Developing a Common Vision for the Youth Board A training for Extension volunteer administrators

Objectives Ensure members of the Youth Board sees the function of the group Help build a common vision for building a Successful Youth Board Allow members to get to know each other by one-on-one discussion

Writing a Vision Statement Says what you want out of organization. It defines the organization. Details principles and beliefs. Gives the organization the power to create and design itself around personal values.

Steps Step 1 – Framing the question Step 2 – Self thought Step 3 – One-on-one sharing Step 4 – Repeating the process Step 5 – Developing themes Step 6 – Breakout groups write vision statements Step 7 – Selecting the vision statement

1 – Framing the Question Imagine it is 2 years from now. What are our accomplishments?

2 – Self Thought After each person has thought through the question, ask them to write down as many responses as they can on a sheet of paper. After allowing five minutes or so, ask them to rank their most important to least important on the same sheet of paper.

3 – One-on-One Sharing Ask each person to find a partner and share their ideas with this partner. Then, allow the other person to share what they wrote down.

4 – Repeating the Process Ask each person to meet with another partner and repeat process, but this time only allow 4 minutes for both to discuss ideas Repeat the same process again, but this time only allow 2 minutes.

5 – Developing Themes Gather the group back together and discuss the ideas heard. Ask the group for feedback. Ask them what they learned from their rotations. Write down responses

6 – Breakout Groups Write Vision Statement Then, break group in three to four smaller groups to use the key words captured on the flip chart from step 5 and write a one-to-two sentence youth board vision statement. Have them start with……. “to be the premiere ___________________”

7 – Selecting the Vision Post the vision statements on the wall (one for each group). Have a member of each group read their vision statement. Then, take a break and allow each person to vote for their vision statement. Once the break is over, reveal the votes and name one as the official vision statement for the Youth Board.

Conclusion Start each meeting with the vision statement. Provides direction for all decisions. Move on to a strategic planning process and determine the necessary steps to meet the vision.