Program Planning Committee's Wikispace: Check out this page to understand benefits
of creating and using a planning wiki or other similar web-based tool.
In order to have a high quality program that pushes the envelope in terms of subject matter as well as involves a wide range of facilitators, the following aspects might be considered:
Program Committee Job Description ( Minimum 2 people plus conference coordinators)
Write and distribute Call for Facilitators of Workshops – November
Distribute Call for Facilitators of Workshops to AVP-L and CLRG- November, January, February, March (see email samples)
Select and arrange keynote speaker and work out speaker’s transportation/housing, letter of agreement-ASAP
Keep a list of Proposals received- ongoing input and ideas are collected
Send out confirmations to facilitators (see Confirmations of Facilitators)
Edit summary of workshops from proposals (which can then be used in on-site Conference Program)- April/May
Develop conference program and agenda hand-outs plus evaluation forms
Determine room set ups and communicate to site a month out.
Recruit and train workshop hosts
AV coordination (Videos, projectors, flip charts, paper, pens and etc. arranged/purchased prior) - on site
Coordinate workshop set-up and clean up- on site using workshop Hosts.
Send thank you letter with evaluation comments as available- after conference.
Keynote speaker to provide motivation and focus for the theme.
The process for determining who the keynote speaker was:
Suggestions were received from a variety of individuals by the Program Committee
Further research on each person suggested was done
Though we had scheduled for the speaker to co-facilitate during the ex-prisoner World Café apparently that did not get communicated adequately to the facilitator of the evening, it is ideal for the speaker to:
arrive early enough to get a feel for the group prior to the keynote
stay around for a day after the keynote to be available for informal interaction
allow time at the end of the presentation for questions and answers
present another workshop or two during the day
talk with the conference program contact just prior to his/her arrival to confirm all details (a phone call and an email invited the 2005 speaker to make such contact, however he did not.)
Delegate the handling of the keynote to someone not running the conference including meeting on site, contact before etc. It is too much to do a good job with the speaker and answer attendees’ questions constantly.
Workshops to provide challenging, thought-provoking and practical material and experiences in a limited amount of time by people who know AVP or the field in general.
In this arena, we encouraged facilitators to form teams and create an experience rather than a lecture to make it more like AVP.
Review past Call for Facilitators as appropriate for your conference.
Start recruiting facilitators in the Fall via AVP-L. See sample emails. (You are laying the seed for people to come forth as conference approaches and to remind them to hold the date.)
Keep a running list of suggested workshops from the beginning including those suggested at the last conference and ones you might like to see yourself.
Four people used the tear off on the bottom of the Call for… however others did make phone contact to discuss their workshop. These trickle in but add up through the year.
As Conference approaches, send out emails asking for people to co-facilitate on topics suggested. This brought in about 10 facilitators over several emails; many who had never led workshops at the national conference.
Follow threads of interest on the AVP-L listserv. Invite people who start interesting threads of discussion or who offer resources to serve as facilitators.
Once someone is signed up as a facilitator of a workshop, send out the Facilitator Confirmation. See sample and revise it.
As you gather the responses to the Facilitator Confirmation begin creating and writing the workshop descriptions and bios for the conference welcome packet. This didn’t happen until late April and then during May.
CAUTION: EARLY in planning, before confirming keynote speakers or setting the overall program-Check with the Committee of Committees for their plans for general sessions, when they want the Annual meeting (traditionally Sunday Afternoon, and the scheduling of committee meetings and any other space needs they may have for planning before and after.
Issues and Answers are fast-paced brainstorming sessions of solutions to an issue or question.
When you want to tap a wide range of experience on an issue that may not have been explored by anyone or you can’t find a team to do a workshop on a topic, these are a possibility. They give the attendees a chance to interact as yet another level and overall were reported as very helpful. Try scheduling them at least an hour.
Keep a running list of suggested Issues from the beginning including those suggested at the last conference and ones you might like to see yourself.
Help potential workshop presenters discern whether it should be an Issue or a Workshop.
The ideal is if each Issues and Answers facilitator takes the ideas presented and types them and sends them to the participants or at least keeps the list for the newsletter to create an article.
In 2011 Issues and Answers did not get much traction as a Monday morning activity. However, repeats of some of the workshops were well received as attenders were able to pick up on a workshop they had missed earlier in the weekend.
General sessions that are interactive again increase the opportunity to know more people at the conference at a different level.
With Friday night arrivals from the East Coast being tired by 7 p.m. and having so many more people, having an interactive event was well received and attendees had a good chance to interact with a number of people. See Resource Exchange. An interactive activity for the opening night, rather than the long gatherings done at past events, is energizing, welcoming, and community building!
This year with so many more ex-prisoners, having the traditional panel was not really possible so the 2005 World Café was a beginning for future conferences. Also we had some comments that the setting off as separate a panel of “ex-cons” was uncomfortable for both some ex-prisoners as well as others. The World Café was an attempt to integrate the group more. Having a workshop on re-entry in 2011 was welcomed with formerly incarcerated facilitators leading the session was valuable, but even more was the including of these facilitators on teams leading other workshops.
Hosts of workshops and Issues and Answers provide support for the individuals or teams facilitating. Using them effectively to handle the details makes it easier for the presenters and Program Coordinator. Being a host gives more attendees an opportunity to volunteer and contribute and gives conference organizers a better handle on what is happening in the workshops. They can be selected at the conference if not recruited beforehand. Having a Host coordinator on site would be helpful. Doing a brief orientation on Friday would get everyone on the same page throughout the conference.
Assuring room is set up the way the team wants it and that they have equipment they need.
Finding felt pens or details while the presenters proceed with the workshop.
Function as timers and introducers
Assuring evaluations are present in the room and passed out as well as collecting them and turning them in to the Program Coordinators.
Filling out their evaluation of the process and room situation.
Giving immediate feedback to the Program Coordinator if problems are occurring or need intervention during the conference.
Materials used by Program Committee
Confirmation of committee sign up after Fall Gathering, emailed.
Subject: AVP USA Program Committee
Date: November 14, 2004 6:43:36 PM PST
Dear Pat, Kimberly, and Laurel,
Thank you for agreeing to serve on the Program committee for AVP USA in 2005. Attached is a copy of the task sheet which also contains the information so that you can contact each other.
We are looking for folks to help with housing before, during, and after the conference. If you can recommend anyone from the AVP or FriendsMeeting communities, please let me know.
Recruiting-workshop-presenter materials
Past Programs and schedules
2005 Breakout schedule and Programs
In 2005, since traditionally so few people fill out the written evaluations, we tried something new, using the standard AVP Workshop evaluation process with a newsprint on the wall and the group evaluating collectively at the end of the workshop.
In more recent years we have asked people to evaluate the entire conference on an email survey after the conference which was pretty successful.
2005 Barbara Babin’s recommendation on using the AVP-workshop-newsprint-evaluation process for the conference:
+ facilitators got immediate feedback on their session
+ we did model AVP process
- we didn't evaluate issues and answers sessions (at least not systematically) and I think they were actually very powerful, but we
don't have much data
- these comments are so truncated, they have less meaning for people who didn't attend the session
- people who like to be more reflective about their evaluations might have responded more to a written evaluation.
In 2011 we used half-sheet evaluation forms passed and filled out at each workshop and handed in to the host or facilitator. This gets more response and gives immediate feedback for the presenters. Getting these back to the registration desk, keeping track of them and tallying them need to be put in the plans before the conference. Ann Boone tallied them while waiting for people to turn in their towels, then we lost them for three months then found them again. This prevented our sending our thank yous to the presenters and giving them their tally, which was not planned in advance but would have helped. John Stevenson organized the Hosts.