Imagine 500 American youths coming together in New York City's Central Park to find ways to improve young people's connection to the outdoors. They need to agree on responses and solutions, and then come up with a plan of action. Sounds daunting, doesn't it?
That was the challenge faced by the organization Outdoor Nation at its 2010 Youth Summit in New York, N.Y. The organization reports that the Outdoor Nation Youth Summit was "the largest and most diverse youth-attended, outdoor-focused event in America's history."
The event required that more than 500 young leaders from across the country join together to "address the growing disconnect between young people and the outdoors."
During the event, Chris Bui, founder and sole proprietor of 5th Medium I.C., used the power of interactive technology to collect data in real time and use it immediately to guide the direction of the meeting. Because they could see their input and decisions being acted on immediately, the Youth Summit delegates were able to set a national outdoor agenda, outline priorities and actions, and ultimately launch a youth-driven Outdoor Nation movement — all in a mere two days.
The group identifed America's State Parks and the close to home outdoor recreation that they provide as the their top advocacy issue for 2011. Another series of Youth Summits will be held in this coming summer.
Typically, audience response systems, or "clickers", are used indoors, where the wireless signals can bounce off walls and ceilings. In this case, Bui used the OptionFinder G2 devices outside in a tent. He's used these devices many times and they provide a strong signal from as far away from the wireless receiver as 400 feet. Even in this challenging outdoor environment, Chris reported that the system worked flawlessly.
If you would like more information on OTI's OptionFinder G2 wireless keypad system or how you can use response technology to drive collaboration and set organizational agendas click here or give us a call at 407-872-3333.
Photo by Joe Slobotnik