Does your DC go to a school club that encourages general learning / knowledge?

[didgeridooda]

I'm thinking of setting up, or helping the school to set up, an after school club where each week there would be a good quality DVD or online talk. Eg a documentary, science, history or arts programme, online lecture, etc. At the moment the school doesn't have any academic clubs, though they do have sports and music.

Has anyone come across anything like this? Is it a complete non-starter, or might some children actually attend it and benefit from it?

Some schools have debating societies. Popular with quite a few teens.
dds' school have an Amnesty International group.
Not come across one showing documentaries or online talks, but I can see there being a "market" for it - I suppose one limiting factor could be the length of time to show a documentary.

DCs state school has loads of academic clubs, Philosophy, Debate, United Nations, Science, Classics, French Film, an Italian one, Enterprise, Maths, Latin, & Macbeth. Kids will go to it if its productive, interesting and/or fun. I think it all depends on the teachers promoting/running it. Charisma is everything, you get a few pupils to start then word gets around.

However I would worry about a club where you just watch tv for an hour, needs to be more interactive to be worth while.

Are these academic type clubs run by teachers?
I'm not sure what to do to encourage a club, especially as I don't have any particular skills myself. If I volunteered to run a club such as debating (would love them to have one of those), or in fact anything where I was expected to add much to the proceedings, would probably just put children off! I'm not sure that I have a lot of the charisma you mention!
The school doesn't have a very "intellectual" ethos at the moment.
I'm wondering whether we could try to send something round parents and teachers to encourage ideas and volunteers. But there is v little parental involvement in the school.