[JPBlacksmiths]

Originally Posted by pmangels17

Oh, and one other thing: when people come to meetings, try to keep them engaged. make sure everyone has a task or a challenge, or is working with a knowledgeable student or mentor to learn a new skill or technique that interests them. Once kids find something that they like to do, encourage them to explore, but make sure they can always come back to that thing. For example, if a student really likes running the milling machine, feel free to encourage him or her to check out design or electronics or something else, but make sure that he or she is always able to go back to the thing that interests them (and more than likely they will be interested enough in multiple things to want to become well-rounded). Once people find a niche on the team, they feel like they can contribute meaningfully to the team. Once they feel this, it is easier to feel like they are an important part of the team (which they certainly are), and they are definitely more likely to stick around.

Thank you for these points, especially the parents because I think that its a great idea. Parents have a huge effect on attendance, something I know well from experience.