We talked to Striv Experts in the field to give you the Top 5 ways to build your Striv Dream Team, and here are their tips! 

1. Find the right students

Obviously, this is number one. Find the right kids. Don’t be afraid to call out kids if you think they have a talent for it. Sometimes students are hesitant to try new things and just need that extra push from a trusted adult. Give it to them, and then make it a big deal! Make streaming cool. Once you get a couple kids interested, peer pressure works to your advantage. Students will naturally recruit students because they all like to feel a part of something.

2. Incentive 

As we said, make it a big deal. Put the Striv booth in a cool spot. Explain the importance of real-life experience after high school. Make them feel special! Some of our teachers provide snacks and drinks during the games. Some schools make really cool press passes that get the students into the activities for free. Maybe you could create an awards show at the end of the year to celebrate the success of the group! Or create gear such as t-shirts and half zips just like any other activity for school gets. Some teachers even make it a grade. There are lots of different ways to incentivize Striv get creative or get practical, and whatever you decide we’ve got your back. 

3. Training and Communication

This is an important piece. Your students are probably very busy. Here are a couple of different ways to stay in contact with them. At first, just get an email list together, see who’s interested. From there, some schools just have a signup sheet for the events that need streaming. A simple schedule or a remind 101 system is a great way to organize who is going where. Slack is another great communication tool, as it is very similar to text messages without being disruptive in a classroom setting. Once you get kids where they need to train them. Be there for them at first and really help them feel comfortable behind the camera, and as they get the hang of it, give them space. Students will typically panic at first, but they do catch on quickly. After a while, your students will be able to train other students! 

4. Equipment

This is where we come in! At Striv, we are happy to guide you on the right equipment. We have lots of recommendations and are happy to teach you how to use it. But don’t be afraid to expand and shrink when necessary. Purchase additional equipment when you need it, but that doesn’t mean buying the best and most expensive right away. Having the correct equipment can also an incentive for students who are interested in the tech world. Don’t be afraid to think ahead either asking your student’s “What’s next?” when it comes to new equipment and skills can really make them feel like part of a team.

5. Other tips

Bonus tip: find your free! There are actually tons of free resources out there for your disposal. For example, Envato gives away a free item once a month (one free song from AudioJungle and one video project thing from Videohive), Premiere CC — if you have it and download the latest version (2019) — comes with a lot of free stuff like the graphics I used at the beginning and end of this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9TT33RvzWM. StrivU offers a Slack workspace and we are happy to talk you through it. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. See if you can get a co-sponsor. Ask a teacher to team up with you and split the responsibilities in half! Other than that USE US. We want to help you, we want to talk to you, and we want to be a resource. 

We hope this list can give you some clarity on what might be missing from your Striv Team. Don’t be afraid to think outside the box and try something new that isn’t on this list! We’d love to hear your feedback.