Tips for Hosting Fun & Engaging Virtual Gatherings
As folks have scrambled to understand and accept our new reality during the pandemic, youth homelessness service providers have found innovative ways to support their clients virtually while continuing to center the needs of the most marginalized youth in their community.
We wanted to share some of the ideas our brilliant and talented partners are using to engage folks virtually. These ideas are being used by our Host Home and Rapid Re-housing partners to maintain a similar level of engagement as in-person meetings, host homes trainings, and program information sessions have had in the past. These tools allow for discussion, group breakouts, and a host of other engaging options.
Zoom, Facetime, & Google Duo have created a virtual meeting place that allows folks to connect. This has been used as a tool with program participants for case management, to host informational sessions, for social interaction, and fun community building. Host Homes are also utilizing these tools to conduct host home trainings. This tool has been helpful with engaging folks who were once hard to reach. Stay-at-home orders have allowed agency staff to contact and engage potential hosts.
Quick Tip: Use Breakout Rooms! This Zoom function allows for deeper dives and interactions. Folks can be broken into smaller groups to discuss questions and talk through host home scenarios. Meeting hosts are allowed to pop into each room and monitor the conversation, and then when time is up, folks automatically return to the larger group.
Kahoot is a game-based learning platform used as educational technology in schools and other education institutions. Its learning games, "Kahoots", are user-generated multiple-choice quizzes that can be accessed via a web browser or the Kahoot app.
Quick Tip: This resource could be especially good at keeping folks engaged in a host home training or orientation. Folks in Los Angeles county utilized this as a knowledge check activity and emailed e-gift cards to participants.
Netflix Party is a new way to watch Netflix with your friends online. Netflix Party synchronizes video playback and adds group chat to your favorite Netflix shows
Quick Tip: This can be used to build community among participants but will require a subscription. Another way this can be done is to insert a DVD you own and share your screen with a few folks while on Zoom. The quality might not be as good, but it is free. This can help folks feel more socially connected and less isolated.
skribbl.io is a free multiplayer drawing and guessing game. One game consists of a few rounds in which someone has to draw their chosen word and others have to guess it to gain points. The person with the most points at the end of the game will then be crowned as the winner!
Quick Tip: This is another community building opportunity that could be used as a fun way for all hosts or all youth in your program to get to know one another in a less structured way than a regular meeting. You can access the game here: https://skribbl.io
Direct poll offers tools to create and conduct polls in minutes. Survey results are quick, clear, and anonymous https://www.directpoll.com/)
Quick Tip: Host Home providers are able to incorporate this tool into host home trainings and informational webinars by gauging the audiences’ feelings anonymously. It allows participants to share opinions and thoughts without being singled out. Often, the community has a negative perception of our youth experiencing homelessness and this can be used to address those perceptions and create new, positive, and accurate perceptions of these amazing young folks.
Utilize the chatbox for additional participant engagement
Ask questions and engage with answers provided
Use a poll to gather opinions, thoughts, perceptions or as a knowledge check
Let folks know ahead of time that you would like them to use their camera
Create opportunities for engagement, competition, & liveliness
Utilize virtual backgrounds to make the meetings more fun
Create themes for folks to show off their interests and personalities (80s or 90s outfits, pajama party, beach party, etc.)
Play around with the name - no one wants to join another webinar!
Consider taking a moment to play a game with participants
Give out prizes such as e-gift cards when playing games or hosting events