ladder of Involvement
 Retention Brainstorm
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Think About Groups
You Have Joined
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Discuss with a Partner:
– Why did you join the group(s)?
– Why did you stay with the group(s)?
– If you left, why did you leave the group(s)?
College & University Enrollment
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According to the US Census there are 25.5
million 18-24 year olds living in the United
States
Approximately 31% in this age group are
enrolled as full or part time students in a two or
four year college (9,065,848)
We are in the midst of a decade of record setting
college enrollments
SO WHY AREN’T OUR PEER GROUPS
GROWING?
College Students in 2007
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Beloit College Mindset List
– Bert and Ernie are old enough to be their parents.
– Text messaging is their email.
– The Soviet Union has never existed and therefore is about as scary as
the student union.
– There has always been a screening test for AIDS.
– Gas has always been unleaded.
– Computers have always fit in their backpacks.
– They have never gotten excited over a telegram, a long distance call, or a
fax.
– They are wireless, yet always connected.
– Smoking has never been permitted on U.S. airlines.
– They have always preferred going out in groups as opposed to dating.
– They have always had access to their own credit cards.
– "Outing" has always been a threat.
College Students in 2007
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For many of them today, it’s all about
the “bling, bling.”
They know who the “Heroes in a half
shell” are.
Peeps are not a candy, they are your
friends.
They have been “dissing”and “burning”
things all their lives.
They knew how to pop a Popple and
trade a Pog.
They can still sing the rap chorus to the
Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and the theme
song from Duck Tales
Millennial Generation
“Colleges and universities will buzz with activity,
change, new pressures, and new arguments.
School spirit and the quality of college life
(dorms, food, library reading rooms) will enjoy
an upswing, fueled by fussy Boomer parents who
will have more than the usual trouble ‘letting go.’
Grades, honor codes, internet behavior, and
cheating on exams will all become major issues.”
 Strauss & Howe 2000
The Millennial Generation
“As a group, Millennials are unlike
any other youth generation in living
memory. They are more numerous, more
affluent, better educated, and more
ethnically diverse. More important they are
beginning to manifest a wide array of
positive social habits…Over the next
decade, the Millennial Generation will
entirely recast image of youth as downbeat
and alienated to upbeat and engaged.”
Howe & Strauss, 2000
Millennial Generation
SO WHY AREN’T OUR PEER GROUPS GROWING?
Astin’s Theory of Involvement
The involved student: “one who devotes
considerable energy to academics, spends
much time on campus, participates actively
in student organizations and activities, and
interacts often with faculty (Astin, 1984)
 More you are involved = more you learn
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Payne & DiRamio,
Auburn University
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Interviewed highly involved students in
leadership classes
Reasons for involvement:
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Job preparation
Need to belong
Insecure
Responsibility to give back
Have fun and meet people
Payne & DiRamio continued
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Millennials feel a lot of pressure to be
involved:
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From parents
From society
From peers
From self
Recruitment Brainstorm
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How Are You Recruiting?
– How do you get the word out?
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Active
Passive
– How visible is your group?
– How are you targeting possible recruits?
– How are your current members explaining the group
to others?
– Do you shoulder tap?
– What are the benefits to joining group?
Recruiting Brainstorm
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When are you recruiting?
– Orientation
– Beginning or end of semesters
– All year-round
Recruiting Brainstorm
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Who is Doing the Recruiting?
– Advisors
– Peer Educators
Introverts
 Extroverts
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– Other Students
RAs
 Student Leaders/Mentors
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– Faculty and Staff
Recruiting Brainstorm
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Who Are You Recruiting?
– Targeting certain sub populations?
– Want to help/create change vs. want to
control?
– Introverts vs. extroverts
– Leaders and followers
– Insecure vs. confident
Time to Update Astin’s
Research?
Payne & DiRamio, Auburn University
Survey of 888 freshman and sophomores
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Involvement = Learning
Involvement = Stress
Involvement = Self-Efficacy
Payne & DiRamio continued
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The retention piece:
– They are used to being busy all the time
– They become over involved
– They become unhealthy
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Results:
– They are forced to cut back
– Some learn how to balance or cope
– Others continue to be over involved; stay unhealthy
Retaining Millennials
Rebekah Nathan
My Freshman Year
 Many students are working while going to school
 Have a much wider range of significant demands
on their time
 They regulate their academic load, workload, and
extracurricular load, often doing no more than is
necessary
Involvement Must Be
Meaningful
Roger Hart’s Ladder
Degrees of Participation
8) Young people-initiated, shared decisions with adults: decision-making is shared between young
people and adults
7) Young people-initiated and directed: young people initiate and direct a project or program and adults are
only in a supportive role.
6) Adult-initiated, shared decisions with young people: project or programs are initiated by adults but
decision making is shared with young people.
5) Consulted and informed: young people give advice on projects or programs designed and run by adults
4) Assigned but informed: young people are assigned a specific role and are informed about how and why
they are being involved.
3) Tokenism: young people appear to be given a voice, but in fact have little or no choice.
2) Decoration: young people are used to help or “bolster” a cause in a relatively indirect way, although adults
do not pretend that the cause is inspired by young people.
1) Manipulation: adults use young people to support causes and pretend that the causes are inspired by
young people.
Retention Brainstorm
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Meetings
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When do you meet?
Where do you meet?
What happens during meetings?
What roles do students have during the
meetings?
– How do you welcome new members into
meetings?
Retention Brainstorm
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How Can We Help Them Fit Our Group
Into Their Lives?
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Time commitment
Credit
Pay
Other Benefits?
Retention Brainstorm
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How Can We Make Involvement
Meaningful?
– Are they empowered to make decisions?
– Do they feel a sense of ownership?
– Do you build in time to reflect?
Retention Brainstorm
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How Do We Make It Fun?
– What do you celebrate?
– Are you meeting social needs?
– Are you building a team?
Retention Brainstorm
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Communication
– How do you communicate?
– When do you communicate?
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Recognition
– What behaviors/activities do you recognize?
– How do you recognize students?
Suggestions
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Ask your students
– What attracted you to this group?
– Name 3 thing you like best about being a part of this
group?
– What do you get from belonging to this group?
– What do you contribute to the group?
– How have you recruited people to this group?
– What one thing could be done to improve the group?
– What talents should we be looking for in new
members?
Suggestions
Four Components of Recognition
 Acknowledgement: make people feel welcome,
introduce new people at meeting, use name tags,
mention contributions
 Attention: ask for everyone’s opinion, include
members in decision making, ask members to
build agendas
 Feedback: ask for feedback, take suggestions,
ask for outside opinions
 Praise: certificates, member of the week/month,
reward with small items, public thank you’s
Ann Quinn-Zobeck
[email protected]
303-971-0901