AGQB Advocacy for Girls in Quizbowl
Local chapters starter kit

Bring AGQB to Your Quiz Bowl Community

AGQB chapters help girls and gender minorities in quiz bowl and scholastic bowl find community, mentorship, confidence, and practical support close to home.

Apply to Start a Chapter Use the Starter Kit

What Local Chapters Do

A chapter is a local AGQB community based at a school, team, region, or tournament circuit. Chapters should make quiz bowl feel more welcoming without becoming a closed clique.

Purpose

Create a consistent place for girls and gender minorities to meet, ask questions, practice, and build confidence in quiz bowl spaces.

Values

Inclusion, encouragement, mentorship, visibility, novice friendliness, and respect for every member's background and experience level.

Best Fit

Student leaders, coaches, teachers, or regional organizers who can communicate reliably and build a realistic launch plan.

Who Can Apply

AGQB reviews chapter applications to make sure every new chapter has mission fit, a safe communication plan, and enough support to launch well.

Adult Sponsor Guidance

Middle school chapters should have a coach, teacher, parent, or school-approved adult sponsor. The sponsor helps approve the communication platform, attend or supervise meetings when needed, support safety concerns, and keep the chapter aligned with school rules.

High school chapters may be student-led, but AGQB recommends identifying a coach, teacher, or trusted adult who can help with meeting space, school policies, and tournament-related concerns.

Chapter Leader Responsibilities

Leaders do not need to have every answer. They do need to be reliable, welcoming, and willing to ask AGQB or an adult sponsor for help when a situation is too serious to handle alone.

Plan meetings or activities at least monthly.
Welcome new players and younger students.
Keep communication organized and age-appropriate.
Promote inclusive behavior at practices and tournaments.
Share study resources without making novices feel behind.
Send AGQB short updates after launch and major events.

Communication Plan

Each chapter should choose one primary way to share announcements, reminders, resources, and community updates. AGQB recommends that chapters create a chapter Instagram account for public updates, recruitment, event photos, and connection with the wider quiz bowl community. Any private member communication should still match the chapter's age group, school rules, and supervision needs.

Middle School Default

Use a chapter Instagram account for public-facing updates managed with adult sponsor awareness. For private reminders or member communication, use a parent/guardian-visible or school-approved platform such as Remind, Google Classroom, school email, or another tool approved by the school, coach, or adult sponsor.

Discord should not be the default platform for middle school chapters. Middle school groups should avoid private unsupervised group chats.

High School Default

Create a chapter Instagram account for public chapter updates, recruitment, tournament meetups, event photos, and reminders. Use school-approved tools, Remind, Google Classroom, or email for private member communication. Discord is not recommended as the primary chapter community unless it is age-appropriate, moderated, and aligned with school and family expectations.

Sample Chapter Instagram Bio

[School/Region] AGQB chapter. Supporting girls and gender minorities in quiz bowl through community, mentorship, practice, and tournament support. DM or contact [chapter leader/adult sponsor] to learn about meetings and events.

First 30 Days

New chapters should start small. A strong first month is about setting expectations, gathering interested members, and running one low-pressure activity.

Week 1

Prepare

Confirm adult sponsor needs, choose a communication platform, and draft your first outreach message.

Week 2

Invite

Share the outreach message with teammates, coaches, school clubs, nearby teams, or tournament contacts.

Week 3

Meet

Hold the first meeting, explain the mission, collect interests, and choose one next activity.

Week 4

Follow Up

Run one simple activity, ask members what helped, and send AGQB a short launch update.

Samples And Activities

These examples are designed for scholastic bowl and quiz bowl clubs where students may have very different experience levels.

Sample Outreach Message

Hi! I'm starting a local AGQB chapter for girls and gender minorities in quiz bowl/scholastic bowl. The goal is to build a supportive space for practice, mentorship, tournament support, and community. Our first meeting will be [date/time/location]. Everyone is welcome to come learn more, share ideas, and help decide what the chapter should do next.

Sample Sponsor Request

Hi [teacher/coach name], I am applying to start an AGQB chapter for our quiz bowl community. AGQB supports girls and gender minorities through mentorship, inclusive events, and welcoming practice spaces. Would you be willing to serve as our adult sponsor by helping approve our communication platform, meeting space, and school expectations?

Sample First Meeting Agenda

  1. Welcome and AGQB mission, 5 minutes.
  2. Quick introductions: name, school/team, favorite subject, and quiz bowl experience, 10 minutes.
  3. Discussion: what would make quiz bowl feel more welcoming?, 15 minutes.
  4. Choose chapter goals for the first month, 10 minutes.
  5. Pick the next activity and communication method, 10 minutes.

Easy First Activities

  • Low-pressure packet practice with pauses to explain clues.
  • Study buddy matching by subject interest.
  • Confidence workshop on buzzing, negs, and recovery.
  • New player Q&A about tournaments and studying.
  • Tournament meetup before or after a local event.
  • Resource swap for study tools, packet archives, and notes.
  • Outreach hour to invite more students or nearby schools.

Larger Event Ideas

  • Guest speaker panel with experienced players or coaches.
  • Online cross-chapter study session.
  • Beginner-friendly scrimmage or practice tournament.
  • Mentorship matching program for new and veteran players.
  • Tournament reflection meeting after a major event.
  • End-of-year leadership handoff meeting.

Discussion Prompts

What has made you feel supported in quiz bowl? What makes it harder for new players to feel included? What kind of events would be useful: studying, mentorship, social time, tournament meetups, or speaker events? How can this chapter support younger or newer players?

Guardrails

Chapters should feel warm and student-led, but they still need clear standards for safety, privacy, and respectful behavior.

Code Of Conduct

Members should be respectful, avoid harassment or exclusion, protect private information, and represent AGQB well at practices, online, and tournaments.

Safety Process

Serious concerns such as bullying, harassment, inappropriate messages, or safety issues should be shared with an adult sponsor and AGQB leadership. Student leaders should not handle serious safety issues alone.

Accessibility

Plan activities that consider cost, transportation, disability access, novice friendliness, schedule conflicts, and members who cannot attend every tournament.

Formal Application Review

AGQB reviews applications to confirm that each chapter has a clear mission fit, realistic launch plan, safe communication plan, and reliable leadership.

Submit application
AGQB reviews mission fit and launch plan
AGQB follows up with questions if needed
Approved leaders receive onboarding and resources

Templates To Prepare

Approved chapters should receive editable templates so new leaders can start with strong defaults instead of a blank page.

Sponsor request email
Coach announcement
First meeting slides outline
Flyer copy
Parent/guardian note
Monthly update form
Event planning checklist
Leadership handoff checklist