Welcome-Introductory remarks should include a core outline explaining the event's goals and agenda. These remarks will set the stage for what can be expected and provide an opportunity to share "housekeeping" details.
Video Screening- You must always test the VCR and monitor ahead of time! Be sure the screen and sound complement the room.
Every community meeting should revolve around the needs and interests of that particular community. To help inspire discussions, organizers may screen all or part of the outreach tape for In Search of Law and Order: Reclaiming America's Kids. Programs featured in the tape are described in more detail in the "Using the Outreach Tape" section of this leader's guide. They may help you identify elements of the video that may serve as a catalyst for a discussion about the objectives you hope to achieve.
Discussion-There are many ways to organize the discussions that will follow screenings of the outreach tape. Your own agenda, objectives and audience will determine whether a panel discussion, a question and answer session, or a moderated large group discussion is the most effective way to explore the issues raised by the tape. For a community that is just getting started, breaking in to small groups of 3 or 4 for face-to face discussion may be helpful.
Choose an event format that makes best use of the expertise and resources available to support your meeting. If you have attracted a number of local officials and juvenile justice experts, you may want to use the tape to lead into a panel discussion; if one or two crucial public officials attend the meeting, you may think it more productive to engage them in a question-and-answer session with the moderator, or allow other participants to question them from the floor.
Summary-Keep any discussion under control. Don't let it stray from the main subject without summarizing the key points and specific issues that have been raised. The objectives you have established for the event will provide a road map for organizing the discussion and establishing a consensus for future action. Be very clear and specific whenever you ask participants to commit to any next steps. To make sure those commitments are binding, write down for all to see a statement describing what the group expects to achieve, and ask your participants to reaffirm that any such goals are realistic.
Evaluation–Your feedback, and that of the attendees, is an important tool for PBS to know how the outreach efforts have worked for your community. By providing comments, you and the participants tell the producers how In Search of Law and Order: Reclaiming America’s Kids outreach materials have helped to facilitate change and how public television can enhance future outreach efforts. Two evaluation forms — a Leader’s Survey and a Participant Survey — are provided at the end of this guide.
Make sure to photocopy the Participant Survey forms prior to the meeting and set aside time at the end of the event so everyone who attends can complete a survey. Be sure to collect the surveys before people start networking with one another. Before you (or the leader) pack up, take a minute to fill out the Leader’s Survey while the meeting is still fresh in your mind.
Note: Please fax the Leader’s Survey to 650/596-1833. After collecting the Participants’ Surveys, please mail them to: Kikim Media, 990 Industrial Road, Suite 207, San Carlos, CA 94070.
Networking-Allow time for participants to talk and network with one another. All too often, youth-serving professionals work in isolation from each other and yearn for the exchange of ideas that community meetings make possible. For instance, one objective for the event may be to encourage existing services to pool their resources; providing them time to share and trade program details may be exactly what they need to get started.
Follow up-Following up on the ideas and possibilities that will inevitably emerge from any community meeting is often much harder than organizing the meeting itself because the urgency fades as soon as the event ends. But maintaining the momentum generated by these meetings is essential to building the long-lasting relationships that are the foundation of effective community coalitions. To help buttress and sustain such relationships, share your meeting notes not only with all that attended, but also with other professionals and practitioners who could not be present but are likely to support your efforts.
