Healthy NewsWorks student reporters who are serving as ambassadors for their schools have been working hard to prepare for the upcoming Healthy Conversations event, where they will facilitate discussions about the student-created films screened at the event.
To prepare for the role, the students have been working with Healthy NewsWorks staff members Ginger Ragland and John LaChine, focusing on building facilitation and communication skills. Their training has emphasized active listening, asking thoughtful questions, and encouraging meaningful group dialogue.
More than 20 student ambassadors from 11 schools will lead table discussions during Healthy Conversations on Tuesday, April 28. The event will take place from 5:00 to 7:30 p.m. at Independence Blue Cross in Center City.
As part of their preparation, students have been practicing active listening and “levels of listening,” which refers to going beyond hearing what someone says and actively listening to understand what they are saying. They are also learning how to ask open-ended, impactful questions that encourage deeper responses and conversations.
In addition to learning to listen actively rather than passively, student ambassadors have practiced how to ask powerful questions, which are open-ended and allow for detailed responses rather than yes-or-no answers. They also learned how to articulate back in response to powerful questions, which involves summarizing what you believe someone has said and providing them or another person the opportunity to add to or clarify what they meant.
