How to: Getting residents to attend programs

Programs can be one of the hardest parts of this job, depending on your residents, the school you're an RA at, and the number of events you have to plan for your residence halls. At the school I attend, as an RA I plan three events a month. That means I plan a community builder, an educational, and an engagement event each month. And with so many events, it becomes a question of how I can plan meaningful, fun events that don't feel too overwhelming for my residents.

It can be easy to want to use food as a driver for residents to attend an event, but I actually try to stay as far away from that as possible; I almost never use food at my events, but find that I usually pull 50% or more of my residents per event, educational events included. So, how can you do that?

At the very first hall meeting, I always make a point to say that events are set up for the residents, and that they should be attending them. Emphasis on the should be. From the first event, to the last, I ask residents what they want. Do they want a movie night? Do they want something crafty? How about something sporty? I always make sure to ask so that residents are doing what they want to do. For educationals, I usually put up a poll on the facebook group about which topic they'd like to do (when I get a choice) and when I have a set topic, I put up a poll of what sounds more fun to them, plan-wise (I usually plan out a couple of ideas, nothing too deep, so they can choose and I can begin to really plan). These choices let residents feel like they have a stake in the hall, and will be more likely to come when they have the choice.

I only use food as bonus treats, and not very often. I never give out food at the first few events, because I don't want that to be a reason for the attendance. I start to bring out snacks around the end of the first semester, and only on occasion, as a treat. But this way, residents don't pick and choose programs based on food or not. It also makes it common for there not to be food - food is a treat and a bonus, not to be expected.

So, how do I get them to come, even after they've told me what they like? I market like crazy. I remember as a freshman, I often forgot about my RA's events, because I had no reminders when they were happening. So I'm all about making flyers, sending out emails, making facebook groups, putting up things on their doors, etc. I want them to know EXACTLY when things are happening, so they have no excuse to forget. Also, this constant reminder and having me go around talking about the programs gets them hyped to come. I always talk about my programs excitedly, with an air of mystery. Enough so that residents are interested, but not too much where they know too much and won't want to find out for themselves.

I encourage them to bring friends, too. Often times, residents miss programs because they aren't in the building, with friends. So, I encourage them to bring their friends to my event, even the community builders (despite them not being in the community) so that they can have fun and attend my event at the same time. Of course, this doesn't always work, but I want my residents to feel like they can bring friends to my programs.

Now, educationals can be very hard, so I'm going to mention how I plan for these, because let's get real: no resident gets pumped to attend an educational program. When planning mine, I NEVER revert to lecturing. I usually try to incorporate games into my event, so that residents are having fun but in a meaningful and purposeful way. I also facilitate discussions on how the games tie into an overarching educational theme, and allow my residents to really think about what they're discussing. I also love using pop-culture in my programs, so finding pop-culture that links to your educational program is always a plus. And of course, I put myself in their shoes. Would I want to go to my own event, if my RA was putting it on? Would this sound fun to me? I usually ask friends to critique my program ideas, so that I can find out if they're good, or stale.

The number one thing to remember about programing is that it's always for your residents. Your programs should impact them in a positive way, always. Don't put on programs they wouldn't want to attend. Don't stick to what may be easy. Go the extra mile to make it worth it for them, and you won't regret it.