Nexus Conference Planning Meeting, 2/15/01, NYC
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Participants: Jonathan Cohen, CSEE; Lea Brovidani, Sagacity Consulting; Robin Stern, CSEE; Fred Stern; CSEE; Bob Hanson, NPR; Barbara Muller Ackerman, ASCA; Joshua Freedman, Six Seconds; Caleb Jensen, Oyster Arts; Anabel Jensen, Six Seconds; Lauren Nickerson; CSEE; Jennifer Soloway, CSEE; Mickey Seligson, Wellsely. By Phone: Pam Smith, American Express; Chuck Wolfe, Chuck Wolf & Assoc; Geetu Orme, Ei(UK). Notes submitted by Josh Freedman. In addition to planning the next Nexus EQ Conference, it is my hope that these notes will benefit the larger EQ community & those planning learning experiences.
- Trust; trust built through experience & over time.
- opportunity to self-reflect & question; persistent autonomous moments.
- honesty; honesty about feelings.
- clarity about shared purpose.
- Nondefensiveness.
- freedom to be confused.
- basic foundation of caring.
- opportunity to talk about learning; have people really listen.
- welcoming, flowers, attention to detail.
- activity based; multisensory; many voices & stories.
- permission to make mistakes; forgiveness.
- modeling of risk taking.
- present as a learner.
- emotionally growing, community building, shared experience.
- engage people from current trends in ed, including home school & 3rd spaces (e.g., museums) involved in lives of families.
- Value of a specific theme w. depth; "How do we use emotion?" or "How do we identify it?" "How do we transform our emotion?"
- Can we share one model of EQ / do we want to?
- Mechanism to connect people & build support / learning networks.
- Inclusive of varied points of view, practice areas, nations – world vision of EQ
- A conference "owned" by EQ movement, not one org.
- 1st conference audience was not traditional demographic, rather "change agents building EQ" from all sectors.
- Part of an ongoing process, not just a 1-time event. Projects last time did not take off…what would make that work?
- Conference as part of our own goals and noble goals.
- Learning and teaching together; workers in the movement, not experts & listeners.
- Not about fixing people, rather about creating opportunities.
- Opportunity to look at where we are, what’s working, and what do we want to do next…
- share ourselves, our struggles & conquests as role models.
- how to bring EQ to new/resistant/skeptical audiences.
- creating larger national/international impact with our work.
- sharing info about funding, current needs, & opportunities.
- explore value & limits of empirical data.
- compare/contrast SEL/EQ with Character Ed / tie into Character Ed networks
- engage other (school) reform networks.
- compare/contrast definitions & models of EQ; explore where & how each is valuable.
- Structures to help integrate SEL practices into other curriculum / training.
- Technology to support SEL / networking about what is already there.
- Creating a climate for change; identifying essential steps & tools to meet those.
- Focus on what to do to practically build EQ & transfer learning into practice.
- Sharing practice of what works to teach & spread EQ.
- Connect people who are "selling" programs/services w. people who are "buying."
- How do I become a better change agent, better master teacher, better mentor?
- How does EQ become organic part of school/organization.
- Creating EQ projects that will sustain & be part of balance in people’s lives (balance involvement w. too much load).
- ensure stakeholders are present & have voice.
- advantages to holding outside the US, esp. on a national educator learning day.
- Provide national CEUs.
- Communicate unique experience of this conference, what it feels like.
- Provide a range of emotional engagement as well as a range of content so people can find what they need in a way that meets their style.
- Could do a multi-part conference, one year focus is network, one projects, etc.
- Follow-up after conference is critical.
- Clear about benefits of ongoing participation.
- Create reflection groups to meet throughout conference; mixed practice areas.
- Create project groups to meet at end who are from same practice area.
- Ensure reason for projects & participation is very clear.
- Use of media & shared experience; eg. Show "all in the family" & discuss.
- Identify what we want participants to walk away with.
- Shape a clear vision of this event & see who is willing to co-own it – which will include sharing work, costs, benefits. In addition to partners, continue to invite people and organizations for a whole range of participation from cooperation through collaboration.
- raise aprox $50k in advance capital prior to public announcement that event will happen (through advance ticket sales, grants, sponsorships, exhibitor contracts, and gifts).
- identify partner organizations.
- request speakers to come as volunteers.
- clarify mechanisms for follow-through & plan for those, including $ as necessary.