This is a module on engagement and motivation as part of my CLC internship project. The purpose of the project was to create supplementary training materials for SpeakOut volunteers who will be working with youth sites.

1. Motivation & Engagement
Leading SpeakOutWorkshops withYouth Sites

2. Table of Contents
Motivation and Engagement
▪ Definitions
▪ Why doWriters Disengage?
▪ Encouraging Group & Individual
Engagement
▪ Emotion and Engagement
– Watch forTriggers
Developing a Participatory Environment
▪ Creating Participatory Culture
▪ Participatory Environment: Social
Structures
▪ Creating a CaringWriting Environment
Suggested Material
▪ Engaging Materials and Activities
Facilitator Self-Care and Motivation

3. Motivation and Engagement

4. Definitions
Engagement
▪ Can also be thought of as
“involvement”
▪ Occurs across emotional,
behavioral, and cognitive
dimensions
Motivation
▪ Related to attitudes towards
and beliefs about task
▪ E.g. believing you're a good
reader

5. Why do Writers Disengage?
Disengagement can come from a variety of avenues, as previously
mentioned:
Dimension Cognitive Behavioral Emotional
Example • They may be
comparing each
other’s
performance
• They associate
their classroom
behavior with
SpeakOut
• A prompt or
someone’s
writing was
triggering

6. Encouraging Group and Individual
Engagement
Group
▪ Check-in with them.
– “Is this activity not working for you?”
– “Should we move on to the next
one?”
▪ Take a break.
– Sometimes they need a moment to
gather themselves.
– “Let’s just take a minute and wait for
everyone to calm down.”
– “Do you need some water?”
▪ Don’t be afraid to address group
disengagement directly. If you
ignore it and keep going, it will
feel like you’re dragging the
readers for the rest of the night.
Individual
▪ Check-in with them.
– Do you understand the prompt?
▪ Try to have a conversation with
them by asking questions about
how they might address it.
▪ Let them know they have other
options.
– “You can freewrite at this time.”
– “Feel free to respond through
drawing, too.”
– “Whatever you choose to do,
please don’t bother those around
you.”

7. Emotion and Engagement
Our writers come from a variety of backgrounds but generally need
extra guidance regarding emotional maturity. In SpeakOut, we can help
through:
▪ Encouraging positive beliefs of self-efficacy
– Always justify the compliments you give regarding their writing
▪ Guiding them to feel in control of their learning by giving options
– Writers want to feel competent and connected w/others
▪ Ultimately it’s up to them
– You can try your best, but perhaps the writer has not had a good day or is
struggling with other issues
– Regardless of the writer’s behavior, it’s best not to automatically alienate them.
They can still benefit from a workshop even if all they do is sit and be there.

8. Watch for Triggers
• It is difficult to know who will be
triggered by what.Therefore,
never force someone to write
about something they don’t want
to.
• People react differently when
triggered. So, it’s best to give
them options (e.g. write on
another topic, or sit out the
prompt).
• Avoid topics directly asking them
to write about their crimes, home,
and family. Many times they
choose to write on these things
but it is completely voluntary.

9. Developing a Participatory Environment

10. Creating Participatory Culture

11. Creating a Caring Writing Environment
A caring environment has:
• Low barriers to creative expression
• Culturally and developmentally
appropriate material
• A positive attitude that acknowledges,
appreciates, and encourages all
contributions
• Regular feedback, reflection strategies,
and continual evaluation

12. Participatory Environment: Social
Structures
Facilitator is/can…
▪ a strong support for creating
and sharing content
▪ responsive to needs
▪ relate in respectful and non-
judgmental ways
▪ flexible in learning
▪ be on-going support
Writer (Youth) feels…
▪ that their contributions matter
▪ a sense of connection and
value each other’s opinion
▪ that the program is rigorous

13. Suggested Material & Facilitator Self-
Care and Motivation

14. Engaging Materials and Activities
▪ Hip-hop
– What are some pitfalls of that approach?
▪ Digital media
– Pros: Increasingly multi-modal world
– Cons: shorten attention span, no consensus on whether it helps
▪ Workshop formats
– Peer learning
– Group activities
– Transmedia storytelling

15. Facilitator Self-Care and Motivation
Don’t become frustrated!
• Plan and prepare
activities in advance
• Set goals for each
workshop.What will the
theme be? What is the
main thing you want
them to get from the
workshop?
• Be willing to adapt and to
self-reflect