How do you go about organising a local HE group?

[singingmum]

Basically most people in vale of glam can't keep going to swansea,cardiff or llantriant(our main choices of groups). I have been talking to another HE'er in our area and I know there are lots of others from the LEA person who need a group that's local.Anyway while chatting other he mum asked why I didn't start a local group as I've been at this for about 11 years.
This has got me thinking but I am not sure where to start so have come to the one place where knowledge abounds in the hope someone can help me out with any info possible.
Hope someone can help
Thanks in advance

[onwardandupward]

There are several active groups near us.

We got to know about them through the Education Otherwise listings of local stuff going on, which had a link to a local website and a local email list. I think yahoo lists are dead easy to set up, and also free.

I'd get it going by word of mouth among local HEing friends and ask them to spread the word.

And I'd set up something v. casual as the opening gambit, like meeting in a particular park from 11 with picnics on the first wednesday of the month or something easy to remember, and then take it from there. You might want to find a fairly central venue for meet-ups as the winter draws on - I know a lot of groups use church halls/village halls, that sort of thing.

There's also room for some meet-ups which are just all-welcome playdates, and some which are more formal with a theme and a parent doing something obviously educational - that'll depend on the children and adults involved, of course.

Got to stop or my boiled egg will get hard boiled...

[julienoshoes]

I agree-start with a meet up in the local park maybe-where there is no cost involved.

Then maybe you could also see if you can negotiate an educational rate for a swimming pool-or some other such venue-depending on interesty. We have variously had meet ups at swimming pools/ice rinks/ten pin bowling alleys, all at educational prices (in fact I was really shocked at how much one is meant to pay to go ice skating at all other times as 'Joe Public')

We have a local HE yahoo group-and they are free to run and easy to manage.
Pass the word round that you have one going -and encourage others to organise things and publicise them on the yahoo group.
News and info on the HE front can also be passed this way-and support for newbies.

We have found that once someone starts to organise things, others get encouraged. We have meets all over Worcs now, with different parents organising different events/workshops/social gatherings-so that no one person does everything.

Good luck!

[pookstermum]

Hi Singingmum

we are vale based, I have a young child, and we tend to go to groups in cardiff etc- If you are a member of SWHEN, you could 'advertise' on there. groups of us also meet informaly at in the vale from time to time, but tends to be little ones, and Im guessing from your post yours are older. Not sure if that helps!