Community Conversations  for Young Adults

Community Conversations for Young Adults brings together middle school, high school or college students to join in a facilitated discussion of a short reading in or out of school. A teacher or facilitator introduces thought-provoking questions and encourages young adults to reflect on issues raised by the reading and discuss how they impact our lives and communities.

The New York Council for the Humanities has developed easy-to-use online toolkits containing resources and suggestions on how to lead a meaningful discussion that leads to further understanding. These materials relate to New York State Learning Standards: Language Arts 1.1, 2.1 and Social Studies 1.1, 1.2, 5.1, 5.3.

For students, Community Conversation for Young Adults serves as a unique opportunity to interact with others and explore various perspectives and interpretations. For teachers or facilitators, conversations can enrich classroom curriculum or extra-curricular activities by providing materials not typically taught in textbooks. Students and facilitators are given the opportunity to share thoughts and questions through community interaction to shape individual insight and critical thinking.

9/11 National Day of Service and Remembrance

Download the 9/11 National Day of Service and Remembrance Community Conversations for Young Adults Toolkit.

Please visit our Common Questions page to find answers to frequently asked questions. The Community Conversations Admin page provides tools to help you prepare and host a Conversation, including flyer templates, program logos, an implementation checklist, a participant evaluation, and a parent letter to send home with students.  The Council encourages you to register your Community Conversation at www.911day.org.

Stipend Requirements:

Schools are eligible to receive a $50 gift certificate and non-profit organizations can receive a $100 stipend for hosting Community Conversation for Young Adults.

If you would like to receive a stipend to help defray the cost of hosting a Community Conversation, you must:

• Be a school or not-for-profit organization in New York State.
• Submit your event date and time to the Council via our Event Submission Form at least three weeks before your event. (You will need to fill this form even if you included the date of your event on the registration form.)
• Submit a host site evaluation within two weeks of your event date (available August 10 on the Community Conversations Admin page).

Stipends can be used to publicize your event, make copies of the text, or to offset the facilitator’s time.

You will receive the stipend within four weeks of submitting the host site evaluation.