neighborhood b-o-n-d-i-n-g

I've had some lonely moments, particularly last winter, that left me yearning for some kind of connection with the human race other than just my peers at school.  So, long story short, I decided to start a club.  In our neighborhood.

The club I came up with is titled "the Pizza and a Movie Club," and acts as an anti-book club for all teens and tweens within roughly four blocks of each other.  Activities consist of exactly what is listed in the title: eating pizza and watching a movie.  We've had four meetings so far (which are once a month), and each has been at a different kid's house.  The kid gets to pick the movie and order the pizza.

1. how?  huh?  
I passed out flyers (litterally) to neighborhood parents, advertising the club.  They looked like this:

Parents responded postitively, saying they were sure their kids would be into it.  I did not, however, recieve any RSVPs.  I had to go through the neighborhood directory and personally call each household I was fairly familiar with.  HOT TIP: get a neighborhood directory.

The phone calls were a kinda scary, but if you keep a friendly tone, little can go wrong.  I said something along the line of, "As a teen, I'm starting a neighborhood club for teens and tweens.  Pizza.  Movie.  Yes?"

2. through the birth canal, the graphic arrival of P&M Club
I called each potential member three times.  Once to get their contact info, then the second time to see what Friday/Saturday they were available.  A few dates matched up for everybody.  I called a third time to verify that the club would indeed exist.  It would be hosted at my house.

3. setup
A clean house and some snacks on the table are good staples, in my mind.  I was sure to have activities available, like cards or Wii or boardgames, but those never happened.  For an hour, the kids were content to just sit and talk.  The next three meet-ups were like this.  If you have a particularly stoic collection of tweens and teens in your neighborhood, I think extra activities are useful.  Otherwise, the party just... GOES.  I cannot emphasize this enough.

4. and the moral of the story is...
If you want to start a club, you are officially the mom of that club until it learns to fly.  It's a little bird.  You're teaching it.  To fly.  You're the mom.  It's a bird.  You got it.  SO, you are required to tirelessly contact all potential members.

After this is complete, the club has zero requirements (other than its required activities, of course).  No one has to get along, no one has to talk, no one has to bond.  Socializing is like - if I may present you with another metaphor - taking a shower.  You feel good afterwards, even if you were just standing there.  After a few meet-ups, it's OK if the club dissentegrates.  Chances are, though, that people will feel joyful to have a place to go and people to see on a friday night.