playbook
hosted
forum
youth
A Guide for
rAisinG Youth
Voices
Introduction
3 A Note about Positive Youth Development Getting Started
5 The Youth Planning Team, the Venue and Participants 6 The Audience
6 Forum Discussion Essential Logistics
9 Equipment, Supplies and People 11 Timeline
13 Making the Most of the Forum 14 Shining the Spotlight on the Forum 15 Engaging Public Officials
16 Recruiting Volunteers
16 Suggestions for Fundraising and In-Kind Donations
table of Contents
Copyright © 2013 Alliance for a Healthier Generation, Inc. Permission is granted for copy, distribution, and display of this publication solely for noncommercial, educational purposes, provided that the work is reproduced in its entirety without revision or modification, and that the copyright notice is included therewith.
HealthierGeneration.org
playbook
hosted
forum
introduction
Childhood obesity is one of our nation’s lead-ing health threats. In fact, it is now regarded as the number one health concern among parents in the U.S., topping drug abuse and smoking. Today nearly one in three kids and teens are overweight or obese. They are facing life-threatening health conditions, a lessened quality of life and will inherit stag-gering healthcare costs. If obesity among young people continues to increase, many believe this current generation will become the first in American history to live shorter lives than their parents.
The Alliance for a Healthier Generation works to address one of the nation’s leading public health threats—childhood obesity. The goal of the Al-liance is to reduce the prevalence of childhood obesity by 2015, and to empower kids nation-wide to make healthy lifestyle choices. Founded in 2005 by the American Heart Association and
William J. Clinton Foundation, the Alliance works to positively affect the places that can make a difference in a child’s health: homes, schools, doctor’s offices, and communities.
As an adult ally, you can equip young people with the skills, knowledge and motivation to eat healthier and be more physically active. One way to do this is by encouraging young people you work with to facilitate a youth-hosted forum anytime throughout the year.
We believe youth are smarter, more connected, and more passionate than ever. However, young people need resources and a platform to harness their collective power, speak in unison, and demand that the places where they live, learn, and play are healthy. Youth-hosted forums are the platform we’ve created for youth to lead and participate in discussions with each other that celebrate strides they are making to solve the childhood obesity problem and highlight what else youth can do to move the progress meter even more. While the collaboration between adults and youth to solve the childhood obesity epidemic is critical, the intent of the youth-hosted forum is for youth to engage primarily with one another to dialog and plan for their collective action. The extent to which they’d like to engage adults in the conversation should be left to them to decide during their planning sessions.
THIS PlAYbOOK IS INTENDED
for use by any adult ally wishing
to encourage and support youth
leaders to plan and implement a
youth-hosted forum.
by organizing a forum, youth will develop important social competencies (decision-making, conflict resolution, interpersonal skills) as well as a positive identity (self-esteem, sense of purpose, positive outlook). because of their convening power, forums are a great way to forge collaborations with youth serving organizations.
Make sure youth understand the time commitment they are making and help them with time manage-ment strategies. We recommend integrating the youth-hosted forum into pre-existing activities, such as days of service/celebration or service-learning projects.
If you have questions or need assistance as you plan your forum, contact us at empowerME@
healthiergeneration.org. Together we can make an impact to stop the childhood obesity epidemic and ensure that all youth have the opportunity to live a healthy life.
AS AN ADUlT AllY,
your role is to support youth
as they plan the forum, providing wisdom and insight to
make their event more successful. As you know, youth
need a variety of types and levels of support
Youth Voice Tips
• DO involve young people in the decision-making
from the very beginning (before it is too late for them to be a part of meaningful change).
• DO include as many young people as possible.
• DO listen…really listen to young people and be
willing to learn from them.
• DO provide young people with the information,
training and support they need to succeed.
• DO plan meetings where everyone feels welcome.
• DON’T blame all young people for the actions of
one young person.
• DON’T ask youth to attend your meetings and
then ignore the ideas they give to you.
• DON’T invite youth for image reasons.
• DON’T schedule meetings at times when youth
can’t participate: during school, late at night, etc.
• DON’T use youth as a “stamp of approval”
(showing them a completed project and asking them to tell you they like it).
SOurcE: What Is Youth Engagement, Really?” ACT for Youth. ACT for Youth Center of Excellence. Web. 12 July 2012.
HealthierGeneration.org/youthhostedforum
A Note about Positive
Youth Development
Youth-hosted forums create a safe space in which young people can share their thoughts and opinions. This experience is an essential aspect of positive youth development. Posi-tive youth development, sometimes discussed as “youth voice” or “youth engagement,” or referred to as “youth development,” is “a frame-work that guides communities in the way they organize services, opportunities, and supports so that young people can develop to their full potential.” It’s an approach that focuses on young people’s strengths and positive out-comes, not their problems. This approach is widely utilized by youth-serving organizations, schools, government agencies and community groups. Regardless of the setting, the emphasis is on creating the conditions for a young person to build the skills, values and relationships nec-essary for life and work.
The practices and principles of positive youth development serve as a foundation upon which programs and activities that engage youth can be built. Simple to define, yet sometimes difficult to accomplish, youth engagement “is the result when young people are involved in responsible, challenging actions to create positive social change.”2 The degree to which
this happens depends on the structure of the organization, the experience of adults within the organization and the timing of the particular ac-tivity with which youth are asked to be engaged. Engaging youth allows young people an op-portunity to shape their own development by interacting with decision-makers and leaders in their school or community. If adults have a
more authentic understanding of a young person’s aspirations, challenges and opinions, then they’re more likely to design activities and programs promoting physical activity and healthy eating that truly meet youth needs, and are more likely to be embraced and utilized.
As is the case with many new concepts, the most effective way to learn them is to put them into practice— to move them from ideas to action. Youth-hosted forums provide a context in which to practice positive youth development and youth engagement principles. The planning and implementation of forums utilize very specific youth engagement tactics, such as youth voice and youth-adult partnership. Youth voice refers
to the tapping into the perspectives, ideas, experiences, knowledge and actions of young people.3
Youth-adult partnerships are relationships created intentionally between youth and Youth-adults where there is mutuality in teaching, learning and action.
To learn more about youth engagement as a way to prevent childhood obesity, check out the Alliance for a
Healthier Generation’s Youth Engagement Toolkit found at HealthierGeneration.org.
YOUTH-ADUlT PARTNERSHIPS are relationships
created intentionally between youth and adults where
there is mutuality in teaching, learning and action.
1 Principles of Youth Development.” ACT for Youth. Act for Youth Center of Excellence. Web. 12 July 2012. 2 What Is Youth Engagement, Really?” ACT for Youth. ACT for Youth Center of Excellence. Web. 12 July 2012. 3 Fletcher, Adam. “Youth Voice 101.” Youth Voice 101. The Freechild Project. Web. 12 July 2012.
Getting
started
The Youth Planning Team,
the Venue & Participants
The first step in hosting a successful forum is to create a youth planning team. It’s also important to involve committed adult allies who can support the team throughout the planning process. The planning team may include youth representatives from your organization, or may include youth from other organizations as well. It is essential that a variety of youth with different opinions are invited to participate. Youth that haven’t had the opportunity to take a leadership role should be encouraged to participate. Many youth have not volunteered before - simply because they haven’t been asked! Don’t be afraid to ask. by creating a strong planning team, you are building your capacity to successfully imple-ment the forum and increasing the likelihood of strong attendance.
The planning team should:
• Include a majority of young people
• be committed to the objectives and
imple-mentation of the youth-hosted forum
• be enthusiastic about working together
• be willing to share information and
resources
further exploration
• Moderator Do’s and Don’ts: • 10 Rules for being a Great Panel
Moderator:
Find the links at:
HealthierGeneration.org/youthhostedforum
Youth-Hosted Forum
Organizational checklist:
❏ FIND A lOCATION FOR YOUR PlANNING TEAM TO MEET. This could be at a school, community center, library or congregation (a location that is easy for your youth members to attend).
❏ PICK A TIME FOR YOUR FIRST
PlANNING MEETING. Remember to hold the meeting around school hours for optimal participation of youth members.
❏ DECIDE WHEN AND WHERE THE FORUM WIll TAKE PlACE:
• be sure to select a time when youth in
your community are available. Times that have worked well for past forums include evenings and weekends.
• Think about venues such as public libraries,
community centers, museums, parks and rec-reation centers, and community facilities. be sure it is easy to get to and canaccommo-date your estimated audience size.
❏ DETERMINE THE YOUTH MODERATOR:
• Moderator should be mature, respectful and
able to listen attentively to the panelists.
• Moderator should be comfortable speaking
in public.
❏ DETERMINE THE PANElISTS:
• Select four to five panelists.
• Panelists should be active in making their
school or community and/or their personal life healthier.
• Panelists should be comfortable speaking
about healthy living or the challenges that may come with trying to do so. They don’t have to be experts, but should have personal experience with the topic.
The Audience
Audience size can vary depending on the venue and overall goals of the forum however, most forums range from 50-100 youth between the ages of 8 and 17. Youth attendees should include a combina-tion of young people engaged in the issue and those who are not. The balance of the two will com-plement each other and make for a rich dialogue.
Just as with a party, consider creating a guest list and ask invited guests to RSVP—that way you can accurately plan.
It’s also important to make sure parents and adults who attend the forum are aware that they are there to supervise and observe, not necessarily to participate. Unless prompted by the moderator, adults should observe and reflect, not ask questions or interject in the conversation. The moderator may wish to set this expectation at the beginning of the forum.
Forum Discussion
It’s important for the moderator and panelists to contribute their ideas to the planning of the forum. This includes the “script” for the event. If the youth are having difficulty writing a welcome, questions for the panel and a closing statement, we’ve provided these talking points.
WELcOME Talking Points
for the Moderator
• DID YOU KNOW that nearly 1 in 3 young people in the US are
overweight or obese? That’s 25 million of us who are probably not moving enough or eating nutritious foods.
• bUT bEING UNHEAlTHY isn’t actually about the way we look.
It causes some serious problems that we sometimes can’t see, like diabetes and heart disease. luckily, there are tons of things we can do to make sure our bodies stay healthy and strong.
• OUR lIVES bElONG TO US. It’s our body and our health.
We are the solution to the problem.
• TODAY IS AbOUT YOU. Today is about listening to the voice of young people and
celebrating the actions we are taking to make our own lives healthier. It’s about the actions we’re taking to make our schools and communities healthier.
• CHOOSING TO EAT RIGHT and be active makes it easy to walk, skate, hike, swim,
jump rope, play soccer, go camping, run, dance, sing, paint, and do all of the other fun stuff we enjoy doing.
QuESTIONS for Panelists
The panel discussion should tell the story of what youth are experiencing in their efforts to eat better and move more, including the barriers they face in doing so. This is their chance to speak out on the topic. Here are some questions that youth have discussed at previous forums:
• TEll US YOUR STORY and what
brought you to the youth-hosted forum?
• WHY IS EATING bETTER and moving
more important to you?
• WHY SHOUlD other youth care about it?
• WHAT ARE THE TOP TWO obstacles
that you face when trying to eat better and move more?
• HOW DO YOU and your friends break
through these barriers?
• bETWEEN SCHOOl, work, clubs, and
other activities, how can you and your peers eat healthier?
• IS THERE SOMEONE you know who
inspires you to be healthy and live active? (e.g. athletes, adult role models, family, friends) How have they encouraged you?
• HOW CAN YOUTH motivate their
fam-ily, friends, school and community to be healthier?
• DOES YOUR SCHOOl help you to eat
better and be more physically active? If so how? What organizations and
clubs have you been involved with (like big brothers big Sisters, Camp Fire, Jewish Community Center’s, Parks and Recreation, YMCA) that have programs or activities other youth should check out to have fun and get active?
• DOES YOUR neighborhood help you
to eat better and be more physically active? If so how?
• IF NOT, what could you do to help
your neighborhood become a healthier place?
• IF YOU were leading the city, how would
you change schools to help youth to eat better and be more physically active? What about parks, neighborhoods, the transportation system, etc..?
• IF THERE WAS one thing adults could
do to help youth live healthier what would it be?
• HOW CAN YOUTH work together and
empower each other to build a healthier generation?
cONcLuSION Talking Points
for the Moderator
• AT TODAY’S YOUTH-HOSTED FORUM we had a chance
to talk about the importance of being healthy and share ideas about how to help our families and communities get healthier.
• MAKING HEAlTHY CHANGES in our own lives—or within
our homes, schools or communities will take some work. but
we hope you are motivated and inspired from our conversation today.
essential Logistics
Equipment, Supplies
& People
TAblES ❏ Panel ❏ Registration❏ Handouts, brochures and healthy
giveaways or prizes (optional)
❏ Nametags
❏ Signage and decorations (optional)
CHAIRS ❏ 50-100 attendees ❏ Panelists/moderator ❏ Registration area ElECTRONICS ❏ Sound system
(for microphones and music)
❏ Microphones
(for panel and audience participation)
❏ Recording device (audio or video)
❏ Projector for Power Point presentations (optional)
❏ Music source
REFRESHMENTS (OPTIONAl)
❏ Healthy snacks*
❏ beverages (water)
❏ Plates, cups, utensils and napkins
❏ Trash/recycling receptacles
STAFF/VOlUNTEERS
❏ Planning committee members
❏ General volunteers
❏ Tech-support volunteers
❏ Videographer (optional; professional or volunteer)
Equipment, Supplies
& People
continuedFIlMING-COMPATIblE FlOOR PlANS
If you’re filming the forum, select a location and room arrangement that will accom-modate the additional equipment and carry sound effectively. Theatre style, large “U” shaped and hollow-square arrangements work well for forums.
lOCATION CONSIDERATIONS
Successful forums have been held at schools, community colleges, parks, churches, community centers and local businesses. When selecting a location, you should con-sider these factors:
❏ Crowd size
❏ Safety
❏ ADA Accessibility
❏ Suitability for recording
❏ Costs for space (can it be donated?)
❏ Transportation (central location/public transit)
❏ Weather
SCHEDUlING CONSIDERATIONS
The date and time of a forum are just as important as the location. Remember that this opportunity is for youth, so having it at a time when they can fully participate is critical. When selecting a date and time, you should consider these factors:
❏ Weekday versus weekend
❏ Immediately after school or in the evening
❏ Avoid scheduling during religious observances, school activities, sporting events or
other special activities in which the panelists or audience might participate
*The Alliance developed the School beverage and Competitive Foods Guidelines to help students make healthier food and beverage choices in the school environment. These Guidelines can also be used by or-ganizations that are looking for healthier snacks to serve at events such as a youth-hosted forum. below are links to tools and resources you can use to select healthier snacks and beverages.
further exploration
• The Healthy Schools Product Navigator • The Healthy Schools Product Calculator • Competitive (Snack) Foods Guidelines • School beverage Guidelines
Find the pdfs at:
Timeline
2-3 MONTHS bEFORE THE FORUM
❏ Hold the first planning team meeting and create a schedule of planning
meetings up until the forum.
❏ Choose your location and reserve it.
❏ Decide who will be your audience and begin promoting your forum by making a flyer,
creating a Facebook event or by sending e-mails or Twitter messages.
❏ Think about who will serve as your panelists and moderator.
❏ E-mail the Alliance at empowerME@healthiergeneration.org to let us know about your
forum.
1-2 MONTHS bEFORE YOUR FORUM
❏ Continue meeting with the planning team.
❏ Continue inviting people and promoting the forum.
❏ Gather the necessary supplies for the forum.
❏ Find someone, perhaps a young volunteer, who can record the forum and/or take pictures.
1 MONTH bEFORE THE FORUM
❏ Continue meeting with the planning team.
❏ Continue inviting people and promoting the forum until you reach capacity.
❏ Recruit volunteers to help at the forum. Make sure everyone has a job and knows their
responsibilities.
❏ Invite your local newspaper, TV or radio station to the forum. Phone calls work really well.
❏ Invite public officials such as the mayor, city council representatives and school officials.
2 WEEKS bEFORE THE FORUM
❏ Continue meeting with the planning team.
❏ Create a script and agenda for the forum.
❏ Support panelists and moderator as they prepare their talking points.
❏ Secure any other necessary supplies.
1 WEEK bEFORE THE FORUM
❏ Hold the last planning team meeting.
❏ Finalize the agenda and rehearse with panelists and moderator.
❏ Follow-up with media and public officials.
❏ Send reminders to invited guests.
A FEW DAYS bEFORE THE FORUM
❏ Check the weather and make any necessary preparations.
❏ Organize supplies for easy transport to the forum.
Timeline
continuedTHE DAY OF THE FORUM
❏ Check the weather and make any necessary preparations.
❏ Organize supplies for easy transport to the forum.
❏ If possible, arrange all chairs, tables and other supplies at the forum location.
THE DAY OF THE FORUM: SAMPlE AGENDA
10:00 AM Arrive at venue with organized supplies and materials
10:15 AM Meet with planning team and volunteers for check-in and direct
to assigned tasks
10:30 AM Hang all signage and check equipment/sound
10:45 AM Check in with panelists and moderator; ensure all are prepared
11:00 AM Registration
11:30 AM Moderator welcomes everyone and introduces panelists
11:45 AM Physical activity break
12:00 PM Panel discussion (led by moderator)
12:40 PM Question/answer session with audience
1:00 PM Closing remarks
1:30 PM Clean-up
2:00 PM Meet with planning team
and thank volunteers AFTER THE FORUM
❏ Send a press release and pictures
to local newspapers.
❏ Return rented or borrowed equipment.
❏ Send thank-you notes to donors,
participants and VIP guests.
❏ Share your success story, photos
and video with the Alliance for a Healthier Generation.
Making the Most of the Forum
There are many ways to have your forum be even more impactful. Here are a few suggestions.
• Consider incorporating physical activity before, during, or after the forum (i.e. after the forum host a
5K run/walk or incorporate physical activity breaks, such as JAMmin’ Minutes4, during the event.)
• Consider incorporating a community-wide service project (i.e. after the youth-hosted forum organize
a park clean up and healthy picnic for attendees.)
• Consider inviting community groups to perform or lead an activity (i.e. invite a dance team or
spoken word artist to perform during the youth-hosted forum.)
• Encourage youth to utilize social media to continue the discussion of their forum through blogging,
video sharing and photo sharing. Make sure you have permission from anyone appearing in photos or videos if you’re going to share them publicly.
4 Visit HealthierGeneration.org/youthhostedforum to find the links to this resource.
CONSIDER INCORPORATING PHYSICAl ACTIVITY
bEFORE, DURING, OR AFTER THE FORUM
Shining the Spotlight on the Forum
You are organizing an important and exciting event in your community. Here are some simple ways to help spread the word about the youth-hosted forum and get some attention for your efforts.
bE PREPARED.before you start talking about the youth-hosted forum to a larger audience, make sure you know a few key details about the event. You should know the answers to these questions:
• Why is it important that we are organizing this
youth-hosted forum?
• What are the details of the youth-hosted forum?
Who, What, Where, When
• What is the impact of the youth-hosted forum? How
will it help solve the problem?
TEll EVERYONE.If you don’t talk about the youth-hosted forum, no one will know about. Have you told your friends? Family? Neighbors? Co-workers? Grocery store cashier? Community stakeholders? If someone has ears…let them know about your event! You never know who might be able to help.
SHOWCASE YOUR FORUM.Have you made a flyer about what you are doing? Have you written a short paragraph about the forum? As you are sharing your story with others, it will help to have a few quick materials you can share with others. That way you will not have to start over every time someone asks for information.
GET A CAMPAIGN MANAGER (OR TWO). You have a lot going on organizing and implementing the forum. Don’t feel like you need to do all the communicating yourself. Ask your friends and community members to help spread the word. Enlist them to put flyers in mailboxes, write emails, do research on the media— you’d be surprised how many people are willing to help. Ask them for their ideas and put them to work.
ENGAGE THE MEDIA. Do you know which reporter in your local paper, radio or on TV covers health and obesity issues? Find out! And then send them a friendly email introducing yourself and mentioning the forum. Have you already had media opportunities? Get back in touch with the re-porter and share the news on the forum. They would love to hear from you and might even decide to do a story on your event.
DOCUMENT & SHARE. Sometimes the most attention you’ll get for the event is after is it finished! Make sure you take photos and videos of the forum in action and don’t forget to share it with the media (if appropriate) and everyone who helped in the planning process.
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Engaging Public Officials
Inviting public officials to attend the forum can have several benefits. Their presence may increase media coverage. More importantly, they will hear directly from young people about an important issue in the community. Public officials to invite include: CITY/COUNTY/SCHOOl DISTRICT
❏ Mayor
❏ City Council representatives
❏ County Commissioners
❏ School board members
❏ Police Chief
❏ Health Department officials
STATE ❏ State Senator ❏ Governor ❏ State Representatives ❏ Attorney General NATIONAl ❏ US Representatives ❏ US Senators IMPORTANT CONSIDERATIONS
❏ Contact elected officials early.
❏ Have a concrete and simple request, such as inviting them to open or close the forum,
congratulate youth or make an announcement about their commitment to health.
❏ Provide as many details as possible, especially about timing.
❏ Follow up multiple times until they’ve made a decision.
recruiting Volunteers
Volunteers are essential to successful community events. Encouraging youth and adults to work together as volunteers strengthens relationships and builds community.
Important Considerations:
❏ Publicize volunteer opportunities widely (i.e. through other organizations, e-mail, social
networks, flyers and media).
❏ Hold an informational meeting and share the importance of the youth-hosted forum.
❏ Make sure your meetings, publicity, and outreach are engaging and relevant to the target
audience.
❏ Encourage a variety of individuals to get involved (youth, adults, individuals not traditionally
asked to serve, such as youth with disabilities).
❏ be flexible and allow volunteers to match their skills with tasks.
❏ Create valuable, meaningful assignments for volunteers.
❏ Identify volunteer leaders who can take charge of specific tasks (e.g. publicity/recruitment).
❏ be honest about expectations.
❏ Thank your volunteers.
To learn more about recruiting volunteers, check out Youth Service America’s “Tips for Recruiting Volunteers”
Suggestions for Fundraising
and In-Kind Donations
Organizations often rely on financial and in-kind donations to host a forum. Every organization has different policies in place when it comes to who they approach and from whom they can accept donations. For example, the Alliance for a Healthier Generation does not accept dona-tions from food or beverage companies because of its role in negotiating agreements with them—agreements that help create healthier options for young people.
IN-KIND CONTRIbUTIONS COUlD INClUDE:
❏ The venue or room in which the forum will be held
❏ Healthy snacks
❏ Transportation
❏ Prizes and other fun, creative giveaways
❏ Groceries and drinks for meetings, taste tests, cooking demos or healthy samples
Suggestions for Fundraising
and In-Kind Donations
continuedFOOD AND bEVERAGE SUGGESTIONS
❏ All food and beverages served should meet the Alliance’s Competitive Foods and
beverage Guidelines. For suggested items visit the Alliance’s Healthy Product Navigator. RECOMMENDED SUPPORTERS
❏ Organizations such as Park and Recreation departments, Parent Teacher Associations,
Jewish Community Centers, Campfire USA Councils, YMCAs, boys and Girls Clubs, and Girl or boy Scout troops
❏ Faith-based organizations
❏ Community-based organizations such as Rotary or Kiwanis clubs, the Jr. league, and other
philanthropic groups
❏ Sporting facilities, local sporting teams, and merchandisers such as sporting equipment
stores, gyms, ice skating rinks, tennis clubs, and pools
❏ local printing, copying and shipping companies
❏ Event locations such as parks, hotels, museums, stadiums, arenas and malls
❏ Retail stores
THANK YOU
Planning and implementing a youth-hosted forum requires time, energy and commitment. The Alliance for a Healthier Generation thanks you for helping create this opportunity for young people to raise their voices. When young people can participate and lead community conversations, contribute solutions and inspire their peers, great change can happen. To overcome the barriers to eating better and moving more it will take everyone. The forum you are planning may not immediately eliminate these barriers, but it will begin or continue an important conversation—and hopefully lead to actions that make your community a healthier place in which to live, learn, work and play.