100 Days of Conversations��Host a Conversation Guide

A step-by-step guide to hosting a conversation.

If you don’t look at anything else in the deck…

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This is all you need to host.

Hosting should take a total of ~1.5-2 hours total - all in. It’s easy and super enjoyable!

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Everything you need is on this slide.

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1. Sign up to be a host on the website.
2. Invite your participants & select a time on Calendly.
3. Facilitate the conversation.
4. Fill out the post-conversation survey.
5. Thank your participants for their time.

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What is in this deck?

Welcome!

In this deck you will find everything you need to host a conversation as part of 100 Days of Conversations about School. Including:

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• What are 100 Days’ goals & principles?
• What does hosting involve?
• What do I need to do before the event?
• How do I facilitate the conversation?
• What happens after the conversation?

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If you have any questions, please reach out: chris@humanrestorationproject.org; hello@reenvisioned.org

¡También en español!

Los documentos claves también están disponibles en español aquí:

• Información / Overview - bit.ly/100days_info_espanol

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• Consentimiento de guardián(a) / Parent Consent - bit.ly/100days_consentimiento_familia

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• Consentimiento / All Participant Consent in Spanish - //bit.ly/100days_consentimiento

• Guía de facilitación / Facilitation guide in Spanish - bit.ly/100days_guia_facilitacion

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Overview: ��100 Days of Conversations

We Believe

• The voices of students, educators, and families should be front and center in decisions about how to remake school after this moment.
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• Community conversations are the practice of democratic discussion our country needs right now.

What is 100 Days of Conversations?

• 100 Days of Conversations is a collaborative project organized to catalyze conversations in communities across the country on each of the first 100 days of the new administration - January 20th - April 29th, 2021 - now extended to 31 May due to high demand!
• These conversations will be analyzed and highlighted for collective dreams and turned into policy advocacy briefs to be shared back to the participating communities and with state and federal education departments, nonprofit organizations, and educators.

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Project Process Goals

Project Outcome Goals

Process Principles

• Human-and youth-centered, community-based.
• Facilitates connection & strengthens relationships.
• Prioritizes listening.
• Appreciative & Visionary: Seeks bright spots, builds on strengths, and identifies common dreams, as well as critiques the current system.
• Encourages ongoing reflection and continuous learning for participants and audience.

Who is Participating in Conversations?

*2-8 People in a Conversation - we recommend 5-6 - preferably at least one young person to every adult.

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** Young people’s voices 13 and under are also important, but require a special consent process - please contact us to organize.

What it Looks & Sounds Like

HOSTING:��The Basics

Hosting Basics: Overview

Hosting should take a total of ~1.5-2 hours total - all in. It’s easy and super enjoyable!

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Everything you need is on this slide - but we’ve included many details in subsequent slides in case you like those :)

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• Sign up to be a host on the website.
• Invite your participants & select a time on Calendly.
• Facilitate the conversation.
• Fill out the post-conversation survey.
• Thank your participants for their time.

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On the next slide you’ll see every detail of the timeline.

HOSTING:��Before the Event

Getting Started

• Sign up
• Sign up to be a host at www.100daysofconversations.org
• Set a Date and Time
• Set a date for your conversation here
• If desired, you can host more than one conversation!
• Gather Your People
• Invite 1-7 other people to participate in the conversation about reimagining school.
• Ideally there would be at least one young person for every adult.
• Consider Consent
• Because we are recording, analyzing, and sharing these conversations, everyone will need to sign a consent form at the beginning of the conversation. Participants under age 18 will require additional consideration.

What You’ll Need

• Date & time for your conversation (45-90 minutes to host the conversation)

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• An invite to send to your guests a link to a virtual platform for the conversation
• You will receive a free Zoom link when you sign up for a time. This will automatically record the conversation and store it in our cloud. If you want to use a different platform please email us to arrange at: chris@humanrestorationproject.org | hello@reenvisioned.org.

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• The facilitation guide

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• A plan to take notes

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• A thank you note to send to the participants

Example Invite (To Adapt & Send)

Hi _______________,

I’d like to invite you into a conversation about the future of school.

As part of the 100 Days of Conversations initiative, I’m hosting a virtual conversation about the future of education on ______________ (insert date) at _____________ (insert time). We will be talking about what’s working, what isn’t, and what our dreams are for a more fair and equitable education of tomorrow.

I think you have an important perspective for this conversation. I hope you will join me and some other __________________ (choose: students/friends/parents/teachers) in this conversation. Please let me know if you are willing.

This conversation will be part of hundreds of conversations happening in communities across the country. It will be recorded, transcribed, shared, and analyzed to center student, educator, and community voices in policy and practice recommendations. You can read more about the initiative and the data privacy policy at www.100daysofconversations.org.

I’m excited to have this conversation with you! Hope to hear from you soon.

Best,

Example Reminder (To Adapt & Send)

Hi _______________,

Thank you so much for your willingness to join the upcoming conversation about the future of education.

I will see you [in one week / tomorrow] at _______ (time). Please use this ______ zoom link to join us.

As a reminder, we will be recording the conversation to combine it with hundreds of other conversations happening around the country to analyze themes for policy and practice recommendations, and to spread awareness to the nation about our thinking. You can read more about the initiative and the data privacy policy at www.100daysofconversations.org.

See you soon.

Best,

Consider Consent

Because we are recording, analyzing, and sharing these conversations, everyone will need to sign a consent form at the start of the conversations, including the host.

Young people’s voices are critical to this effort - their voices are often left out of the broader conversation. However, additional consent considerations are required if participants are age 17 or younger.

Educators: If you are organizing this as a part of a school or classroom activity, they should be covered under your school’s media release policy. Make sure your school has one and your participants’ parents have signed it. We still recommend you notify caregivers - we’ve found the majority are excited about the project! Here’s a form if your conversations needs an active consent from caregivers.

• If you have participants who are ages 14-17, they are old enough to assent. Conversations will be analyzed and shared according to our data privacy policy. First names, school name, and state will be associated with the conversation. The audio or video may be shared.
• If you have participants age 13 or under, caregivers should be notified and they need to consent to their child’s participation. The conversation will automatically remain private - accessible only to those in the conversation and the research team. Quotes may be shared with a first name and state, but with no other identifying information.

Example Parent Notification (To Adapt & Send)

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

We are hosting a conversation as part of the 100 Days of Conversations nationwide initiative to reimagine the future of school post-pandemic. Students’ voices are critical to understanding how to make school better, yet they are often not asked for their perspective. This project aims to center students’ ideas and experiences in policy and practice recommendations.

As part of this, your child will be in a conversation that is recorded, analyzed, and shared along with hundreds of conversations across the country.

• [If they are age 14-17] Conversations will be analyzed and shared according to the data privacy policy. Their first name, school name, and state will be associated with the conversation. The audio or video may be shared.
• [If they are age 13 or under] The conversation will automatically remain private - accessible only to those in the conversation and the research team. Quotes may be shared with a first name and state, but with no other identifying information. No video can be shared publicly.

We are excited to take part in this effort and believe it will be a meaningful learning experience for students to participate. If you do not want your child to participate, please email me.

Best,

HOSTING:��Facilitating the Conversation

Guidance for Facilitator

(FOR REVIEW PRIOR TO CONVERSATION - DO NOT READ ALOUD)

The conversation protocol is available in two different formats so that you can choose which one works best for you:

1. You can continue and read the guidance, prompts and questions from this presentation deck.

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• You can read from the google doc facilitation protocol (this is the easiest option to print).

Guidance for Facilitator

(FOR REVIEW PRIOR TO CONVERSATION - DO NOT READ ALOUD)

1. Ask questions one at a time. Feel free to use the prompts once the discussion on a question has started, but don’t rush to the next question too quickly.
2. Inquire for deeper meaning. If someone offers a broad answer, ask them to share more: "NAME, that's really interesting! Why do you say that?"
3. Refrain from interjecting too often. Allow participants to naturally guide this conversation.
4. Bring all voices to the table. Help them step up and step back. If you notice someone not speaking much, invite them in: "NAME, what do you think about that?" Similarly, if someone is consistently speaking, encourage them to share this space: "NAME, thank you so much for these thoughts. Let's allow some voices we haven’t heard as much weigh in."
5. Slow is good. Silence is good. Allow time for quiet thought and contemplation.

Guidance for Facilitator

(FOR REVIEW PRIOR TO CONVERSATION - DO NOT READ ALOUD)

The questions in the protocol are designed to promote deeper reflection.

Depending on how many people are in your conversation (we recommend 3-5 as ideal), these questions might take more time than you have scheduled.

One option is to alternate between two different ways of asking questions:

1. Ask a question then open the mic for each person to respond.

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• Ask a question, then give 1-2 minutes of silence for people to reflect individually. Participants then answer the question into the chat, and the whole group can discuss their answers.

Setup

• Arrive 5-10 minutes early to ensure that:
• your internet works
• the link works
• you have a relatively quiet location where you will be uninterrupted
• Double check that your zoom link is recording.
• Ensure you have the facilitation guide in front of you (on screen or printed) and a way to take notes during the conversation.
• The facilitation guide is included in this presentation on the next few slides or in the google doc linked above so that you can choose how you best like to access it.

Welcome (to be read aloud)

• Hello everyone, thank you so much for being here.  
• I am [your name] and I work at/or go to school at [org/school name] where I [role & what you do].
• Today we’re here as part of the 100 Days of Conversations initiative. 100 Days aims to collectively reimagine what school could - and should - be post-pandemic, and is trying to center the voices of students, educators, and families in decisions about how to remake school after this moment.
• The project is doing this by catalyzing conversations like this across the country every day for the first 100 days of the new administration. The conversations are between people within the same community because democracy requires conversation, and practice having civil conversations seems important right now.
• The purpose of the conversation today is thus twofold:
• For everyone here to have a chance to reflect, to listen to one another and therefore to better understand our own and others’ perspectives.
• To contribute to a larger national set of conversations that are all going to be analyzed together for themes and insights, and presented to state and national governments.
• �Our goal is to utilize these conversations toward real change in schools.
• This should take [time you’ve allotted - 45-90 minutes]. I have a few questions prepared to facilitate the conversation, and then there will be an opportunity for you to also bring up questions for the group.

Facilitation Guide

Consent (to be read aloud)

To be able to contribute to the larger project, we need to record the conversation. This will be transcribed and shared as part of the hundreds of conversations happening across the country.

�It’s important that everyone knows and consents to how this data will be used. The basics are that:

• 100 Days of Conversations and its organizers plan to use the conversation audio, video, and transcription, to research for policy recommendations and to grow awareness through social media.
• Your first name, your last initial, your organization, and your state will be associated with the transcript, and it will be available for you and other participants to read after the conversation. Parts or all of the transcript may be shared publicly.
• You will receive an email after signing with all of the information, and you can opt out anytime by email to make the conversation private (only viewable to researchers).

To participate, please read the full consent statement at the link I’m putting in the chat, and sign by filling out the form: http://bit.ly/100days_consent [PUT LINK IN CHAT] When you’ve signed, please respond, “signed” in the chat.

• Make sure you as host also sign the consent form!
• [If any participant declines the above statement, they may not participate in this conversation. Thank them and allow them to leave.]

Wonderful. Thank you.

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Norms & Ground Rules (to be read aloud)

• The aim here is to have civil conversations that are grounded in love and respect. We have some norms to support this:
• �Listen respectfully: 
• Let other express their views without interruption
• Mute & use the chat when you’re not talking.

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• Step up, step back:  
• Be mindful of how much time you take at the mic. 
• Your voice is important - please step up and make sure it’s heard; but everyone’s voice is equally important, so please step back if you notice you’ve spoken a lot.

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• Disagree with Kindness: 
• It’s ok to disagree and/or hold a different perspective. In fact, we encourage this!
• Assume best intentions.

� Are there any norms you’d like to add that have worked well in other conversations for you?

• Do you have any questions before we begin?

Introductions (to be read aloud)

• First, it’s important we all know at least a little about one another. First, we will go around so everyone can introduce themselves.
• �Please include:
• [Facilitator: copy and paste the list below into the chat for everyone to see]
• Your first name (please make sure your last name is not in your Zoom name on screen!)
• Where you’re joining from
• Your organization & role
• Why you’re here today
• One hope for the conversation

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Questions: Good Life

• While not often discussed, we all hope that school helps us create good lives and thriving communities.
• 1. What makes a good life for you?
• Is there any difference between a good life as a young person and a good life as an adult?
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• 2. What makes a thriving community?
• What do you think makes it hard to thrive as a community?
• Is there any difference for school communities?

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• 3. For you, ideally, what role would school play in creating a good life and/or thriving community?

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Questions: School

• 4. What are you proud of from this year - for yourself and/or for how your school community handled the challenges?

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• 5. What was important about or in school before, but you never really realized how important until this year?
• �6. Knowing what you know now, is there anything you hope will be different about school moving forward?

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Questions: Learning & Equity

• 7. Describe an empowering learning experience you’ve had - this could be in or outside of school. (Empowering means made you feel stronger and more confident or in control)
• What made it feel empowering?

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• 8. What does equity in education look like to you? (equity means fair and everyone has what they need)
• Is your school equitable? Is our system?
• When you think about your school, whose voices aren’t heard; or, whose perspectives aren’t respected?
• Why do you think that is?

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• 9. Is there anything on your mind about education, or that you hope about the future of school, that we didn’t cover today?

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Additional Questions

• [Here, feel free to create additional questions that you want to discuss in your conversations if there is time. They might be relevant to your particular school or community or they might just be interesting to you.
• You can also open it up to the other participants to see if they have questions on their mind.]

Closing & Thank you (to be read aloud)

Thank you!!

I feel [____] to have been part of this conversation. Before we close, let’s quickly take a screenshot together [take screenshot...this is optional]

In terms of next steps:

1. You’ll be receiving a follow-up email from 100 Days of Conversations with a survey about your experience. Please fill it out and share your thoughts!
2. Once this conversation is live, it will appear on 100DaysofConversations.org, as well as a website called Local Voices Network. Local Voices Network has an AI-transcription software funded by MIT, where you can see our conversation analyzed for key themes and analysis. 100 Days of Conversations will email you a sign-in link to Local Voices Network within the next 7-10 days that will let you highlight and share the most memorable, important parts you contributed to our conversation.
3. If you are interested in hosting another conversation like this one, it’s easy and fun - sign up at 100daysofconversations.org.

Thanks again for participating! Talk to you soon.

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HOSTING:��Post- Conversation

Post-Conversation Overview

❏ Send us your thoughts/notes through this survey

❏ Send the participants a thank-you note

❏ Check out & share your conversation

❏ Stay in touch & in the loop

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Immediately:

Share your reflections & notes

• Your memory of the conversation will be best within the first few hours.

Please fill out our post-conversation survey with your reflections and upload your notes as soon as possible after you finish.

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• If you did *not* record automatically through a zoom link we provided, please submit your recording here.

Within a Day: �Send Thank you (Example you can adapt)

Hi _______________,

Thank you so much for participating in our conversation about the future of school. I learned so much from our discussion and am excited that our discussion will inform policy recommendations and be shared with a broader audience.

You should have received an email with a survey and information about how to access our conversation transcript on Local Voices Network. If you didn’t receive it, send an email to the project team at the addresses below.

The transcript will take 7-10 days to be ready. In the meanwhile, to stay in the loop, follow @100daysconv on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

If you want to host your own conversation, please do! You can sign up at 100daysofconversations.org. The more conversations we have, the more we increase the “power in numbers” that ensures youth, educator, and family voices are heard.

If you have any questions or want help with hosting a conversation, please email hello@reenvisioned.org and/or chris@humanrestorationproject.org.

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Have a great day and talk to you soon.

Best,

Within a Week: �Check out & Share your Conversation

You will receive login information for Local Voices Network when your transcript is ready.

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• Check it out!

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• Select interesting quotes from your conversation and share them on social media.

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Stay Informed & Involved

Encourage Others to Host

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The more people who are involved, the more likely our voices will be heard and our perspectives listened to!

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If you enjoyed your conversation, please encourage others you know personally to host. The best way to do this is through a personal message via email or text.

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Additionally, you can use our media kit to post on social media to encourage others.

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For Educators

If you enjoyed this conversation and want to go deeper with your students, REENVISIONED has a classroom revisioning project curriculum that empowers students as interviewers, meaning-makers, and changemakers.

Students interview one another and adults in their lives, learn to qualitatively code and find themes in their data, and co-create a class or school vision based on what they hear. Nearly 1000 students have found this to be a powerful and memorable learning experience.

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Everything you need to do the project is free and available here.

Join the Conversation &

Find More Resources

100 Days of Conversations

• www.100daysofconversations.org
• @100daysconv - Twitter | Instagram | Facebook

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Human Restoration Project

• http://www.humanrestorationproject.org
• @humrespro - Twitter | Instagram | Facebook

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Local Voices Network

• https://lvn.org/
• @localvoicesnet - Twitter

REENVISIONED

• http://www.reenvisioned.org
• @reenvisioned - Twitter | Instagram | Facebook

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Choice-filled Lives Network

• http://choicefilledlivesnetwork.org
• @choicefilledlvs - Twitter | Instagram

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THANK YOU!!

WWW.100DAYSOFCONVERSATIONS.ORG