Interactivity Foundation

📢 New on Substack! Designing Inclusive Discussions💡 Using universal and specific design principles to create a supportive environment for all the participants in a discussion 👉 Read here: https://lnkd.in/dc_p_cDx #Newsletter #CollaborativeDiscussion #WhatIF

🗨️ “Honestly, this was the best professional development I’ve attended in years.” 🗨️ That’s just one reflection from our recent Collaborative Facilitation Workshop, where nonprofit leaders explored how a simple shift—from saying "Yes, but…" to "Yes, and…"—can change the way teams collaborate. Participants learned hands-on techniques to deepen conversations, manage group dynamics, and truly listen to understand. Read more: https://zurl.co/YDEQ If you’re interested in facilitative leadership, check out our Collaborative Discussion Toolkit–available online for free. And if you need support bringing these tools to life with your team, we’d love to help run a session tailored to your group. 👉 Start using the free Collaborative Discussion Toolkit https://zurl.co/gLSX 👉 Reach out for support running a session for your team or group https://zurl.co/Qqf7 #WhatIF #FacilitativeLeadership #Collaboration #LeadershipDevelopment #CollaborativeIntelligence

🚀 LAUNCH ALERT: Help students discover their purpose with The Path to Purpose: Making a Difference Interactive Journal! 🚀 Finding purpose isn’t just for adults. Middle school is a crucial time for young people to begin reflecting on their future and the impact they want to have. With the Path to Purpose journal, educators and youth leaders can guide students on this journey of self-discovery and purpose-driven growth. Developed by Dr. Jack Byrd Jr. and Stephanie Cooper, this journal combines practical reflection activities with meaningful discussion prompts. Perfect for classrooms, youth groups, homeschooling, or personal reflection. ➡️ Order your copy today! https://zurl.co/GEop 🔗 Learn more https://zurl.co/Anjm #Education #PathToPurpose #SelfAwareness #InteractiveLearning #WhatIF Jack Byrd

“I want to make a difference.” That’s the most common response that I heard from students I advised and mentored when I asked them about their career plans. It was a response I heard in 1968 when I began teaching, and a response I still hear today (2024). How do you teach one to make a difference? That's a question that I've wrestled with for years. I initially concluded that learning how to make a difference, like many of life's most valuable lessons, couldn't be taught in a classroom. The real answer didn't come to me until 2019. I was diagnosed with cancer and had to retire from in-class teaching. As I was recovering from two surgeries, chemotherapy, and radiation treatment, alumni and current students put together a book for me called Mountaineer Memories. The book contained personal notes from former and present students, with memories of how I had helped them. That's when it came to me. Teaching students how to make a difference isn't something explicitly taught in class; it evolves from how you interact with and mentor students. That was the genesis for a book I began writing with my colleague, Stephanie Cooper. The book is titled Path to Purpose: Making a Difference - An Interactive Journal. We developed it for young people (middle/high school). It is designed to help young people realize that each of them can make a difference in their lives. Our focus isn't on grand acts, but rather leading purposeful lives where even the small things each of us can do every day can be meaningful to others.  The book can be used in many different ways: * As a daily journal for young people to reflect on as they discover their role in society. * As material for student groups such as scouts, honor societies, clubs, etc. * As material for Sunday School lessons. * As material for civics classes in schools. * As support for home schooling and educational initiatives. All proceeds go to the Interactivity Foundation https://lnkd.in/gbcCK89y, a non-partisan organization that promotes democracy. You can buy the Path to Purpose here (https://a.co/d/3UrmrUx). I hope the book might be of interest to you or someone you know. You might find great satisfaction in mentoring young people as they work through the many case studies in the book. Once you have used it, I would appreciate it if you could share your thoughts on it. I hope you can help us build awareness of the book. Thanks for helping me bring purpose to my own life. P.S. This could be a unique Christmas gift that reflects the meaning of our upcoming holiday season. 

I’m excited to share that I’ve been selected as a Sustained Discussion Fellow with the Interactivity Foundation! I’ll be leading a project called Imagining an Educational System for All. This project gets to the core of questions I care deeply about: What does it take for schools to be spaces where all students feel like they belong, make decisions, and have a real impact on their lives—both in and outside of school? What does it take for to make trust, inclusion, and engagement the norm, not the exception? This sustained discussion will dig into: • The habits of mind & heart that belonging and engagement require. • The social technology of belonging and engagement in learning institutions. • Civic innovation as a means for building more inclusive systems. Huge thanks to the Interactivity Foundation for this opportunity and for the important work they’re doing to foster dialogue on the big issues we face today. I’m honored to be part of this! If you’re passionate about building institutions as models (and labs) of civic culture and connectedness, let’s connect! More to come soon as I begin recruiting participants for this important sustained discussion.

🚀 LAUNCH ALERT: Help students discover their purpose with The Path to Purpose: Making a Difference Interactive Journal! 🚀 Finding purpose isn’t just for adults. Middle school is a crucial time for young people to begin reflecting on their future and the impact they want to have. With the Path to Purpose journal, educators and youth leaders can guide students on this journey of self-discovery and purpose-driven growth. Developed by Dr. Jack Byrd Jr. and Stephanie Cooper, this journal combines practical reflection activities with meaningful discussion prompts. Perfect for classrooms, youth groups, homeschooling, or personal reflection. ➡️ Order your copy today! https://zurl.co/GEop 🔗 Learn more https://zurl.co/Anjm #Education #PathToPurpose #SelfAwareness #InteractiveLearning #WhatIF Jack Byrd

Meet Heather Cerny Van Benthuysen, one of IF's 2024/25 Sustained Discussion Fellows. Heather’s project, Imagining an Educational System for All, explores what it takes to create schools where students feel heard and valued. "Young people have lived experiences that should be driving our decisions," Heather says. "But there are still too many cultural, systemic, and interpersonal barriers preventing real change." Read an interview with Heather at https://zurl.co/rZwa, and join us in following her journey to reimagine education as a place of belonging for all students. #Education #Belonging #CivicEngagement #SustainedDiscussion #WhatIF

🚀 Unlocking Collaborative Skills in Difficult Discussions! 🚀 On October 3rd, IF's Collaborative Discussion Project partnered with the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) Ithaca Initiative for a Difficult Discussions Workshop at the University of Delaware's Biden School, led by current SNF Ithaca Visiting Fellow Dr. Shannon Wheatley Hartman. The group explored critical questions, like: 🤝 How do we think better together? 🤝 How can creative, culturally responsive discussions build stronger communities? 🤝 How might collaborative discussion skills enhance careers and workplace dynamics? 🤝 How can we solve sticky problems by discussing better together? Participants experienced activities that sharpened their 💡Collaborative Intelligence💡—a discussion skill essential for thriving and building bridges in today's world. They dug into real-world challenges, exploring how activities from the Collaborative Discussion Toolkit can help break down barriers like groupthink, disengagement, and binary thinking. Want to bring these tools into your own community? 👉 Start using the free Collaborative Discussion Toolkit https://lnkd.in/dbx-6U5Q 👉 Reach out to host a session with us! https://lnkd.in/dpjxjdny 👉 Check out the workshop slide deck below. #WhatIF #CollaborativeIntelligence #CollaborativeDiscussions #SNFIthacaInitiative #WorkplaceSkills Biden School of Public Policy & Administration, University of Delaware

🎉 Congratulations 🎉 to IF's newest Collaborative Discussion Coaches! This wonderful group of professionals joined us to gain a deeper understanding of collaborative discussion, learn about our (free!) Collaborative Discussion Toolkit, and deepen their expertise in fostering meaningful dialogue. We look forward to seeing their contributions to building collaborative intelligence and strengthening communities through dialogue! Well done to Katie Palermo, Teresa Blair, Cielo Herrera, Jane Case, Lydia Reinig, Kristina Gergus, Kirt Shineman, and Nadea Armogan! 👏 👏 #CollaborativeDiscussion #CoachTraining #ProfessionalDevelopment #WhatIF

Her Main Thing - revealed. Don't miss the plethora of insights and personal growth stories embedded in this golden wisdom conversation with Dr. Shannon Wheatley Hartman, president of the Interactivity Foundation. See Comments for link to listen now. #wisdom #dialog #growth