In addition to a session on Working Toward Sustainability, I've been asked to lead a new workshop session focused on Leveraging Social Media at an upcoming YouthBuild National Mentoring Conference. You can read about more of our workshops on the Common Ground website.
I've been enjoying designing the session and have written the following description for it:
Is it possible to use social media (Facebook and Twitter, in particular) as a strategy for supporting matches, recruiting mentors, and marketing your program? How about as a primary means of communication for mentors and mentees? And if we agree that it’s possible, is it a good idea? What’s acceptable when it comes to social media and youth programs? What about privacy? What about boundaries?
In this provocative session, we’re going to start the conversation. With more than 500,000,000 using Facebook, you can’t afford not to be planning for the future. Please come prepared to talk about what you’re already doing and to add your voice to this discussion. One thing though, please don’t expect a technical session. We’ll offer a few basics when it comes to understanding what’s out there, but we won’t be setting up Twitter accounts. Instead, this session will look at relationship building in the age of social media, focusing on when and how best to use these new tools and when to stick with phone calls and face-to-face meetings.
As I prepare for the discussions, I would love to hear how your youth program is using social media. Please send an email to [email protected] or post your story here. Thanks!
