1. JAC Feedback Summit
Reaching Out To the 4th Police District
AUGUST 3, 2016
COOK COUNTY JUVENILE ADVISORY COUNCIL
PO Martin Gleason, , PO Leanne Engleman

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An Overview of the Cook County Juvenile Court Feedback Summit
On 7/6/16, ActingDirectorAvikDasaskedthe JAC youthrepsto developaneventthatwouldgenerate
feedbackonProbationandcourtservicesfromthe residentsof the 4th
Police DistrictinChicago.Tothat
end,fouryouthreps workedwithPOEnglemanandPO Gleasontocreate an eventthatwouldfulfill the
department’srequirements.The teamconceptualizedthe feedbackgatheringasa “FeedbackSummit”
and usedthatas shorthand todefine the event. Everyaspectof the summitwasdefinedthisway: How
can weget feedbackon howProbation and courtservicesis serving the residentsof the 4th
district?
Duringthe month of July,the teammetweeklytodevise aprogramthat wouldfitthisrequirement.The
officersonthe teamlimitedtheirinteractionstoprovidingstructure—brainstorming,conceptualizing,
clarifyingquestions,note taking—andempoweredyouthrepstodevelopnotonlythe feedback
gatheringmechanismsof the summit,butalsotocreate all of the operational detailsof ayouth-centric
event.Thisincluded operational definitions,identifyingthe audience,marketingneeds, training
requirements, andoperational committees.Inshort,youthrepsdevisedeveryaspectof the summit,
and have setinmotionmethodstoenact these provisions.
The summititself isa7-hour eventthatutilizesthe natural abilitiesof youthreps.They are:
1. An IntroductionandPanel DiscussionledbyYouthReps
2. Small groupdiscussionbasedonattendeequestions
3. A workinglunchbasedonthe interactive programmingof Storycatchers™
4. Small groupdiscussions,similartothe Mikva collaboration
5. A discussiondesignedtoprovide clearresolutionstoidentifiedproblems
6. A closingceremonywhereprobationstaff acknowledgethe feedbackgivenbyyouthreps
These six stepsdonotcome close toillustratingthe hardworkanddedicationshownbythe youthreps.
I stronglyencourage uponreviewingthisdocument,thatindividualsstopintothe “warroom,” the
emptyoffice nexttothe JSOoffice that JACcommandeered toplanthe summit.The sheernumberof
noteswill provide acloserestimationtothe amountof workthe youngpeople didincompletingthis
task.
Thisplanis ambitious. While itisdesignedtoattractthe people we needtohearfrominorder to
improve probationandcourtservices,italsodemonstratesthe utilityinhavingyoungpeople workfor
the court as theyhave the energyand insighttothinkoutside of the box togetthe resultswe need.
Thank youfor givingthemthe opportunitytoshare theirhard-wonideaswithyou.
--Marty Gleason

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Table of Contents
AN OVERVIEW OF THE COOK COUNTY JUVENILE COURT FEEDBACK SUMMIT 1
PRE-EVENT ACTIVITY: ADVERTISING 4
PURPOSE 4
USE CASES: HOW TO DESCRIBE THE POTENTIAL AUDIENCE MEMBER 4
SURVEY 4
SUMMIT (GENERAL DESCRIPTION) 6
COMMENT BOX 6
STORYCATCHERS 6
PARTNERSHIP WITH MIKVA 6
JAC INTRODUCTION 6
PROBATION OFFICERS AS NOTE TAKERS 6
PANEL DISCUSSION 7
PURPOSE AND METHOD 7
TIME 7
MATERIALS NEEDED 7
SMALL GROUP: BOX GROUP 8
TIME: 8
RESOURCES REQUIRED 8
STORYCATCHERS 9
WHAT IS STORYCATCHERS? 9
PURPOSE 9
TIME: 9
RESOURCES REQUIRED 9
FEEDBACK GROUPS: STATIONS 10
PURPOSE 10
OUTCOMES 10
RESOURCES 10
COMMUNITY 10
POLICE/SYSTEM BRUTALITY 11
PERSONAL EXPERIENCES 11
TIME: 11
RESOURCES REQUIRED 11

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FEEDBACK GROUP: RESOLUTIONS 12
TIME REQUIRED 12
RESOURCES REQUIRED 12
CLOSING CEREMONY 13
RECOMMENDATIONS AND NEXT STEPS 14
OPERATIONS 14
ADVERTISING 14
TRAINING 14
LOCATION 14
PAYMENT 14
APPENDIX A: SUMMIT PROGRAM 16

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Pre-Event Activity: Advertising
Purpose
Attractingyoungpeople whohave beeninvolvedinthe juvenile justice systemisnotaneasytask. Even
if thiskindof activityislabeledmandatory—whichitshouldnotbe—there isnoguarantee thatyoung
people willcome andhonestlyparticipate insharingtheiropinions,views,andfeedbacksurrounding
theirinvolvementwithcourtandprobationservices. Thisiswhythe summitwill needto advertise
througha varietyof channels. If thisadvertisingis done properly thenyoungpeoplewillwanttoattend
the summit.Thiswill make itmucheasierfor youthto gatherthe feedbackfromthe community.
Use Cases: How to Describe the Potential Audience Member
A use case is a way of identifyingauseror an audience. Thisisanecessaryprerequisiteinregardsto
marketing:Anattempttoidentifythe audience thatwill receivethe message. Youthrepswere
encouragedtothinkaboutthe groups of people fromwhomwe wantedfeedback.Theycame upwith
three categoriesof potentialattendees:
 Adam and Eves
o Likelytoattendwithoutincentives
o Veryactive inthe community
o Varietyof opinions
o Similartoveryactive parents/clientsinJACprogramming
 “50 Cents”
o Notlikelytoattendwithoutincentives
o Varietyof opinions,notall negative
o Will wantto see whoiscomingbefore theycommit
o Will require additional incentivestoattend
o Influencedbypeerpressure
 QuestionMarks
o Notlikelytoattend
o Hard to focuson giventheirunwillingnesstoparticipate
o May come if we get more “50 Cents”
o More negative opinionsonthe system
o Hard to motivate,butmaybe swayedby“50 Cents”
From these use cases,youthrepsdecidedtotarget“50 Cents”andrelyon the internal motivationof
Adamsand Evesto attend.The ideaisthat QuestionMarkswill be willingto attendthe summitif they
see more 50 Centsthan AdamsandEvesin attendance.
Survey
Six to eightweekspriortothe summit,onlinesurveyswillbe senttoresidentsinthe 4th
district.Thiswill
be done by email aswell aspaper-flyersand postcards.Paperitemswill have QRcodes—the blackand
white picturesfrequentlyfoundonitemsthatconsumerscan‘scan’—thatwilllinktothe website.

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Thissurveywill asksimple,concretequestionstoassessthe efficacyof courtand probationservicesin
the 4th
district.The surveyservesthree purposes:advertisingthe event,helpingyouthrepsfocusmore
of theirprogramming,andincreasingattendance forthe event.
Advertisingthe eventiseasytounderstand.The flyerswillhave the date,time andlocationsothat
residentsof the 4th
districtknowthe detailsof the summit.If the responsestothe surveyreveal trends
or concerns,youthrepswill be able tofocustheirquestionsandprogrammingtodigdeeperintothose
trendsor concerns. Asfor increasingattendance,the onlinesurveycanbe linkedto anentryintoa
raffle.
While thisseems unorthodox,rafflesandotherrewardsare frequentlyassociatedwith eventssimilarto
thisone.Conferences,panel discussions,online surveysandfocusgroups frequentlygiveoutrewards
for attending.Giventhatthe summitisacollectionof conferencesandfocusgroups,thisadditionisnot
unusual.Forthissurveytowork,the followingitemswillneedtobe addressed:
 Survey creation:The surveyitself hastobe limitedto10, easyto understandquestionswith
concrete answers.
 Raffle:The raffle will needapproval fromavarietyof sources,notthe leastof whichbeingthe
Court.
 Controls: Contestsneedtobe limitedto“one entryperdrawing.”A numberof online tools
allowforthislimit.Thiswill have tobe more thoroughlyresearchedanddeveloped.
 Raffle Prize:The prize needstobe valuable enoughthatpeople wouldwantit;however,it
cannot be ethicallyquestionable toraffle.

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Summit (General Description)
The general formatof the summit isa plenarysessionwithbreak-outsessionsthroughoutthe dayand a
workinglunch.Giventhe audience, the youthreps believedalively,fun,program(withbreaks) isthe
bestwayto encourage and capture feedbackfromattendees. The youthrepsalso realizedthatwhile
the program iskey,theyneed additionalelementstoensure maximum participation.Inorderto
increase feedback,the youthrepsdeveloped the followingadditional stepsto ensure the summitis
successful:
Comment Box
The youth repssuggestedhavinglockedboxeswithcommentcardssoattendeescanwrite their
commentsandconcernsanonymously.
Storycatchers
Duringlunch,the youth repssuggestedthat we workwithStorycatchers,a non-profitorganization that
worksto reduce juvenile justice involvementthroughthe lensof storytelling.The hope isthat
Storycatchers puttogethera presentationthatencouragesmore discussion.If Storycatchersare unable
to put a program togetherforus,thenwe would eitheraskthemtohelpusdevelopourownscenarioor
justdevelopalunchprogramfor the attendees.
Partnership with Mikva
Duringthe planningof the summit, itwasclear that staff andyouthrepswouldneedadditionalsupport.
GivenourrecentpartnershipwithMikva,andthat theirgoalsforthe year involve studying outcomesfor
justice-involvedyouth,theywouldmake ideal partners forthisactivity.POGleasonaskedthe youthreps
if thissuggestionwasappropriate,andtheyreadilyagreedtothisidea. If thisideaisamenable tothe
JDAIExecutive Committee,the OperationsTeamwill reachouttoMikvaand beginto planthis
collaboration.
JAC Introduction
The youth repsbelieve thatif theycansetthe tone forthe summitthe same way theydo duringa JAC
orientation, theywill be able toprime the audience forgivinghonestfeedback.Tothisend,the youth
repswill be practicinga modifiedJACintroductioninordertodemonstrate thatthe summitisa true
youth-ledaffair.
Probation Officers as Note Takers
Youth repswill leaddiscussionsandprobationofficervolunteerswillrecordsmall andlarge feedback
groupdiscussions.Thisallowsyouthrepstoleadprogrammingandforprobationtocapture the
informationthatisshared.

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Panel Discussion
Purpose and Method
Followinganintroductionbyyouthreps,the summitwill begingatheringfeedback withalarge group
discussiononthe performance of Court andprobationservicesinthe 4th
district. Thispanel discussion
shouldbe ledbya judge,andfeature 3 youthrepswho answerquestionsthatthe attendeeshave
regardingprobation.
The feedbackisgeneratedwhenthe panelistsaskthe attendeesquestions abouttheirexperiences
withinthe juvenilejusticesystem.The moderatorof the panel helpsthe discussion byaskingyouthreps
to share,and callingonparticipantstoaskquestions.If the audience doesnothave feedback,the
moderatorcontinuestoask the youthrep panelistsabout theirexperiences.
In additiontothe moderator,the panel discussionwill alsohave handouts thatwill serve atwo-fold
purpose.The pamphletswill have informationaboutserviceswithinthe 4th
districtand theywill have
questionsthatattendeeswillbe encouragedtoanswerthroughthe day.The moderatorwill be able to
thenreferto the pamphletwhenaskingforadditional comments.
Time
45 Minutes
Materials Needed
AV Equipment
Pamphlet

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Small Group: Box Group
The youth repssuggestedthisfeedbackgroup asa wayto engage more shy/hesitantattendeeswhile
still affordingengagedconversations.Inthissmall group,participantsare encouragedtoputa question
or a commentintoa container. Itwouldnotbe mandatoryfor participantstoadd an itemtothe
container, asyouthrepswill have a listof questionstoadd to it.The box ispassedaround,andeach
participantisencouragedtotake one itemoutso the small group can fullyexplore that question.
In thisparticulargroup,the containercouldbe usedas a talkingpiece.Inthismanner,everyone will be
encouragedtospeakif theyhave somethingtoshare.
Time:
60 minutes
Resources required
10 questionstoaskthe small group
A containerforthe questions

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Storycatchers
What is Storycatchers?
From theirwebsite:
Storycatcherspreparesyoung peopleto makethoughtfullifechoicesthrough theprocess
of writing, producing and performing originalmusicaltheatre inspired by personal
stories.In a year-long processof storytelling,song and scenewriting,youth participants
examinetheir lives, relationships,environments,choicesand theconsequencesof those
choices.The processenhancestheir ability and desire to makedecisionsthatlead to
positiveoutcomes.
Purpose
The youth repsproposedthatduringlunch,inorderto keepthe discussionsgoingandtopromptyoung
people intoprovidingmore feedback,we utilizeaprogramby Storycatchers.Thisisto encourage more
discussionduringlunch,breakdownadditionalbarrierstoprovidingfeedbackandprovide yet-another-
methodtoencourage discussion. If Storycatcherscannotperform, itishopedthattheycouldcoachJAC
inhow to doa presentationthatwouldlead tomore discussion.
The ideaforthe presentationisnuancedstoryof twoyoungpeople onprobation:bothyoungpeople
wouldhave differentexperiencesonprobationthatthe attendeescouldidentifywith.Attendeeswould
be encouragedto give feedbackon these storiesandthenaskedtodiscusshow these storiesare related
to theirownexperiencesonprobation.
Time:
50 minutes
Resources required
A stage
A script/role playquestions

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Feedback Groups: Stations
Purpose
The Stationsmethodisbasedon the MikvacollaborationfromearlierinJuly,2016: small groupsof
attendeesare broughttoa “station”to be askedquestionsbyayouthrep.A probationofficerwill be
there to take notes. Afteraset periodof time,eachsmall groupisbroughtto a new stationto discussa
newaspect.
Each stationcoversan aspectof juvenilejustice thatprobationandcourtserviceseitheraddresses
directlyorthat isimpactedbyopinionsinthe community.The youthreps developedtheseareasof
study and the sample questions.These questionshave beeneditedforclarityinthisdocument.The
originalsstill existinapreviousoutline.
Outcomes
The youth repsdecided,aftersignificantdebate, onoutcomesasa stationinorderto ask small groups
aboutthe effectivenessof probationprogramminginthe longterm.Thisarea isalsoabout the qualityof
individuals’ experienceswhile onprobation.
1. What were the outcomes—successes,failures, andproblems—of yourprobationexperience?
2. What was yourrelationshipwithyourPO?
3. Do youbelieve probationhelpedyou?
4. If you were noton probation, where wouldyoube today?
5. What was yourbiggeststruggle onprobation?
Resources
The youth repsdefinedresourcesasthose servicesavailable toresidentsof the 4th
district.The station is
setto evaluate the numberandeffectiveness of specificprogramsinthe neighborhood.
1. DidProbationandCourt servicesbringenoughresources—mental health,jobtraining, and
education—tohelpyouterminatesuccessfully?
2. Didyour PO enroll youinany programs/services?
3. What didyour probationofficer dotohelpyoubetteryourself?
4. Please listsome examplesof resourcesprovide toyouinthe 4th
district
5. What kindof resourcescan the probation departmentoffer?
Community
The youth repsbelievedthattheyneededtoassesswhat the role of Probationinthe 4th
districtis,what
the relationshipbetweenthe communityandprobation is,aswell asevaluatinghow the community
viewsprobation overall.
1. What kindof problemsdoyouface inthe 4th
Police district?
2. Do youthinkProbationhasa bigimpacton yourcommunity?
3. What can the court due to cut downonviolence?

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4. What do youthinkneedstohappentokeepyouthoff the streets?
Police/System Brutality
The youth repswantedtodiscussthistopicbecause, intheiropinion,itisimpossibletoseparate
probationfromotherjuvenile justice agencies,includingthe police department.Youthrepswanteda
stationto addressthisdirectly.Theyfrequentlystatedthatthe feedbacktheyreceivedwouldnotbe
valid, orconsistent,if theydidnotattempttolistentoindividualsastheytalkedaboutrelatedsystem-
actors.
1. What role doesthe court playinthe systematicproblemsthatexistinthe 4th
police district?
2. What do youthinkneedstohappentopolice officerswhobreaktheircode of conduct?
3. Do youfeel youare a targetbecause of your race/heritage?
4. Is thisa commonsituationinthe 4th
district?
5. What wouldyouthinkthe systemneeds todoto change this?
Personal Experiences
Thisstationisdesignedto addresshowyoungpeople viewedtheirprobationexperience.Whereasthe
outcomesstationisdesignedtoevaluatehow wellpeople integratedintotheircommunityaftertheir
juvenilecourtterm,the personal experiencessectionisdesignedtodigdeepinthe relationship
betweenthe attendee andthe juvenile court.
1. What was yourexperience of probation?
2. Share some of yourexperienceswhileyouwere onprobation?
3. What was the mostdifficultthingaboutbeingonprobation?
4. How wouldyoudescribe yourprobation experience?
Time:
70 minutes
Resources required
5 rooms
A methodtoletgroupsknowit istime to rotate

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Feedback Group: Resolutions
Duringthe original JACSaturday,the exitinterview teamwouldaskyoungpeoplewhohadrecently
completed probationto explainwhatdid,anddidnot,workforthemwhile onprobation.Keyquestions
fromthisprogram were,“Whatif youwere yourownPO?” Thissmall group is basedonthat question
and isdesignedtogenerate notjustfeedbackaboutprobation’sperformance, buttoprovide resolutions
to some of issuesidentifiedduringthe summit.
Thisgroup wouldfunctionslightlydifferentlythanpreviousgroups.First,participantsare splitintotwo
categories:
 Parents/guardians
 Clients/formerclients
Anyagencypartners in attendance canfloatwithgroup withwhomtheyidentify.Forexample,agencies
that provide wraparoundservicesmayidentifymore withparentswhereasdrugtreatmentagencies
may identifymore withclients.
Parentand clientgroupswouldthengotorooms where theywouldfocusonspecificquestions:
 What wouldyoudo toreach you if youwere yourPO?
 How wouldyouhave acted if youwere your judge?
 What if you were incharge of the 4th
District?
 Questionsforparentswouldbe slightlymodifiedtoask:
o What if you were yourchild’sPO?
o What if you were yourchild’sjudge?
The small group discussionswouldbe centeredonthe objectiveof,“How/whatchangeswouldyou
make…”for each item. Probationstaff wouldsummarizeeach station’s workandpresentit tothe court.
Time Required
70 minutes
Resources required
5 rooms
A methodtoletgroupsknowit istime to rotate

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Closing Ceremony
As withJACSaturday,a closingneedstooccur to rewardthe participants,andthe organizers,fortheir
hard work.Thisis alsowhere probationstaff willhave the opportunitytoacknowledge thattheyhave
receivedthisfeedback. Additionally,the resultsof the raffleneedtooccur duringthe closing:Staff
shouldreadthe resultsof the raffle before goingclosingoutthe summit.
The court shouldmake a commitmenttohave a response tothe summitwithinasetperiodof time.As
of thiswriting,the suggestedtime frame foraresponse wouldbe six months.Reachingouttothe 4th
districtwithprobation’sresponse will be complicated:Do we putout more fliers?Do we share with
communitypartners? Howdowe ensure thatinterestedpartieslearnthatthe court haslistenedtotheir
concerns?
To thisend,it isrecommendedthatProbationandCourtServices,with helpfromYouthReps respond to
the 4th
districtbynotifyingcommunitypartnersandbyutilizingthe officialCookCountyYouTube page.
While revealingthe changesthe departmentiscommittedtomaking,thisYouTube releasecanalsolay
the groundwork foradditional feedbackopportunities.
In additiontoacknowledgingthe feedback,the closingceremonycouldgive waytoanotheractivity
designedtogetindividualstoattendthe program.To thisend,the youthrepsproposeda basketball
game:Youth Reps VsProbationofficers.Thisfuneventwouldshowcase the willingnessof probationto
workwiththe community.1
Anotheroptionfora closingceremonywouldbe tohave a basketball game where youthrepsand
probationofficersare ateamand theycan compete againsta communityagencyorothergroup.
Regardlessof abasketball game,the closingceremonyisnecessaryinordertoassure the people of the
4th
districtthattheirconcernsand feedbackhave beenheard.
1 For the record, JACstaff POs wouldcheer for youth Reps.

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Recommendations and Next Steps
Withthe frameworkof the summit,the teamhasbeguntolay outthe nextstepsinplanningand
execution.The following sub-committees,describedas teamsforthe youthreps, have beendeveloped
to ensure thatall aspectsof the summitplancan be addressed.
Operations
Thisteam,ledby POEngleman anda youthrep,will handle astaffing,budgeting,eventplanning and
lastminute emergenciesthatstem fromimplementingthese kindof events.Thisisalsothe teamthat
will reachoutto communityagenciesinorderto partnerwiththe department.
Advertising
Two youthreps will leadthe effortstodevelopthe advertisingrequiredtoattractattendeestothe
summit. One youthrep isJAC’sstaff artistand has alreadyusedQRcodesin hisartworkto leadpeople
to hiswebsites.Theywill reporttoOperationsaboutcostsforprintingflyersandanyonline toolsthey
will needtoadvertise the summit.
Training
PO Gleason anda youthrep will developtrainingsforyouthrepsandstaff—bothexperiencedand
new—toensure thateachfeedbacksessionisrunsmoothly.Youthrepswillbe trainedinrunningsmall
groups,specifically runningfeedbackgroups,workingwithdifficultclients,andmovingfrom
motivational interviewingtomore of a goal-basedinterviewingstyle.Motivational interviewingworks
for mostof JAC’sprojects;however,whenwe are taskedwithgatheringfeedback,motivational
interviewsare notthe besttool we can utilize.
Staff will needtobe trainedinnote taking.Some staff,those whoare notyetcomfortable withyouth-
repsas leaders,will needtolearntoletgo of a PO’snatural inclinationtoleaddiscussionswithyoung
people. Additionally,toolswillneedtobe developedtohelpPOstake notesefficientlyandeasily.
Location
A youthrep has takenthe responsibilityof lookingforlocations where the summitcanbe held.He will
needassistance infindingsitesthatcanaccommodate the needsof the summit.While SPOMeehanis
more than willingandable todothiswork,includingSPOAlejointhistaskmaybe more appropriate.
SPOAlejohasattended4th
districtevents,knowsthe community,the agenciesinthe districtandthe
geography.If he were willingtoassistinthisproject,he wouldbe anideal candidate forthistask.
Payment
For the summititself,youthreps whorunfeedbackgroupsshould be paid aminimumflatrate of $150.
Thismay seemexorbitant;however,average JACeventsare usuallytwohours.We are askingfora
commitmentof a minimumof 8hours,in additiontoserioustrainingrequirements.
As forthe steeringcommittee,itisrecommendedthattheyreceiveanadditional paymentof $200 each.
The firsthalf of thispaymentshouldbe giventotheminthe nextw9 filing,the secondhalf before the
summitislaunched.

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JAChas always compensatedyouthrepsfortheirwork,andthese youthrepshave workedextremely
hard to devise asummitthatwouldfitthe requirementsof the courtandstill maintainJAC’sethos.
Therefore,thiscompensationisinline withthe pastpracticesof the JuvenileAdvisoryCouncil.

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Appendix A: Summit Program
The youth repsdecidedthatthe summitshouldfollow thisprogram:
9:30 DoorsOpen
945: Signin
10:15 JACIntroduction
10:20 Panel Discussion
10:50 FeedbackGroup1: Box Method
12:00 Lunch/Story Catchers
1:00 FeedbackGroup2: Stations
2:30 Break
2:45 FeedbackGroup3: Resolutions
4:00 Closing-Raffle