How can schools design clubs that align with student interests and goals?
Designing Clubs Around Student Interests and Goals
Clubs shouldn’t just fill time; they should fuel curiosity. When designed intentionally, student clubs can become a core part of school culture, offering learners a space to explore what excites them and grow skills that matter.
But here’s the challenge: many school clubs are adult-created, one-size-fits-all, or outdated. They exist because they’ve always existed, not because they meet student needs now.
To truly engage students and support their growth, schools must design clubs that reflect what students care about and who they want to become.
Why Interest-Based Clubs Work
Clubs that center on student interests and goals are more than fun, they’re transformative. They provide:
Authentic engagement outside the pressure of grades
Opportunities to lead, create, and collaborate
Pathways to future careers, hobbies, or activism
A sense of belonging and purpose within school
When students participate in clubs they helped shape, they don’t just show up, they take ownership.
Rethinking Club Design: From Top-Down to Student-Driven
Traditional model:
Staff decides the club list
Students join what's available
Engagement is mixed
Interest-aligned model:
Students express interests and aspirations
Clubs are co-designed with staff support
Engagement increases, so does leadership
This shift requires a mindset change: from offering activities to co-creating experiences.
How to Design Student-Driven Clubs in Your School
Step 1: Ask What Students Want
Before launching or renewing clubs, gather student input. Use:
Google Forms or paper surveys
Quick advisory polls: What would you love to do at school if you had time and support?
Idea walls in the hallway or cafeteria
Focus groups with diverse students across grade levels
Ask questions like:
What are your favorite hobbies?
What would you start if you could?
What do you care about that we don’t offer?
This simple step builds trust and reveals interests you might not expect, such as coding, cooking, anime, environmental action, podcasting, robotics, fashion design, or cultural heritage.
Step 2: Look for Overlap Between Interests and Goals
Once you gather data, look for intersections:
A student wants to be a doctor → Health & Science Club
Multiple students love animals → Animal Rights or Pet Care Club
Students want a more inclusive school → Equity & Culture Club
Even non-academic interests can be linked to valuable goals:
A Gaming Club might evolve into game design or eSports leadership
A Fashion Club could explore sustainability, branding, or textile history
Framing clubs around both what excites students now and who they want to be later makes them more meaningful and easier to support.
Step 3: Make It Easy for Students to Start Something New
Students often have great ideas but don’t know how to act on them. Schools can fix this by providing a simple, structured process for launching clubs.
Offer a “Start a Club” packet or digital form that includes:
Purpose of the club
Meeting time preference
Potential advisor (or request for one)
Materials or space needed
Initial list of interested members
Once approved, provide a staff mentor, not to run the club, but to guide logistics, safety, and inclusion.
Step 4: Encourage Multi-Grade and Cross-Curricular Clubs
Students often connect across interests, not just grade levels or subjects. Encourage clubs that blend:
Ages (older students mentor younger ones)
Disciplines (art + science = STEAM)
Cultures (language clubs, international cooking, cultural exchange)
This builds stronger school community and richer collaboration.
Step 5: Offer Time and Space That Works
Clubs shouldn’t compete with homework, sports, or after-school jobs. Offer multiple participation models:
During lunch or flex periods
Rotating schedules (biweekly, monthly)
Virtual or hybrid meetups
Enrichment periods built into the day
Even 30-minute blocks of consistent, interest-based connection make a big impact.
Step 6: Celebrate, Showcase, and Reflect
Highlighting student-driven clubs validates their efforts and spreads inspiration.
Try:
Club fairs or showcases at parent nights
A “Club Spotlight” on the school website or announcements
Student-created posters, videos, or QR-coded club projects
Surveys or exit reflections to improve the club experience
Let students lead the storytelling. Their pride becomes your best recruitment tool.
Students collaborating on shared interests and goals through an engaging club activity
Common Challenges - and How to Navigate Them
“We don’t have enough staff to supervise more clubs.” | Solution: Create guidelines for student-led clubs with staff oversight, not staff facilitation. Train trusted upper-grade students to co-lead.
“We’re not sure if every club aligns with school values.” | Solution: Use a simple rubric to review proposals: Does it promote creativity, inclusion, and learning? Is it safe and respectful?
“We’ve tried clubs before and no one showed up.” | Solution: If students help design it, they’ll help sustain it. Involve them from the start, and the turnout will follow.
Final Thoughts: Clubs as a Canvas for Identity and Growth
Student-led clubs are more than extracurriculars, they’re incubators of purpose. When students explore what matters to them in a supported environment, they grow in ways that traditional classrooms can’t always reach. By centering student interests and goals, schools foster a culture of engagement, creativity, and self-direction. When we give students space to lead with their interests, we don’t just build clubs, we build confidence, community, and a sense of belonging.
Ready to dive deeper?
Explore Project-Based Learning Starter Kit — step-by-step guidance to design inquiry-based projects that engage students. Also part of the Engaging Instruction Pack.
Project-Based Learning Starter Kit
Why Teachers Love It: Teachers love it because it takes the guesswork out of PBL, offering step-by-step guidance and project ideas that spark curiosity and real-world learning.
Make Lessons Engaging & Student-Centered - Empower students with projects, challenges, and personalized learning options. This bundle makes instruction engaging, hands-on, and adaptable for all learners. Why Teachers Love It: Encourages student ownership while simplifying planning.