Workshop

Preparing the space:

Arrive early. Use signs to direct people to the room where the workshop is taking place.

Arrange tables into a rectangle so that people can sit around the outside of the rectangle facing each other.

Have name tags and pens placed at the entrance to the room.

Greeting Participants:

Ask them to wear a name tag and to find a seat.

Give them the Sign In data form with a pen and ask them to fill it out with the instruction to check all the issues they care about. It’s important that they mark on the form any information they don’t feel comfortable having recorded and shared with the group. After all of them have checked all the issues they care about then tell them to circle the five issues they care most about and then ask them to star their top two issues they care about.

Introductions:

Instruct the participants to try to find a partner who they don’t know.

Tell them to share with their partner what first sparked them to take action and what they did. Let them know that it’s important to listen to their partner because they will be responsible for introducing their partner to the group by telling them their partner’s name and story. The partners need to ask what their partner’s top two issues are and include that information in their introduction to the group.

After everyone is introduced to the group, ask them if what first inspired them to take action was one of their top two issues. Usually one of their top two issues was also the one that motivated them to take action.

Building Relationships

In a group of around twenty people most of the issues will be one of the participants’ top two issues.

Explain to the group the significance that most of the issues are covered by participants.

Encourage the participants to tend to their top two issues, especially the one that first ignited them. If they can sign a petition or show up for a rally/protest for other issues then that’s great but they don’t need to feel that they have to be involved with planning for all the different issues.

It’s important not to spread themselves too thin and to focus on the issues that energize them. This helps prevent burn-out.

Encourage them to think about how joining or building a coalition can help them develop a teams of problem solvers for their community.

Identifying Community Problems

Ask the participants to share concerns about community problems that need to be solved.

Identify people and organizations who could help solve the problems (elected officials, government officials, charities, universities, civic groups, places of worship …)

Remember to take photos to submit to the website and the media.

Wrapping Up The Event

Remember to take photos to submit to the website and the media.

Ask participants if they are able to help write an article about the workshop for the media.

Determine if the group wants to set a date and time to meet again to discuss the problems the group identified or if they ready to plan a follow up action (petition, townhall, rally, protest, letters to the editor, teach-in…)

Conclude the workshop by thanking the participants for attending and ask them to fill out the evaluation form.

Ask participants to help put the furniture back to the original positions.

Thank the participants for attending the workshop and let them know that you will be sending a follow up email with information on how to stay connected with each other and resources that may be useful for them.