After identifying a need for creative and innovative online connection opportunities, JUMP! Foundation hosted its first-ever Breaking Digital Barriers workshop on April 4th. This 1-day virtual training infused models from JUMP! Foundation’s curriculum and “microstructures” from Liberating Structures. Our event spanned across six hours and focused on the following “blocks” of programming:
Block One: Opening
Block Two: Community Discovery
Block Three: Team Building
Block Four: Personal Discovery
Block Five: Empathy
Block Six: Closing
Originally scheduled as an in-person event, the program undertook a forced evolution due to the spread of COVID-19 and related restrictions. We held the theme of breaking the mundane “fluff” of small talk by entering deep and meaningful conversations. Hosting the training in a virtual environment allowed the facilitators to dive further into the concepts regarding how to break small talk, foster genuine connections, and create experiential and community-building spaces in the digital landscape. Due to the success of the event and many requests, we’re hosting our second Breaking Digital Barriers workshop this weekend! Registration remains open and there is no cost to register.
You may be an educator looking for a way to encourage more intentional dialogue through your online classroom or maybe you just want to learn some new techniques for fostering connection online in your personal life. We welcome all participants!
We hope you enjoy the enthusiastic testimonials below, provided by individuals who attended our last workshop.
Testimonials:
“To speak honestly, I continually oscillate between seeing technology is a detriment to authentic connections, and the next second, I can only see a cavern of untapped potential in connecting individuals. In my facilitation, and as JUMP’s Growth and Innovation Manager, I strongly value creativity and cannot say how stimulated I was at the conclusion of this event. I commend my co-facilitators for the diverse approaches to inclusively and interactively electing a multitude of voices. We dynamically used the chat, video, audio, and breakout room features to share perspectives, verbally and non-verbally. The training left me inspired by possibilities we have yet to tap into. It is more imperative than ever to utilise tools that create equal-level spaces for collaborative dialogue instead of talking head content.” – Nick Hathaway, Digital Breaking Barriers Facilitator
“That online workshop can be engaging – even for a whole day! I was skeptical as I’m such a strong believer in face-to-face connections but I’m a convert. Thank you!” – Participant, Digital Breaking Barriers
“You can’t have lecturing and talking for too long in online spaces, I think educators can join hands with this type of facilitation to help engage students. Maybe this is the start of a great collaboration”
– Lotta, Digital Breaking Barriers Facilitator
“I loved all of the uses of the breakout rooms– I thought it was super effective, though I think it would have also been helpful to have at least one main facilitator per group to get the group going! The use of the slide deck was also effective as a way for participants to follow along. I loved the creative uses of the chatbox too! Not everything needs to be said verbally. The use of non-verbal cues during the whole workshop was helpful and effective in gauging the participants. A team to manage a workshop like this is important– For example, someone to manage and organize the breakout rooms, verbal facilitators, chatbox facilitators.” – Participant, Digital Breaking Barriers
You can find all the “microstructures” that Liberating Structures uses for inclusive conversation here. If you are interested in attending this weekend’s workshop, sign up through our Eventbrite page.
