Please note this document is a record of the Shared Reality Think & Do session that was held on 1/28 @ Columbia University. Over 40 storytellers, policy makers, educators, designers, hackers, activist and students gathered to explore ways for VR/AR/MR to be tools for social justice. At the center of the day’s activities was Performing Statistics and their Summer Program which works with incarcerated youth to build training programs for law enforcement.
Performing Statistics needs your help to make their Summer program a reality. Are you a creative technologist? Do you have experience with VR and emerging technologies? Would you be able to help advise and/or teach? Please read this overview of the project and what Mark and Gina need.
The following document is a first step in developing best practices for social impact projects that want to utilize emergent technologies.
Over 40 people gathered for a special Think & Do session at Columbia University’s School of Arts
Objective: To run an innovation session that encourages collaboration, explores best practices for designing/producing VR/AR/MR as tools for social justice, accelerates the work of Performing Statistics while also providing participants from diverse backgrounds opportunities to connect.
Here’s where we welcome everyone and also state clearly the goals of the session and that the next 7+ hours are designed to be collaborative and the importance of a non-judgmental space.
A brief introduction to the Columbia University School of the Arts’ Digital Storytelling Lab - by Lance Weiler Director of the Columbia DSL.
A brief introduction to the Center for Justice - by Geraldine Downey
A simple icebreaker that provides an opportunity for participants to meet someone new. This active listening exercise also provides a valuable data point as it provides insight into why someone chose to attend.
- Determine a question such as “Why did you come here today?”
- Everyone is given an index card and marker
- Participants are instructed to find someone they don’t know
- Write your name on the card
- Now switch cards with your partner
- You're going to take turns interviewing each other
- Ask the question five times in a row and resist the temptation to ask followup questions
- The person interviewing writes down key insights
- Then switch
- When finished write a short two sentence description that embodies your key insights that you’ve gleamed from what you’ve heard. Do this on the other side of the card with the persons name
Leave time for the group to reflection: What did you notice about that exercise any thoughts?
Purpose of the exercise
View the raw data from 5x Why
(please note that this google spreadsheet has all the raw data from the day)
To set the stage for the session we often have an ignite style talk. The talk approaches the given topic through a personal lens.
10 mins
Emerging possibilities - technology & collaboration as tools for purposeful storytelling & change
Lance - shares how the Digital Storytelling Lab is harnessing emerging technology and a “designing with” methodology to make sustainable impact. My Sky is Falling
White Paper from My Sky is Falling
20 mins
Performing Statistics - a look at the work and the summer opportunity. What, Why, How, When & Where. Mark provides an overview of the work, the project, the challenge and how what we do in the session will be handed off to the youth to start the summer program. Mark also lays the groundwork for the “sections of the project” that we’ll use to prototype later in the day.
10 mins
Impact Harlem is introduced and its made clear that it is a separate program and a wonderful opportunity for us to collaborate in the session with youth. Impact Harlem will then do a special spoken word/musical performance.
The youth from Impact prepare to perform a spoken word piece entitled “Frankenstein” about the realities of youth and the impact of mentorship.
*During the informing sessions we run an Ideas & Resource exercise - see below…
During the talks participants are asked to write down ideas, thoughts and/or opportunities that come to them as they listen to ignite style talks. These should be the frame of the day’s design question.
View the raw data from the Epiphany Wall
(please note that this google spreadsheet has all the raw data from the day)
The World Cafe is designed to surface the collective intelligence of a group
The World Cafe is a collaborative discussion that is designed to gather the collective intelligence of a group. It is an excellent networking activity that enables participants to meet others through stimulating conversation. Consisting of three rounds, each round runs for 16 to 18 minutes and is focused on a different question.
The importance of the questions
Each round of the world cafe is based on the following…
QUESTION: “Has there been a time that you, a family member or friend was impacted by the justice system - what is something you wish other people could have felt, seen or understood about about the impact of that experience?”
QUESTION: What are some of the challenges that exist in creating a world without youth prisons?
QUESTION: “How could we harness VR/AR/MR as tools to both visualize and transform the school-to-prison-pipeline in a way that is collaborative, transparent and ethical and why?”
Setting the stage for the world cafe - take a moment to establish some guidelines
Listen with intention
Speak with conviction
- who's participated previously
- we run it a little different
- please find a seat at one of the tables
- 5 to 6 people per table
- 3 rounds 15 to 18 mins in length
- need a volunteer - table host (connective tissue)
- only mistake is to not write, doodle or draw on the table
- please uncap your pens
- are you ready for the first question?
- table host please write this on your table for reference
Question 1 (Have participants write using the same color marker)
A look at how we run the round…
SAMPLE SCRIPT TO RUN THE WORLD CAFE
“Take a minute or two to think and jot down what comes to mind - once everyone is ready start sharing
[take time to hang the 5x why near the threshold and trigger post it notes - it is important to make the work visible to all throughout the session]
2 minutes left
Okay pens down
Table hosts please stay seated
Everyone else please stand
Please find a new table with new people - you are free to move around the room
Okay we're now ready for round 2 but before we start I need a new volunteer from each table to be the table host for round 2.
In a moment I'm going to give the question for round 2 but please before you dive into it your table host from round 1 will give everyone a quick overview of what was discussed in round 1
Here's the question - table host for round 2 can you please write this down?”
Listen to conversations from World Cafe table 1 & table 2
Question 2 (Have participants switch to another color marker; everyone using the same color)
A look at how we run the round…
“Okay before you dive into the question make sure you hear a brief recap of what was discussed during round one. Once you finish that you can dive right into the discussion around Question 2.
During each round of the World Cafe participants are encouraged to document their conversation
SAMPLE SCRIPT TO RUN THE WORLD CAFE
2 minutes left
Okay pens down
Table hosts please stay seated
Everyone else please stand
Please find a new table with new people - you are free to move around the room
Okay we're now ready for round 3 but before we start I need a new volunteer from each table to be the table host for round 3.
In a moment I'm going to give the question for round 3 but please before you dive into it your table host from round 2 will give everyone a quick overview of what was discussed in round 2
Here's the question table host for round 3 can you please write this down?”
Listen to the conversation from World Cafe table 1 & table 2
Question 3 (Have participants switch to another color marker; everyone using the same color)
SAMPLE SCRIPT TO RUN THE WORLD CAFE
“Okay before you dive into the question make sure you hear a brief recap of what was discussed during round one.
Once you finish that you can dive right into the discussion around Question 3.
2 minutes left
Okay pens down
Look down at the table in front of you. I want you think about what's in front of you and what you've heard in the discussions around the room.
7 mins
There are two index cards on the table. You're going to have 7 minutes to complete this next task. As a team please determine what you think is the biggest opportunity and biggest challenge facing juvenile justice is and why?
Transitional thoughts to bring challenge and opportunities into the 2nd half of the day.
Perhaps you should ask participants to pick one challenge that they would like to work on. And then with the design principles come up with an idea.
Perhaps as a transition have them pick a challenge or opportunity and rephrase it as a design question (that then becomes kind of like a nested design question underneath the overall quest).
2 minutes per table
Each table presents biggest opportunity and biggest challenge to the room
[Collect the cards and hang them on the wall.]
View the raw data from the Greatest Challenge & the Greatest Opportunity
(please note that this google spreadsheet has all the raw data from the day)
Impact Harlem preform “Politics”
Impact Harlem is a collective of youth activists who view the creative arts and leadership training as a way to develop themselves and change the world in a positive way.
The appreciative inquiry is designed to surface design principles through an interviewing and collaborative sense making process.
Over the course of the appreciative inquiry the group works to surface design principles
Participants break into pairs
12 minutes
They take turns interviewing each other. They start with an initial prompt however unlike the 5x Why this time they are able to ask additional questions and go deeper in an attempt to surface insights.
8 minutes
Participants are told to identify the common characteristics within the story and/or experience that they share. They need to walk away with the top 5 common characteristics
10 minutes
Pairs of participants are then joined into groups of 6. They come together and discuss their collective common characteristics and filter them down to the top 3.
10 minutes
Each group now has their top 3 characteristics. We come together as a group and place them all on the wall. From here we look to identify what could be design principles - We post the day’s design question nearby to help frame this final 10 minute group discussion. The goal to come away with a list of design principles.
View the raw data from the Appreciative Inquiry
(please note that this google spreadsheet has all the raw data from the day)
Overall note: This starts as an individual activity and then ends with participants forming teams
Consider the following phases of the Performing Statistics project as a way to frame your Idea for the Marketplace.
Step One
Participants choose one of the challenges or opportunities that surfaced during the World Cafe. - which are hanging on a nearby wall.
They then pick two to three of the design principles that emerged from the Appreciative Inquiry - which are hanging on a nearby wall.
Participants are given a 5x8 index card without lines and a marker
Welcome to the marketplace of ideas we have 30 minutes or less to complete this task.
Come up with an idea that attempts to answer a Challenge or Opportunity that surfaced during the World Cafe. So you’ll pick one from this wall.
Then you’ll incorporate 2 to 3 of the design principles that surfaced during the Appreciative Inquiry - these principles will act as a filter to help you craft and idea. In other words your idea should embrace the 2 to 3 principles you select
Please write your idea and when your finished place the card in front of you on the table.
Now that everyone has an idea we are going to move into the marketplace.
Can everyone please stand up. In a moment you are going to move around the room and look at each others ideas. Stop at the ones that catch your interest, share ideas and ask questions.
You need to find 5 ideas that could build off of each other. So in other words your ideas will help you form a group of 5 people.
Any questions?
Okay go…
View the raw data from the Marketplace of Ideas
(please note that this google spreadsheet has all the raw data from the day)
The prototyping cafe is designed to make ideas tangible in a collaborative and playful way
5 to 7 minutes
Now that we’ve broken into teams based on ideas that took into consideration
We are going to move into the prototyping part of the day.
Quick description of what we mean by prototyping - imagine you’re in a dark room and I give you a handful of darts. I tell you there is a dartboard on the wall at the other end of the room…
Why prototype? What we’re trying to do is…
Lance briefly shares our goal for the day to start a Blueprint for how a project like this is done. Taking Performing Statistics efforts in Richmond as a frame.
Mark brings back the sections of the projects and explains that a goal of the day is come up with things that we can hand to the youth in Richmond this summer. The project includes the following sections.
Based on what Mark just described consider these questions to help guide your prototyping.
Make sure to reinforce the purpose of our prototyping…
So as you move into the prototyping phase please keep in mind the above Past, Present, Future questions that Mark has referenced. We’ll write them on the wall so you can see them.
To help you get started we’re going to have a little creative competition. There is a large sheet of paper in front of you. As a group considering the ideas that brought you together as a jumping off point your going to attempt to generate a 100 ideas in 5 minutes. They can be blue sky or very granular. They can be silly, serious or practical. It’s up to you the only thing you need to do is come up with as many as possible in 5 minutes.
Ready set go…
2:30 left
1 mn left
30 seconds
10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
Markers down please
Everyone please count your ideas
Who many did each table have?
Congratulations
Now pick the top 3 that can aid your prototyping. Consider the ideas that brought you together as a group. Please circle them.
So you’ve come together as a team based upon an initial idea that you felt answered the design question and included two to three design principles.
You’ve heard from Mark about the sections of the project and I’ve told you about our goals to start a blueprint here today that can be the first in a series of ongoing steps. And most importantly what we do here is intended to handed off to Richmond.
With that in mind you have 20 minutes to come up with a prototype. It can be an idea you expand up, a drawing, something that you act out, a story, a game and element that helps the work in Richmond. The choice is up to you but realize in 20 minutes you need to have something that you can present to the group.
Any questions?
Okay the clock starts now - go
10 minutes left
2 minutes left
less than a minute
Split the room into teams of 2 meaning that a table will present to another table. So if we have 8 tables they gather up into 4 groups of 2.
Okay you’re going to take turns presenting your prototype to each other. As the team presents its import that as you listen think of ways that you could help to improve the prototype. Feel free to write thoughts on post-its while you listen.
Once the team has finished presenting the team that just listened will share a series of questions that are intended to improve the team’s prototype. YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO ANSWER THEM instead make sure that you write them down as you’ll want them to help inform your prototyping. This is what we call NON-JUDGMENTAL FEEDBACK - Consider a possible worksheet for each team
Quick mention of Yes And thinking.
Make sure to give some examples to help model the concept of non-judgmental feedback
Okay any questions?
You have 2:30 minutes or less to present the idea - and 2:30 minutes or less to provide feedback in the form of Yes And questions. After you present
Now this is VERY IMPORTANT you need to take turns timing each other. As you have 10 minutes to complete this task.
A prototype surfaces that enables participants to enter a teen and/or police officer’s phone. What can we tell about someone from their phone and can we find common ground?
Okay we’re going to move into round 2 of the prototyping cafe. In this round you have 20 minutes to refine your ideas prior to sharing them with the whole group. Take into consideration the following.
You’ll only have 20 minutes before you need to present these to the whole group. Remember your prototype can take on any form you like. A series of drawings, a story, a game, a how-to etc. the choice is up to you. Just know that you’ll need to present it to the whole group in 2 minutes or less.
half way through
2 minutes
1 minute
Each team will now have 2 minutes to share their prototype. We’ll be timing you. Once you’ve finished the whole group will have an opportunity to ask questions that are intended to improve upon the prototype.
Had everyone a post-it note and a marker - encourage them to write down any questions that they have. One per post-it.
Give 2 minutes for questions and then allow everyone to quickly hand their post-it notes with questions to the team that presented. This way we capture as many questions/ideas as possible.
Groups present their prototypes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmU7hFwWKf4&&feature=youtu.be
The Shared Reality + Social Justice Think & Do session ended with participants sharing reflections as well as sending messages to the youth who are part of the Preforming Statistics program in Richmond, VA.
Special thanks to Michael Coney for shooting and stitching the 360° video. To view in 360° please use the click the link below.
Script for running the Checkout
We have one last thing to do together
Can everyone take an index card and a sharpie
In our short time together we
Met someone new and took a deep dive on why they came today
We surfaced the collective intelligence of the group through a world cafe
We developed design principles through an appreciative inquiry
We entered a marketplace of ideas
We rapidly prototyped and shared through non-judgmental feedback
Now with the card you have in your hand take a moment to jot down something that you feel should be developed beyond this room. Something that you heard, talked about, ideated on etc. Through the frame of it being handed to either Performing Statistics and/or the youth in the program.
On the other side of the card write down how you liked to be involved as things move forward. Could you lend a hand, know of a resource and/or something else that could help the effort?
Once you’ve finished writing can you place your card here (either the center of the room or at the front of the room on a table)
Thanks for participating…
If anyone is interested in helping us with documentation of the session please see ___________________ to get more details of how you can help. Our goal is to help capture and share the materials that came from today so that we can start to build a blueprint for how projects like this can be done.
A final request. We could use some help cleaning up.
Thanks so much!
Make sure to
Collect cards, work sheets and post-its
Photograph world cafe tables
Photograph post-it's
Photograph 5x why cards
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