cc after sandy toolkit

7/27/2019 CC After Sandy Toolkit

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After Sandy

www.nyhumanities.org/conversations


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Thank you for hosting aCommunity Conversation!

New York Council for the Humanities | T 212.233.1131 | www.nyhumanities.org

Overview Community Conversations are stand-alone, text-based discussions led by a facilitatorfrom the local community. Each toolkit includes a text that tackles an importantaspect of American life and encourages community dialogue.

Structure Your Community Conversation should last between 60 and 90 minutes withoutinterruption. Discussions should be guided by a facilitator and focused on the textand the theme.

Hold your conversation in a room where a group of 10-30 participants can hear eachother clearly. Use the tips sheets for host sites and facilitators included in this toolkitfor ideas about how to encourage everyone to participate in the discussion.

Faci l i tator A good facilitator is the key to making a Community Conversation successful. Thefacilitator should be someone in your community who enjoys working with people, isinterested in what others have to say, and believes in the merit of conversation-

based programs. The facilitator does not need to be someone with an advanceddegree in the humanities, but rather someone who has some experience leadingopen conversations and who is enthusiastic about learning how to facilitate. Weencourage all prospective facilitators to attend one of the Councils free facilitationwebinars* to learn more about best practices for guiding successful and meaningfuldiscussions.*Facilitators at featured sites must attend a facilitation webinar.

Included inthistoolk i t :

On Some Mental Effects of the Earthquake by William JamesDiscussion Questions for On Some Mental Effects of the EarthquakeTips for FacilitatingTips for Hosting

Sample ScheduleParticipant EvaluationKeep the Conversation GoingPartners

page 3page 4page 5page 6

page 7page 8page 9page 10

Community Conversations provides an opportunity for people come together forthoughtful discussion and dialogue about their shared values as Americanspast, present, and future. Focused on central themes in American life such asservice, freedom and democracy, Community Conversations allows New Yorkersto join in discussions that offer an alternative to received wisdom and providethe chance to take part in a shared national dialogue.


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3New York Council for the Humanities | T 212.233.1131 | www.nyhumanities.org

Two things in retrospect strike me especially, and are the most emphatic of all my impressions. Both are reassuring asto human nature.

The first was the rapidity of the improvisation of order out of chaos. It is clear that just as in every thousand human

beings there will be statistically so many artists, so many athletes, so many thinkers, and so many potentially goodsoldiers, so there will be so many potential organizers in times of emergency. In point of fact, not only in the great city,but in the outlying towns, these natural order-makers, whether amateurs or officials, came to the front immediately.There seemed to be no possibility which there was not some one there to think of, or which within twenty-four hours was

not in some way provided for.

Much of this readiness was American, much of it Californian; but I believe that every country in a similar crisis would

have displayed it in a way to astonish the spectators. Like soldiering, it lies always latent in human nature.

The second thing that struck me was the universal equanimity. We soon got letters from the East, ringing with anxietyand pathos; but I now know fully what I have always believed, that the pathetic way of feeling great disasters belongsrather to the point of view of people at a distance than to the immediate victims. I heard not a single really pathetic orsentimental word in California expressed by anyone.

The terms awful, dreadful fell often enough from peoples lips but always with a sort of abstract meaning, and with a

face that seemed to admire the vastness of the catastrophe as much as it bewailed its cuttingness. When talk was notdirectly practical, I might almost say that it expressed (at any rate in the nine days I was there) a tendency more toward

nervous excitement than towards grief. The hearts concealed private bitterness enough, no doubt, but the tonguesdisdained to dwell on the misfortunes of self, when almost everybody one spoke to had suffered equally.

Surely the cutting edge of all our misfortunes comes from the character of loneliness. We lose our health, our wife orchildren die, our house burns down, or our money is made way with, and the world goes on rejoicing, leaving us on oneside and counting us out from all its business. In California every one, to some degree, was suffering, and ones private

miseries, were merged in the vast general sum of privation and in the all-absorbing practical problem of generalrecuperation. The cheerfulness, or, at any rate, the steadfastness of tone, was universal. Not a single whine of plaintiveword did I hear from the hundred losers whom I spoke to. Instead of that there was a temper of helpfulness beyond thecounting.

It is easy to glorify this as something characteristically American, or especially Californian. Californian education has, ofcourse, made the thought of all possible recuperations easy. In an exhausted country, with no marginal resources, the

outlook on the future would be much darker. But I like to think that what I write of is a normal and universal trait ofhuman nature. In our drawing-rooms and offices we wonder how people ever do go through battles, sieges and

shipwrecks. We quiver and sicken in imagination, and think those heroes superhuman. Physical pain, whether sufferedalone or in company, is always more or less unnerving and intolerable. But mental pathos and anguish, I fancy, areusually effects of distance. At the place of action, where all are concerned together, healthy animal insensibility andheartiness take their place. At San Francisco the need will continue to be awful, and there will doubtless be a crop ofnervous wrecks before the weeks and months are over, but meanwhile the commonest men, simply because they aremen, will go on, singly and collectively, showing the admirable fortitude of temper.

On Some Mental Effectsof the Earthquake by Wil l iam JamesExcerpt from Writings 1902-1910

William James wrote this piece in the immediate aftermath of the devastating 1906 earthquake in San Francisco.

It was selected for the After Sandy toolkit because it touches on themes universal to communities recovering from disaster.


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Discussion Questions forOn Some Mental Effects of theEarthquakeby Wil l iam James


How does James describe the people who bring order to the aftermath of the quake? What exactly arethey doing?

Is natural-order making particularly American, or human, or neither?

Why does natural-order making usually lie dormant? Is it normally dormant in your community?

Who were the natural-order makers in your community after Sandy? Did people come forward you didntexpect or know before?

What does James mean by the phrase universal equanimity present in San Francisco after the quake?

In James view, what explains that equanimity?

James says he felt reassured about human nature after the 1906 earthquake. Did you feel a similarsense of reassurance after Sandy? Why or why not?

Why does James say there was a kind of cheerfulness after the quake? Does this ring true to you?

Why, partway through this piece, does James start talking about loneliness?

James says mental pathos and anguishare usually effects of distance. Whats he trying to get at? Doyou think hes right?

When describing how people responded to the aftermath of the earthquake, why might James alsoemphasize what the people of San Francisco did not do and how they did not react?

James observes that in an exhausted country, with no marginal resources the idea of recovery would bemore difficult. Do you think hes right? Do you think in 2013 the U.S. has the resources necessary torecover from Sandy and other natural disasters?

What is the animal insensibility and heartiness that James describes in the last paragraph? Do youthink something similar was present after Sandy in your community?

What did you learn about your community after Sandy that you didnt know before?

Many people felt more connected after Sandy, even amidst the terrible destruction. Could we create agreater sense of connectedness every day? How? What would it require of us?

Are there similarities in the kinds of behavior that James notes and what you saw after Sandy?

What do you hope your community will remember about Sandy 100 years from now?

How might we mark the anniversary of Sandy in the years to come? Is service an appropriate way toobserve it? Why or why not?


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Tips for Faci l i tat ing aCommunity Conversation


Community Conversations are simple gatherings that encourage thoughtful, engaged dialogue using a shortreading to foster discussion. The goal is a comfortable, lively discussion free of bias and judgment. We hope thefollowing suggestions will help you create an inviting environment for you and your community.

Planning for the Conversat ion Expect a healthy conversation to last between 60 and 90 minutes.

Read the text several times, paying attention to the parts that were difficult or that made you pause. These will be the

places that generate the most conversation.

Use the sample questions in this toolkit as a starting point for writing questions that will resonate with your group.

Decide how you will begin the conversation. The first few questions will set the tone for the discussion, so think about

what themes in the text you would like to explore.

Prepare about three times as many questions as you think youll cover with the group. You wont get to everything, butextra planning will help you follow the natural progression of the conversation.

Plan a closing question or exercise that signals the end of the formal discussion, but encourages the group to keep theconversation going at home or among friends.

Gett ing Started Arrange chairs in a circle or semi-circle so that participants can easily see one another and be heard by all.

Start by establishing some basic guidelines with the group. For example, be respectful, make sure that everyone has

a turn to speak, and focus your comments on the reading.

Introduce yourself at the beginning of the session and ask each participant to do the same. Keep introductions short.

Begin by reading the whole text aloud together. This allows everyone to have the opportunity to hear a fluent reader and

invites people with lower levels of literacy to actively participate.

Plan an opening activity to help participants get comfortable: ask a discussion question and encourage participants to

share their thoughts in pairs and report back to the group.

Asking Good Quest ions Ask short, open-ended questions that dont have a right or wrong answer.

Invite the participants to interpret the text in their own ways.

Focus on places where opinions may differ (not on facts that cannot be disputed).

Look for ways to connect the subject matter to everyday life.

Encourage participants to form their own questions.

Prioritize keeping the conversation going over getting to all of your questions.

Use the text as a neutral place if the conversation gets heated.Listen and Learn Focus on listening, not teaching.

Be flexible and let your questions follow the natural course of conversation. Dont feel that you need to ask every

question youve prepared or in the order you planned.

When the conversation in flowing, share your opinion last or not at all.

Avoid answering your own questions. If there is a lull in the conversation, let people think about their answers before you

move on.

Look at the person speaking, and try not to cross your arms or legs. Address group members by their first names.


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Tips for Hosting aCommunity Conversation


Finding a Faci l i tator Find a facilitator who is a good fit for your group. (The host-site coordinator and the facilitator can be the same

person.) The success of your conversation is highly dependent on the skill of your facilitator.o Look for someone who is open, friendly, and enjoys working with people. Your facilitator should believe in

the program and share your enthusiasm for doing it!

o Look for someone who is interested in what others have to say. Keep in mind, the facilitator is not there toteach the text or lecture on the topic, but rather to ask questions and let the group do the talking.

o Look for someone who is willing to learn how to be a facilitator and can commit to doing the trainingwebinar (if you are a featured site).

Recruitment

Plan to begin publicizing your discussion at least three weeks in advance. The Council provides templates for pressreleases, fliers, and Community Conversation logos on our website (link).

For public conversations, make fliers and post them at local libraries, community enters, coffee houses, school

campuses, churches, veterans or union halls, and store bulletin boards. Be sure to get permission to leave or postfliers. Make every effort to draw a diverse audience to your program so that a variety of perspectives arerepresented in the discussion.

If your conversation is for a closed group (staff, club, etc.), consider including the discussion at a time when you

already meet, such as at a staff meeting. You may consider including the conversation on the day of a planned

service project, either to start or conclude the project.

Consider making fliers with the time, date, and location on one side and the text on the other.

Room Set-Up Be sure to choose a room with good acoustics so that everyone, including people who may be hard of hearing, can

hear each other. Choose a room that is free of other distractions. Seat participants in a circle or semi-circle so everyone can make eye contact with each other.

Create a welcome table with copies of the text near the entrance to the room. Provide nametags and ask

participants to use their first names. You may also want to include other literature or pamphlets from yourorganization related to the theme of the discussion.

Make more than enough copies of the text so that everyone has a copy. Invite participants to take an extra copy

after the discussion and share it with a friend or family member. Its a great way to keep the conversation going!

Test any audiovisual equipment ahead of time to make sure that the volume is loud enough for everyone to hear.

Dont play off of built-in computer speakersits difficult to hear in large groups and people may feel uncomfortable

saying so.

Provide light refreshments like juice, coffee or tea, and cookies. You can use the stipend to cover the cost of drinks

and snacks.

Make sure the facilitator has a view of a clock or other time-keeping device. If you are not the facilitator, seat

yourself across from him or her so that you can easily make eye-contact.

Wrap-Up Decide whether you will ask participants to fill out an evaluation form. Have copies on hand to distribute after the

discussion has concluded. The Council has included a short evaluation form in this toolkit that you can use, or youcan design your own. Be sure to share participant feedback, formal and informal, on the host-site coordinator

evaluation form (provide link).

Keep accurate attendance data for your own records to report back to the Council. The Council does not require you

to share names or contact information of attendees.

If you are a featured site, complete the online evaluation for host-site coordinators within two weeks of the event.


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Sample Schedule for aCommunity Conversation


What needs does our community still haveafter Sandy?

How can we contribute to rebuilding ourcommunity one year after the storm?

Introduce yourselves briefly- 10 minutes

Wrap-Up- 15 minutes

Discuss- 50 minutes

Check comprehension- 5 minutes

Read the text aloud- 10 minutes

Use first names.

Ask each participant to turn to their neighbor andshare, in one word, a feeling they rememberhaving in the days after Sandy. Then share oneword describing how they feel one year later.

Ask one fluent reader to read the entire text.

Suggest participants underline or make notes aboutparts of the text that surprise or intrigue them.

Did everyone understand the vocabulary?

Are there any phrases that need furtherclarification?

Focus on interpretive and evaluative questions:

Interpretive: What does James mean when hesays X?

Evaluative: Do you agree with James when hesays X? Why or why not?

Planning Guidelines for Community Conversations


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Part icipant Evaluation


Name: ________________________________ Email: ________________________________

Did this conversation help you to think about this topic in new ways?Definitely Not Not really Possibly Somewhat Definitely

Did you learn f rom your peers dur ing the conversat ion?Definitely Not Not really Possibly Somewhat Definitely

Were you encouraged to share your react ions to the top ic and text?Definitely Not Not really Possibly Somewhat Definitely

Were others encouraged to share their react ions to the top ic and text?Definitely Not Not really Possibly Somewhat Definitely

Did the faci l i tator ask relevant and interest ing quest ions about the text and topic?Definitely Not Not really Possibly Somewhat Definitely

How valuable was i t to you to part ic ipate in th is program?Not at all valuable Not very valuable Somewhat valuable Valuable Very valuable

How important is i t to have programs l ike th is one in your community?Not at all important Not very important Somewhat important Important Very important

Do you p lan to ta lk to f r iends and family about the ideas raised in th is program?No Possibly Yes

Would you participate in this kind of program again?No Possibly Yes

Please add any addit ional comments about to days Community Conversation .

Would you like to receive the Councils e-newsletter? Yes No


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Keep the Conversation Goingwith Support from theNew York Counci l for the Humanit ies


Explore more of what the Council has to offer!These grants and programs support conversation-based programming.

Series of thematically linked texts over the course offour, five, or six sessions.

Themes include: Growing & Aging, Muslim Journeys,Serving, Working, Making Sense of the Civil War, andLincoln on the Civil War.

A forum for parents and their 9- to 11-year old childrento come together to talk about books and ideas.

Six 90-minute sessions is co-facilitated by a librarianand a humanities scholar from the local community.

Explore key themes in American life such as courage,freedom, and being American.

Organizations may design their own series ofconversation-based programming about important

humanities ideas or texts.

Grants of $300 $3,000 may be awarded.

Over 200 humanities-based lectures on a wide varietyof topics.

Bring a lecture on democracy to your organization orschool:

- Matilda Joslyn Gage: Bringing Her Into History

- Leadership in America

-North Star Shining: New York States FreedomTrail An Illustrated Journey Along the

Underground Railroad

Visit us at www.nyhumanities.org for all program information, guidelines, and application forms.Any not-for-profit organization in New York State is eligible to apply for Council grants and programs.

Reading & DiscussionPrograms for AdultsRead and talk about books andideas in a group setting

www.nyhumanities.org/adultrd

Together and Unidos Family reading and discussionprogram for parents and kids

www.nyhumanities.org/together

Project GrantsFunding for projects usinghumanities to engage the public

www.nyhumanities.org/grants

Speakers in the Humanitiesand Speakers in the SchoolsLectures on humanities topics

www.nyhumanities.org/speakers


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Community Conversations Partners


Partners

Supported in part by a Special Chairmans Grant from the National Endowment for the

Humanities and an Officers Grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

ArtsReady/South Artswww.artsready.org

www.southarts.org

University Settlement Society ofNew Yorkwww.universitysettlement.org

www.njhc.org

http://www.brooklynartscouncil.org

cc after sandy toolkit

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