Captains
Consult your human resources department to find out what paperwork the green living program (GLP) captains will have to fill out to become employees of the college or university. Ask about payroll regulations and requirements for students, and raise these with the captains. For example, are full-time students allowed to work more than 20 hours on your campus? Is there special paperwork for work-study students? You will also have to orient the captains to time-reporting procedures.
Creating an orientation process for your GLP captains will allow them to feel educated and empowered to lead other students. Do not be afraid to be open the orientation by acknowledging that this is the program's first year and therefore you, too, are learning with them as the year goes along. Emphasize their special opportunity to set milestones, be creative and take leadership in developing the program.
Here are some items to consider when orientating GLP captains:
- If the captains have not been involved with the creation of the GLP, then orient them to the history of the creation of your program.
- Arrange meetings between captains and sponsors.
- Plan a steering group meeting with captains before the school year begins.
- Plan icebreaker activities between captains if they do not know each other well.
- Discuss expectations for the GLP.
- Provide resources about campus-greening work at your college or university and elsewhere.
- Develop a strategic plan for group vision.
Physical Orientation of Captains
Will your captains have desk space in your GLP office? If not, make sure they have access to a personal computer or computer lab, email and a phone, as communication between them and the program reps will be crucial. Find a centrally located meeting place where you can meet captains during the year. Familiarize the captains with the GLP office and key people in the host organization.