Don’t miss Course 4 of our Junior Mentor Training Series for Adults: ALA Junior Meetings.
 
“We have been concentrating on the mentoring of our Juniors, trying to get our members to help engage Juniors,” said Suzanne Knapp, Junior Activities Committee national chair. “The goal of this course is to guide members on how to get Junior meetings started and make them fun, all while learning.” 
 
Junior meetings are an opportunity to bring young members together as they share ideas, form lasting friendships, and have fun!
 
Sign up at https://cvent.me/D5k7ER for the course, which will be presented live on Thursday, May 6, at 8 p.m. Eastern.
 
As mentors, we know these meetings are also a place Juniors can learn about the mission and programs of the American Legion Auxiliary. When we know how to make Juniors’ unit, district, and department meetings more fun and meaningful, our Junior members will continue their membership once they reach adulthood, ensuring a strong future for the ALA. 
 
“Our hope is that our Junior Activities chairmen and mentors can get more information on how to engage Juniors, and teach them about the ALA programs and opportunities available to them while having some fun,” Knapp said of the course.
 
Knapp offers simple advice for mentors to keep in mind while taking the course and for later implementing those lessons into Junior meetings. 
 
“Remember that these are kids,” she said. “Use enough protocol to enable a good meeting, but also use things as teaching moments. Let the Juniors have freedom in planning their meetings.” 
 
Course objectives for this webinar: 

• Engage Junior members by offering more informative and fun meetings  
• Develop an understanding of how to utilize parliamentary procedure during Junior meetings 
• Learn about Junior meeting etiquette and protocol, and how it differs from adult meetings 
• Learn the roles and functions of honorary Junior officers  

What is the organization-wide importance of focusing on our Juniors through a course like this? They are future leaders of the ALA. 
 
“They are growing up in the organization and learning the Auxiliary’s ideals of patriotism, Americanism, and about our veterans,” Knapp said. “We hope people will get a better understanding of the role Junior members play in the present and future of the organization. They are kids, but they have great ideas and enthusiasm, both of which are needed to maintain our efforts to help veterans, their families, and communities.” 
 
This course is one of four webinars from the ALA Junior Mentor Training Series. 
 
Once the need for training for Junior mentors was identified, ALA National Headquarters staff and volunteers looked at the information they wanted to present and organized it into four different courses. 
 
Did you miss a previous course in the ALA Academy Live series on Junior Mentor Training? Log in with your member ID at www.ALAforVeterans.org/ALA-Academy to watch the recordings:

• Getting Started with Juniors 
• ALA Junior Patch Program  
• Working with Juniors and The American Legion Family

By Sara Fowler, Staff Writer