TakingITGlobal

2020 APPENDIX 4: BLACK LIVES MATTER TRANSATLANTIC CONVERSATION INITIATIVE Fully Focused, a 2019 Adobe Creative Catalyst Award winner, led a series of conversations among young people from Canada, the USA, and the UK, where they were welcomed to share: their experiences as a young Black person in their communities, their experience with racism, and how community leaders and organizations can support their healing process, and create safer spaces to catalyze change. All young people from the Adobe Creativity Grants network were invited to participate: as active participants during the live conversation, contributing to the live conversation by emailing conversation points beforehand, and/or taking part in the live conversation by using chat features only. Participants were also encouraged to join the conversation to learn how to be a better ally to their peers who are Black, Indigenous, and other people of colour. To support the young people in preparation for the live, three hour session, Fully Focused facilitated 13 preparation sessions with organization leads and their young people. For these sessions, the Fully Focused team facilitated conversations to determine the structure and the goal of the live conversation. The participants collaborated to decide that the live session will focus on the following four themes: youth voice & empowerment, knowledge & education, community empowerment, and opportunity & growth, with the overall arching theme to encompass an approach that centers love at it's core when exploring these themes. Participants who chose not to participate by speaking during the live conversation contributed their points to each theme through a working Google document. Young people from Artists for Humanity (USA), Better Youth (USA), Boys & Girls Club of Green Bay (USA), Destiny Arts (USA), Fully Focused (UK), Reel Youth (Canada), and RYSE (USA) contributed to this document and the structure of the live conversation. 37

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