Development and Retention (Phase III)

Agendas are a tool used to organize and orient members to the important aspects of the meeting. Members should have a role in creating the agenda or adding to it.

• A great way to engage young adults is to have one member volunteer to take notes or “minutes” for the meeting.
• Have part of each meeting dedicated to members sharing recent accomplishments or suggestions.

Download our Example Meeting Agenda

A comfort clause is a set of community rules created by YAB members, with support from facilitators, that outlines how everyone is expected to behave when participating in meetings. This guideline can go by many names, so allow your board to make it their own. The comfort clause should be reviewed at the beginning of every meeting and can be updated at any time.

Consider including:

• Confidentiality
• Addressing Conflict
• Respect

Download our example Comfort Clause

It is also important to outline the roles and responsibilities of the facilitators, members, and speakers. Members should have a clear understanding of what their responsibilities are.

Download our example of roles & responsibilities

Each meeting is a new opportunity for YAB members to learn about your organization, leaders, and projects! It is also an opportunity for presenters to benefit from the expertise of the YAB. To request speakers:

• If needed, send a “Call for Speakers” through your organization at the beginning of each month (you may already have a schedule of folks who will present at meetings)
• Have the lead YAB facilitator coordinate with interested speakers
• Orient interested speakers that they should:
  • Respect the expertise of YAB members
  • Follow the same rules expected of members and facilitator(s)
  • Listen to board members more than speaking
  • Be open to feedback, whether they like it or not
  • Look to facilitators to keep the meeting running smoothly

For Example:

Each month we invite two speakers from our organization to present their research and solicit informed feedback from the YAB. Each presenter holds a 45-minute slot. Broken down that slot includes 5 minutes of introductions, 10 minutes to give a quick summary of the project/ their needs, 25 minutes of open discussion and questions, and 5 minutes of wrap-up and final thoughts.

Download the example Request for Presenters

Schedule meetings around your members’ schedules, not the speakers. You may need to accommodate members’ schedules by holding meetings on weekends or evenings accommodate your members’ schedules. Consider a set meeting date (e.g., the second Wednesday of the month) so that members can plan around YAB meetings.

• When scheduling meetings:
  • Give members 2-3 choices of meeting dates (Doodle is a helpful tool for this)
  • Give members at least 2-3 weeks advance notice
  • Send meeting reminder calls, emails, texts, etc.

 Try to find a meeting time that works for most members. If a member cannot synchronously attend a YAB meeting due to scheduling conflicts, consider offering them the opportunity to participate asynchronously (e.g., review meeting materials/recording and emailing written feedback).

Download the example of Weeks Out Email

Download the example of the Day of Email

After speakers have been selected, a content request is sent to them. The content request includes:

• Specifics of what is needed for the upcoming YAB meeting
• Overview of meeting structure
• Meeting expectations
• Thank you note

 Speakers should provide the YAB in advance with:

• A summary of the project they are presenting in plain language
• A list of open-ended questions on what they want to know from the YAB
• An ask for any other material that may be helpful for the YAB to review before the meeting

Note: Content should be in plain language and youth-friendly. This means keeping the reading level of materials at the 6^th-9^th grade level.

Download the Request for Content Example

Depending on the needs of your organization, you may ask that board members do additional or extra work outside of the set meeting times. This could be:

• Reviewing materials before a meeting
• Reviewing materials after a meeting
• Working on developing or editing materials for a speaker or the board
• Working on a community event
• Participating in an organization event that employees would be paid for

During each meeting one of the facilitators should take attendance to help track which members attended the meeting, and how long they stayed at the meeting. At the end of the meeting, you will want to begin the invoices for each member that joined. If your organization does not already have a procedure for invoicing in place, invoices should include the following information:

• Name and address of the organization.
• The name of the group (The YAB), and the department they are associated with.
• The date and length of the meeting
• The total amount of time a participant is getting paid for, and the rate of pay.
• The participant’s full name, email, phone number, and their current address.

When invoicing:

• Create invoices within 2 weeks after the meeting
• Include any work outside of the meeting in the invoice
• Send a copy of invoices to participants for review and approval
• Submit the approved invoice to the appropriate group at your organization

Download the example Invoice

Active listening

• Listening not to respond, but to understand and comprehend
• Using eye contact and positive body language
• Focusing on the person speaking

Why is this important? Active listening helps build relationships and creates an environment in which board members feel heard, understood, and comfortable sharing ideas.

Clear Communication

• Sharing information about the project or program you are involved in
• Communicating early and often with members regarding project/program changes, concerns, questions, and ideas
• Get to know your board members and build a genuine relationship with them
• Be genuinely open to YA feedback

Why is this important? The more you listen to and include young adult voices, the better your services and supports will be for them.

Inclusion

• Provide YAB members opportunities for active participation such as:
  • Assisting with community outreach
  • Editing materials and documents
  • Creating flyers, brochures, and tip sheets
  • Creating meeting agendas
  • Assisting with running meetings
  • Taking notes

Why is this important? Giving YAB members opportunities to contribute to the organization shows they are respected and valued as opposed to tokenized.

Follow through

• Bring results of YAB work back to meetings
• Be transparent with YAB members when something cannot be done
• If you say you are going to do something, then you need to do it or explain why it could not be done

Why is this important? It is key for stakeholders to see organizational follow-through for them to trust the organization and want to contribute to it.

Community Building

• Provide members with opportunities to get together outside of set meeting times
• Use icebreakers to help members get to know each other better
• Give them space to be creative and personalize their group (e.g., creating matching T-shirts)
• Celebrate milestones and give members recognition. Ex. Acknowledging how long members have been part of the group, birthdays, etc.
• Make it fun!

Why is this important? Young adults will be most likely to continue showing up & participating if they know they’ll have a good time & feel like a part of a community.

 Incentive and Recognition

• Giving members a specific title to include on their resumes
• Sharing opportunities for board members to join larger business meetings or represent the board/organization at a conference or webinar
• If members are excited about the counsel and feel supported, they will be more likely to recommend it to other people who may want to join

Why is this important? Being a YAB member is time-consuming, and you need to give back to your stakeholders to retain them beyond initial passion and interest.

Download our Strategies for Engaging Young Adults Tip Sheet

This first official meeting is where you will lay the foundation for an inclusive, productive, and sustainable Young Adult Advisory Board. The first meeting should be geared around orienting members, learning objectives, shared values, and expectations. There are a few things your first meeting needs to include:

• Introductions: Introduce yourself and the organization to the members of the YAB and allow each YAB member to introduce themselves.
• Ice breaker: This is a fun way to get people talking and engaged, without putting pressure on anyone.
• Creating a Comfort Clause or Group Guidelines: This allows the group a chance to build a community together.
• Goal Setting: As a group, you should work together to define what your YAB’s goals are (e.g., provide feedback on research and services, and create a space where young adults feel comfortable sharing their perspectives).

Example Ice Breaker

Example Comfort Clause

Your group guidelines should include rules for virtual meeting participation.

For Example: 

Our YAB members are expected to turn their cameras on (whenever possible) and to mute their microphones when not talking. YAB members use the Zoom “Raise Hand” function to indicate when they would like to speak or have a question. They can also use the meeting chat to write questions or provide feedback.

Download our Top Tips for running a Virtual Advisory Board Tip Sheet

Whenever you bring together people with unique experiences and opinions there are bound to be times when people disagree on things.  It is a good thing to have YAB members with different, unique perspectives & opinions. This is part of why we strive to recruit people from diverse backgrounds and identities.

 However, it is not okay to have members, facilitators, or presenters:

• Dismiss another member’s ideas, suggestions, or experiences
• Disrespect another member, facilitator, or presenter
• Hurt another member’s feelings

To prevent this as much as possible, be sure YAB members are walked through the comfort clause and these ground rules are consistently revisited.

For example- At our YAB, the comfort clause is included in the beginning slides of every YAB presentation to remind everyone of the shared expectations and behaviors we all agreed to follow. This can include an “Ouch & Oops Clause.”

What is the Ouch & Oops clause and how can it help with conflict resolution?

• Oops – If you or a member realize they said something hurtful or insensitive, say “Oops” and sincerely apologize
• Ouch – If someone else says something hurtful or insensitive to you (or a member), say “Ouch” to bring awareness to it
• Responding to an Ouch
  • Acknowledge that what you said hurt someone else’s feelings
  • If you aren’t sure why what you said was hurtful, ask
  • Apologize sincerely to the person for your actions

The “Oops & Ouch” clause encourages people to speak up when their feelings are hurt, and enables those who caused harm to learn, take accountability, apologize, and change their future behavior. Intention ≠ Impact. This rule for YAB meetings encourages members to feel supported in speaking up when they are hurt and models how to take accountability when we mess up.

Some members might not feel comfortable speaking up in the moment or are unsure whether they want the behavior to be addressed. A good rule of thumb for members is having a 72-hour rule (or other time limit).

• If after 72 hours something is still bothering you, you should bring it up
• YAB members should reach out to a facilitator with their concern
• Facilitators should brainstorm with the member privately on how they’d like to address this (e.g., say something at the beginning of the next meeting, speak up if it happens again)

Ultimately it is the responsibility of the meeting facilitators to ensure the YAB meetings are professional, supportive, respectful, and productive. If a YAB member repeatedly acts in way that is harmful to other YAB members we recommend that you:

• Set up a private meeting with the YAB member or reach out via private email
• Explain why their behavior is harmful or disruptive to the YAB and against your code of conduct
• Ask them if there is a reason behind their actions, such as unmet needs or outside stressors
• Give them an opportunity to acknowledge their actions and take accountability
• Decide how to move forward based on their response (e.g., a trial period to see if they can adhere to rules, removing them from the YAB)

Turnover is a normal part of running an advisory board. There will be times when a YAB member will step down or spots will become available for new members to join. When recruiting new members:

• Be transparent if a member is stepping down from the board and that there is an opening for a potential new member
• Allow time to discuss this with members, acknowledge their contributions, say goodbye, etc.
• Do the first round of interviewing as facilitators
• You may decide to do a second round of interviews with the current YAB members
  • Bring potential members in for a second group interview with board members (make sure interviewees are aware beforehand that this does not guarantee them a spot in the board)
  • Make sure current members know that they're allowed to say no to anyone/feel comfortable enough to do so 

It is impossible to determine the dynamic of your YAB during initial recruitment. Once the board is more established and members have a sense of community, this will become clearer. It is important to keep these things in mind during recruitment of new members to an established board as well:

• Will they be a good fit within the current culture of the YAB?
• Will they bring something new to the table?
• Are you aiming for representation of a certain type of identity or experience (e.g., race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, education level, socioeconomic status)?

How will you know if your advisory board is fulfilling its intended purpose & that your YAB members feel engaged & respected? If you don’t have a procedure in place to solicit feedback & evaluate your YAB, you won’t know for sure.

It is good practice to reflect on accomplishments in YAB meetings & make space for open & honest feedback, but this does not replace a formal evaluation process. When deciding how to best evaluate your YAB consider:

Whose input should you seek?

• YAB members
• YAB facilitators
• Agency members who have worked with the YAB
• Researchers/presenters who have received feedback from your YAB
• Community members who have interacted with YAB

 What format should your evaluation be?

• An anonymous survey is best for getting honest responses
• Develop one evaluation for YAB members/facilitators & one unique evaluation for people who utilize the YAB
• Include mostly Likert Scale questions (strongly disagree to strongly agree)
• Include some open-ended questions

 How frequently should you conduct evaluations?

• Conducting evaluations at least once a year is a good practice
• How frequently does your YAB meet?
  • More frequent meetings = more frequent evaluations
• How involved is your YAB in setting organizational policies & practices?
  • More involvement = more frequent evaluations
• How long has your YAB been running?
  • First year of YAB = more frequent evaluations

 What questions should you ask?

• Questions about YAB members’ experience serving on the YAB (e.g., communication, feeling valued, perceiving they are making an impact)
• Questions about presenters/agency/community members’ experience working with the YAB (e.g., ease of process, value of feedback, perceived engagement)
• Questions about YAB procedures/processes (e.g., organization, recruitment, facilitation, dissemination)
• Questions about achieving goals/outcomes (e.g., impact on agency practices/research, community impact)
• Questions about engagement (e.g., attendance, participation, content of presentations, utilization of the YAB)
• Open-ended questions on what is going well & what can be improved

 The unique structure, mission, and goals of your YAB will determine what you should include in your evaluation(s). Below are sample evaluations for both advisory board members and advisory board presenters as well as a resource that walks through things to consider when planning your evaluation. These resources are from CJE Senior Life, Leonard Schanfield Research Institute. Sage Resource Toolkit: Developing and Working With Older Adult Research Advisory Boards. April 2020.

If in your evaluations you identify an area for improvement, bring these findings to the YAB and agency leadership and collaboratively plan to address it.

Informational Resources:

• CJE Senior Life Anticipated Outcomes & Processes for Research Evaluations
• Example Advisory Board Member Evaluation Tools
• Example Advisory Board Presenter Evaluation Tools
• Process Evaluation Questions for Sustainability

Not all advisory boards are designed to be sustained indefinitely. Sometimes a YAB will have a set time frame dictated by grant or project funding. Other times a YAB is created to meet a specific goal (e.g., brainstorming a new agency service) and once that goal is met, the board can be disbanded. 

 Your organization should create an off-boarding policy for YAB members, whether it be for individual members leaving or disbanding the entire board. You should work with your organization’s IT and finance teams to determine what off-boarding activities need to be completed by members so that your facilitators can support them with these activities (e.g., removing access to company drive, deleting any sensitive files, returning agency equipment, signing documents).

 In addition to having an off-boarding policy, some best practices for disbanding an advisory board are:

• Be transparent with members when advertising the role and onboarding if there is a known timeframe for participation (e.g., 6 months, 1 year).
• Communicate with members about the process for determining if the YAB will be continued and who will be involved.
• Give as much advance notice as possible if an advisory board is going to be disbanded so that members can process their feelings.
• Dedicate a meeting for expressing appreciation to members, reflecting on accomplishments, and discussing lessons learned.

 Informational PowerPoint Resources:

• Participatory Action Research: Making it Work for Young Adults with Serious Mental Health Conditions
• Successes & Challenges Of Engaging a National Youth Voice in Shaping Future Mental Health Services & Support
• Embracing Young Adult Voice: Strategies, Tools & Resources to Enhance Participation in Mental Health Research
• The Transition to Adulthood Center for Research for Y & YAs with SMHC: Promises & Pitfalls
• Tips and Tricks to Developing and Sustaining a Family Advisory Board