Family Voice: Social Media Training and Consultation event

14 December 2011: 9.30am 1.30pm 1. Background

The Family and Parenting Institute is a charity that exists to make the UK more family friendly. The Family Voice project is exploring new ways of engaging families in the development of government policies that affect them. This project will also help ensure that FPIs campaign work is based on the views of families themselves, enabling us to better champion their needs and offer ways to build a more family friendly society. One of the ways we want to listen to the views of families is by using different social media tools to help in capturing and communicating their views to decision makers. Social media is a set of technologies that enable people to share content, opinions, experiences and perspectives such as Facebook, YouTube and Twitter

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Event aims
This event has two main aims: To train and build the confidence of 10 panel members in using social media, so that they can engage with the Family Voice project in an on-going way. We want to briefly cover the general range of social media tools available and then focus in more detail on the benefits of and how to use: Twitter, Facebook and YouTube as ways of consulting with families and seeking views on different approaches. To prepare participants for a subsequent social media based discussion with families on the pressures affecting them now, so that we can lobby for change on the issues that matter to them. We want to better understand the pressures such challenges can exert on family life.

The intention is that this should be a practical introduction to social media with plenty of opportunities to try out different social media applications and to learn about how they can be applied, focussing on free or inexpensive applications that you can easily use. It will also enable you to meet some of the other family members taking part in the project.

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Event timings
9.30 9.50 Registration and refreshments Welcome and introductions the Family and Parenting Institute (FPI), Family Voice and the aims of the training event Social media training with Sound Delivery and FPI and introduction to the after-event discussion on family pressures. Lunch Close

10.00 - 1.00 1.00 1.30 1.30

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Who will be there

There are likely to be around 10 family members at the event with a few FPI staff from the Research and Policy team. We are expecting people with a range of level of experience with social media tools to attend from people who arent currently using anything, to those doing a little bit already. We particularly want people to attend who have an interest in learning more about social media and have a commitment to engaging with FPI online after the training.

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What will the training cover?

For the event FPI have brought in specialist social media trainers Sound Delivery. The workshop will help you unpack the jargon surrounding these media and give you plenty of opportunities to try out different social media applications and to learn about how they can be applied, focussing on free or inexpensive applications that you can easily use. During the session, we will cover: An introduction to the world of social media An overview of a variety of social medial tools (such as micro blogging, e.g. Twitter, social networks, e.g. Facebook, and media-sharing sites such as YouTube and Flickr) A discussion about the benefits and limitations of the different services An in-depth look at Twitter and YouTube and Facebook Training in setting up accounts and posting messages and videos. Exploration about how we can use this around a Family Voice theme

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What will the follow on social media based discussion cover?

By the end of the event we would want participants to be confident enough to go on to communicate their views on family pressures using some of the methods learned in the morning. This will include issues such as: Which financial pressures have you or your family found particularly challenging? (For example, changes to welfare, rising food and energy prices, childcare costs) What impact has this had on your family relationships, for adults, for children and for the wider family? How can families best keep track of the available services and provision for children and adults? What is your view on what government should do to support families in these difficult times? How family friendly is your local area what do businesses do well/badly? How family friendly is advertising? What do you see in the news, TV programming or other media content that concerns you?

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What might I get from taking part?

Were looking to train up participants on the Family Voice project that have some interest in influencing government policy on different aspects of families. We do hope that by attending this session you continue to be able to support FPIs work to influence policy and campaign for a more family friendly society. More specifically, the social media training should be of use to you in general life in terms if getting the most from technology, connecting with friends, family, and exploring 2

other areas of interest that you have online. We will also be offering incentives as a thank you for your time: If you attend the social media training, and then engage with us through Twitter, YouTube or Facebook a further five times, we would like to offer you a 30 shopping voucher

Reasonable travel expenses will also be reimbursed. If your travelling expenses are likely to exceed 25 please contact us in advance to confirm that we are able to meet these. If you wish to claim expenses, you will need to provide a receipt or other proof of purchase for us to be able to reimburse you.

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The venue: Sound Delivery

Location and directions Sound Delivery Happy Computers, 3rd Floor, Cityside House, 40 Adler Street, London, E1 1EE Transport By tube: Aldgate East (Hammersmith and City, District Line) 5 minutes walk Cross Commercial Street and walk down Whitechapel High Street towards Brick Lane. Walk Past Whitechapel Art Gallery. To your right are a set of traffic lights. Cross over at the traffic lights & continue down the High Street. Adler Street is on the right (opposite Tescos), alongside the small park. Cityside is the first building and is marked clearly. Happy computers is on the third floor. Aldgate (Metropolitan and Circle Line) 10 minutes walk. Turn left out of station and follow pavement round to the subway. Go down into subway and cross under road taking the first exit on the right. Continue along side of roundabout. Walk past Aldgate East tube, cross Commercial Street, walk past Whitechapel Art Gallery. Cross Whitechapel High Street at traffic lights and continue as above. By rail: The nearest mainline station is Liverpool Street 20 minutes walk By bus: Aldgate East 25, 205, 254 Aldgate 15, 25, 40, 67, 78, 100, 205 Whitechapel 25, 106, 205, D3 Parking: Use of public transport is advised as nearby parking is limited.

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Contact details on the day

Andrew Carruthers Celia Hannon Research and Policy Officer Head of Research and Policy 07906 969 961 0773 969 8140