CONFERENCE CALL THURS MAR 20

This international conference call is scheduled for 10:00 am PST / 7:00 pm CET so that friends from other times zones can participate and offer input.

AGENDA
1) Introductions
2) Designate someone to record the Minutes.
3) Input from friends in other time zones.
4) KEY QUESTIONS DISCUSSION - Choose questions to explore.
5) Review immediate activities and assignments, including establishing a timeline for 2-3 people to complete the budget.

The purpose of #4 is to generate valuable information into a format ready to extract from for proposals, presentations, media, interviews, etc.

KEY QUESTIONS: Adapted from a standard grant application.
1. Describe how the program contributes to healthier life choices.
2. How does the program contribute to a reduction of academic failure and drop-out?
3. How will the max. # of participants be served without sacrificing a quality experience (i.e. the camp, as well as the year long follow up program)?
4. Describe any partnerships you have, or hope to have, with public or private entities.
5. What opportunities does the program provide? Cover things that aren't already written in the one-page proposal or on flyers, or go into more detail. Why are these opportunities so important? Hint: Focus on what makes this program so different from others.
6. How does the program provide opportunities to directly experience and understand the natural world?
7. Decide in detail how you will incorporate on-going evaluation, assessment, and reporting.
8. Describe demographics of people participating in the program. If possible, use percentages.
9. Describe how the program specifically serves youth at-risk.
10. Discuss the program's educational goals (as they would be described for a grantor/funders, such as Boeing/BP/other. What are the objectives as they pertain to: (a) awareness, (b) knowledge, skills, abilities, (c) critical thinking, discernment, decision-making, (d) behavioral change, and (e) environmental stewardship.

Please review the list of organization names presented, listed in the right column.

Grant Guru Tips

Collaboration - (1) Who internally in your organization will collaborate with you in preparing and caring out the proposal? (2) Involve outside entities to create strategic alliances and team up for greater grant success.

"Grantwriters typically find that collaboration is an essential ingredient in preparing a grant proposal. By collaborating, you are showing your potential funder that your solution has involved many different points of view. The collaborating individuals and agencies will help your [proposal/organization/community] come together with the best possible approach to solving the issues that are at the heart of your proposal." ~ Gary Carnow, Grant Guru.

Gathering your grant team is essential. Include all stakeholders (i.e. key organizers, a youth representative, a parent). Find a time when everyone can attend and give out copies of the RFP. Determine when the grant is due and plan backward from the deadline. Schedule enough time to write, review several drafts and to fill out any required forms. Look for signature pages and determine who must sign. Some proposals require support letters and other attachments. Allow enough time to copy, collate, and send the proposal. As a grant facilitator and/or as a group, (a) schedule the meeting dates, (b) describe the activities to be accomplished, and (c) assign responsibilities. Provide each team member with a copy of your task chart.(4)

For more Grant Guru tips, incl. tips for evaluation planning, please refer to: http://www.techlearning.com/blog/grantguru/

From Lorne

~ Great work Krista!! I hugely admire the work you have done. . . your work ethic. . . and your process. I am happy you are choosing to continue your involvement with YOP even though it is in a different or reduced role. Love Lorne

Blog Continues

The blog is an online bulletin board and work space for YOP and can be used for:

• Meeting information - times, locations, and agendas.
• Sharing updates.
• Posting work for collaboration.
• Sharing quotes, learning, and inspiration.
• Expressing gratitude and/or acknowledging someone.
• Conducting a poll/survey for feedback and information.
• Posting feedback/suggestions.

and more. . .

It might be useful to post some of the work that requires collaboration so that you can easily re-visit it down the road through the archives. It's more organized than emails because the stream of input is all in one place in the order it was given. You don't need to keep track of a dozen emails and they can be re-visited through the archives.

Krista

Working Together | Brain Storms

~ Adapted from the article "Partnering for High Impact" by Cassandra O'Neill from the CharityChannel LLC(2) highlighting the 'seven norms of collaboration'(3).

The tools we use every day in Youth On Purpose to help us learn and grow make us a learning community. We collaborate and organize this program as a community engaged in reflection in action. Here are seven skills/norms for consideration -

#1 Spirit of Inquiry: Promote a culture or community of learning. Explore what people mean rather than making assumptions.

#2 Pausing: A simple pause can allow time for reflection. Learning comes from reflecting, not only from doing.

#3 Paraphrasing: During the POCC training, we explore the use of dialogue and practice pacing back what a person has said. This is important to confirm that we heard what was said, and that what was said was actually meant.

#4 Probing: Ask for more details and clarification to increase understanding.

#5 Putting Ideas on the Table: One of the principals of successful brainstorming is that no criticism is allowed. Our creativity is unleashed when we focus exclusively on generating ideas.

#6 Paying Attention to Self and Others: Watch and listen to how people are responding and reacting, and adapt the conversation to positively impact the group.

#7 Presuming Positive Intentions: People can get caught up in perceiving negative intentions for a behavior they are noticing. When people make assumptions without checking, and then report negative intentions as fact, it can lead to misunderstandings which are not based in reality.


Brainstorming & the Creative Process

State clearly that you are brainstorming, i.e., "Please reserve criticism until . . ."

Putting ideas on the table allows for the best thinking of a group and incorporates many perspectives and experiences. Criticism can really inhibit creativity. Keeping this in mind can result in more creative decision making and higher impact. Nothing is evaluated, put down, or thrown out. You can even toss in a few humorous or ridiculous ideas to ease tension.

The rule for brainstorming is "anything goes". If you really can't accept an idea for some reason, remember norm #7. Simply suggest "That's one idea. What are some others?" When people appear stuck, encourage the group in a way that promotes a stretch in awareness or thinking. Be patient. Allowing for things to emerge is the key to meaningful conversations. Allow others to figure out what to do rather than tell them what you think they should do (1)(3).

Please refer to the bottom of the blog for links to further information.