The conversations and interviews provide an opportunity for Collaborative partners – including community members, caregivers, and practitioners – to share their community experiences, identify community strengths and challenges, and suggest their ideas for future actions that Collaboratives can take to reduce ACEs and risk factors, better meet community needs, promote protective factors, and create more welcoming, supportive, and resilient communities in the future for all community members to thrive (i.e., Self-Healing Communities). The process also invites those with lived experience of services into leadership to shape and improve those services and supports. This will help Collaboratives build stronger connections and trust within their community, and also provide valuable insights to drive Collaboratives’ community resiliency planning efforts.

What topics are explored at the conversations and interviews?

• What is life like for you and/or others in your community?
• What do you know about the impact of trauma in your community?
• What does other local data tell us about adversity, community needs, and resilience/protective factors in our community?
• What one or two issues are the priority? Where do we want to focus our efforts first?
• What are our community strengths? How can we build on those strengths?

Collaboratives will invite a diverse and inclusive group of community members to participate in the conversations and interviews. Participants should reflect the Collaborative’s community demographics as well as represent a variety of sectors, organizations, communities, and identity groups.

Community Resilience Conversations

• Bring people together for shared learning and relationship building
• Provide opportunities for small group and large group discussions
• Insight shared by one person may spark ideas in other participants

100 Cups of Coffee Interviews

• Allow for a richer, more in-depth conversation
• Can help build a strong rapport between interviewer and interviewee
• Reach individuals who may not feel comfortable sharing their insights in a group setting (allows for a level of confidentiality)
• Reach individuals who may not be able to attend community events due to travel, child care, mobility issues, work schedule, or other reasons

FamilyWise Services will work with the Collaborative Coordinator and local Community Resilience Planning Team to provide an overview of the different options for gathering community input and provide technical assistance to the Collaboratives to prepare and begin gathering community data.

Each community is unique, so the design of the conversations and/or interview questions may vary, guided by community needs, strengths, and community data. All conversations and interviews should strive to be welcoming spaces for respectful listening and learning. These are times for hearing and honoring personal and cultural narratives.

FamilyWise Services will partner and consult with Collaboratives to offer planning support for Community Resilience Conversations and/or technical assistance for 100 Cups of Coffee Interviews that will engage at least 50 diverse community members. Partnering with FamilyWise staff is required for this phase.

Community Resiliency Conversations

FamilyWise will work alongside Collaboratives and provide technical assistance to support the planning process for virtual or in-person conversations. FamilyWise will meet with Collaboratives to co-create an agenda and identify discussion questions for the Conversation. FamilyWise will offer co-facilitation support for up to two Conversations as Collaboratives begin this process. Collaboratives are encouraged to continue to host ongoing Conversations using the Community Resilience Conversation framework.

100 Cups of Coffee Interviews

Collaborative Coordinators should schedule an initial Technical Assistance Consult with Cassandra ([email protected]) before administering the 100 Cups of Coffee Interview Tool. She will give guidance on areas, such as planning the project, conducting interviews, and data collection. FamilyWise will partner with Collaboratives and provide technical assistance and training to support the customization of the interview tool as well as outline what questions are core asks and what questions can be customized.

FamilyWise will provide examples of how other Collaboratives have summarized their interview data, included that data in their Community Resiliency Planning process, and how they have shared the information with interview participants, communities, governing boards, etc.

Once Collaboratives attend the initial Technical Assistance Consult meeting with FamilyWise, they will also gain access to the 100 Cups of Coffee Interviews: Training Videos & Toolkit.

Here is a list of expectations of Collaboratives during Phase 3:

• Convene a Community Resiliency Planning Team of at least 3 members to advise and assist with the planning and implementation of Conversations and/or Interviews
• Partner with FamilyWise for the initial planning and implementation of the activities and decide on a preferred method of gathering community input
• Gather input from at least 50 unique community members through one of the following ways:

a. Host 2 or more Community Resilience Conversations and gather input from at least 50 Collaborative partners who represent a diverse cross-section of the community

b. Conduct at least 50 – 100 Cups of Coffee Interviews with Collaborative partners who represent a diverse cross-section of the community

c. Gather input from at least 25 Collaborative partners through Interviews and at least 25 Collaborative partners through Conversations, if taking a hybrid approach

• Designate a Collaborative partner, skilled volunteer, or contract evaluator to summarize the collected community data and identify key themes that emerged
• Partner with the Community Resiliency Planning Team to review local data sources and key themes from the Conversations and Interviews, and identify concrete actions that will address identified needs and promote a more welcoming, supportive, and resilient community

Using data compiled from Interviews and/or Conversations, Collaborative Community Resiliency Planning Teams will summarize key themes that emerge from this process and review other local data sets, such as Minnesota Student Survey (MSS) data, that highlight issues impacting their community. Informed by themes from local statistics and community stories, Community Resiliency Planning Teams will identify concrete actions to address community needs, which will guide the focus of the Collaborative’s Community Resilience Plans and Initiatives in Phase 4.

Community Resilience Conversation and 100 Cups of Coffee Interviews can develop community members’ capacity “to contribute their core gifts, experience belonging, and intentionally shape the future they would like for next generations.” [Laura Porter, Safety and Healing in Place]

100 Cups of Coffee Interviews – Resources

100 Cups of Coffee Interviews – Toolkit

100 Cups of Coffee Interviews – Training Videos (this is a password protected site)

Art of Hosting Conversations that Matter

Community Resilience Planning Guide Video

Community Resilience Conversation – Resources

Guide to Using Community Wisdom and Data to Create Community Resilience Plans

World Café Overview