Touchstones Discussion Project Inc

TOUCHSTONES' DISCUSSION-BASED PROGRAMS DEVELOP THINKING AND COLLABORATION AT THE HIGHEST LEVELS FOR ALL STUDENTS AND LEARNERS. TOUCHSTONES PRIMARY FOCUS IS TO ADDRESS GAPS IN EDUCATION IN K-12 SCHOOLS BY TEACHING EDUCATORS AND STUDENTS TO USE STRUCTURED DIALOGUE TO ACTIVATE AND ENLIVEN THEIR THINKING AND BUILD COOPERATION AND LEADERSHIP. THESE PROGRAMS ARE HELD IN SCHOOLS, PRISONS, SENIOR CENTERS, AND WITH VETERANS AND EXECUTIVE GROUPS.

K-12 SCHOOL PROGRAMMING, ENRICHMENT AND AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAMS, YOUTH WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT, EDUCATIONAL CONFERENCES, & TEACHER PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT K-12 PROGRAM EXPANSION THROUGH GRANTS RELATED TO SCHOOL PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT, WE EXPANDED PROGRAMMING AND SERVICES AT WASHINGTON LATIN PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOL IN WASHINGTON, DC, AND INTRODUCED TOUCHSTONES TO TEACHERS AND STUDENTS IN TWO NEW PUBLIC AND PUBLIC/CHARTER SCHOOLS IN WILMINGTON, DE IN 2022. IN ADDITION, OUR SALES OF DISCUSSION CURRICULUM WENT INTO 26 SCHOOLS SERVING AN ESTIMATED 8,100+ NEW STUDENTS, IN ADDITION TO THE THOUSANDS OF STUDENTS WHO WERE ENGAGED THROUGH EXISTING TOUCHSTONES SITES. OUR CONTRACT WITH THE BUREAU DE LA EDUCATION FRANCAIS IN MANITOBA, CANADA, WHICH PROVIDES DIGITAL ACCESS TO TOUCHSTONES PROGRAMS IN FRENCH TO HUNDREDS OF EDUCATORS AND MORE THAN 19,000 STUDENTS, WAS RENEWED IN 2022. HIGHER ED WE EXPANDED THE NUMBER OF DIGITAL PROGRAMS AVAILABLE TO INCLUDE NEW VERSIONS FOR COURSES IN HIGHER ED. NEW COURSES RUN BY 30+ INSTRUCTORS REACHED MORE THAN 900 NEW STUDENTS IN FIRST AND SECOND YEAR SEMINAR CLASSES AT THE UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA, LAS VEGAS AND PHILOSOPHY COURSES AT THE UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND. TEACHER TRAINING, INSTRUCTIONAL SUPPORT, AND DIGITAL CONTRACTS IN 2022, TOUCHSTONES LED 11 WORKSHOPS FOR 121 EDUCATORS, SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS, AND VOLUNTEERS IN THE US AND CANADA. THESE WORKSHOPS TOOK PLACE ONLINE AND IN-PERSON FOR EDUCATORS TEACHING IN GRADES K-12 AND COLLEGE AND INCLUDED OPEN ENROLLMENT WORKSHOPS AND INTENSIVE 8-WEEK TRAINING THROUGH OUR TEACHERS FELLOWS PROGRAM USING TOUCHSTONES EXPLORING AMERICAN PERSPECTIVES AS THE TEXT FOR TRAINING. IN ADDITION, TOUCHSTONES COACHED 15 EDUCATORS TEACHING IN GRADES 3-12 AND HIGHER ED. SOME COACHING WAS REMOTE BUT MOST WAS IN-PERSON IN TOUCHSTONES CLASSROOMS. 80% OF THOSE WORKSHOP SEATS WERE SCHOLARSHIPS TO EDUCATORS WITH NO FUNDING AND VOLUNTEERS SEEKING TO BRING TOUCHSTONES DISCUSSION PROGRAMS TO NEW GROUPS OF PARTICIPANTS. THIS ENSURES THAT EDUCATORS AND VOLUNTEERS ALIKE CAN BRING INCLUSIVE DISCUSSION TO THEIR COMMUNITIES REGARDLESS OF FINANCIAL OR GEOGRAPHIC LIMITATIONS. EDUCATIONAL CONFERENCES WE DIRECTLY ENGAGED MORE THAN 50 TEACHERS NEW TO TOUCHSTONES AT REGIONAL EDUCATIONAL CONFERENCES IN FLORIDA AND WISCONSIN, WHERE WE RAN A DEMONSTRATION TOUCHSTONES DISCUSSION WITH TEACHERS AS PARTICIPANTS. THOSE REGIONAL CONFERENCES ARE TYPICALLY CONTENT-SPECIFIC (SOCIAL STUDIES OR ENGLISH) OR TAILORED FOR SPECIFIC STUDENT POPULATIONS (GIFTED AND TALENTED). SUCH CONFERENCES ARE EXCELLENT WAYS TO INTRODUCE TOUCHSTONES TO EDUCATORS IN NEW GEOGRAPHIC AREAS. ALL TOUCHSTONES INTERACTIVE TRAINING EXPERIENCES PROVIDE TEACHERS WITH HANDS-ON EXPERIENCE LEADING INCLUSIVE DISCUSSIONS, STRATEGIES FOR CONTINUED DEVELOPMENT IN DISCUSSION LEADERSHIP, AND TOOLS TO IDENTIFY AND DEVISE SOLUTIONS TO ISSUES IN DISCUSSION DYNAMICS. EDUCATORS LEARN TO INCLUDE STUDENTS IN EVALUATING THEIR OWN AND THE CLASSES OUTCOMES, AS THE TEACHER MODELS ACTIVE LISTENING AND RESPECTFUL ENGAGEMENT WITH ALL STUDENTS, MEASURES STUDENT PROGRESS OVER TIME, AND ASSESSES AND REFINES THEIR OWN PROFESSIONAL SKILLS AS LEADERS AND CLASSROOM MANAGERS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. IN-CLASS COACHING PROVIDED BY TOUCHSTONES STAFF AFFORDS ADDITIONAL AND TAILORED GUIDANCE TO SUPPORT CONTINUED DEVELOPMENT IN INSTRUCTIONAL AND LEADERSHIP CAPACITIES. TEACHERS USING TOUCHSTONES OFTEN REPORT BECOMING MORE SKILLED AND CONFIDENT IN THEIR LEADERSHIP ROLES AS WELL AS IN ACTIVITIES OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM. TOUCHSTONES FELLOWS TEACHER TRAINING USING TOUCHSTONES VOLUME, EXPLORING AMERICAN PERSPECTIVES IN RESPONSE TO THE GROWING AWARENESS OF THE NEED AMONG ALL TEACHERS AND STUDENTSOF ALL AGESTO POSSESS SKILLS SUPPORTING CRITICAL AND REFLECTIVE THINKING AND THE ABILITY TO SPEAK WITH AND LISTEN TO OTHERS CONSTRUCTIVELY AND OPENLY, TOUCHSTONES LAUNCHED THIS NEW, EIGHT-SESSION PROGRAM ONLINE IN 2020. IN 2022, WE REPLICATED A FOURTH FREE PROGRAM WITH A NEW COHORT OF TOUCHSTONES FELLOWS TO PROVIDE MORE THAN 20 HOURS OF INTENSIVE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT TO 4 EDUCATORS. OVER THE COURSE OF THIS PROGRAM, ALL PARTICIPANTS ASSUME LEADERSHIP FOR A TOUCHSTONES DISCUSSION, WITH SUPPORT FROM STAFF AND THEIR PEERS. GUIDED AND TRAINED BY THE TOUCHSTONES STAFF, EACH COHORT EXPLORED ISSUES OF VOICE, PERCEIVED LEGITIMACY, ACTIVE LISTENING, EFFECTS OF MARGINALIZATION, BIAS, AND INCLUSION THROUGH THE LENSES OF AFRICAN AMERICAN AND BLACK AUTHORS, POETS, POLITICIANS, ARTISTS, AND PHILOSOPHERS. THIS INTENSIVE AND IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCE IN THE TOUCHSTONES METHOD AND CURRICULA OFFERS ALL PARTICIPANTS THE OPPORTUNITY TO EXPLORE THEIR OWN STRENGTHS AND IDENTIFY AREAS FOR CONTINUED DEVELOPMENT AS DISCUSSION LEADERS. TOUCHSTONES WEEK, BLACK HISTORY MONTH & FREE CLASSROOM LESSONS IN 2022, TOUCHSTONES RAN ANOTHER GLOBAL TOUCHSTONES WEEK, WHICH PROVIDES FREE LESSON PLANS FOR ANYONE WISHING TO RUN A COLLABORATIVE DISCUSSIONWITH STUDENTS, FRIENDS, FAMILY MEMBERS, COMMUNITY MEMBERS, OR BUSINESS ASSOCIATES. THE DISCUSSION LESSON WAS PROVIDED FOR FREE IN ENGLISH, SPANISH, AND FRENCH. IN ADDITION, WE PROVIDED FREE ACCESS TO A BLACK HISTORY MONTH LESSON FOR K-12 EDUCATORS IN 2022. THOSE TWO PROGRAMS ALONE ENGAGED 47 EDUCATORS AND VOLUNTEERS RUNNING A TOUCHSTONES DISCUSSION WITH 1740+ PARTICIPANTS OF ALL AGES, BUT MOSTLY SCHOOL-AGE STUDENTS. DURING 2022, TOUCHSTONES PROVIDED ADDITIONAL FREE ACCESS TO SEVERAL SINGLE LESSONS TIED TO OTHER EDUCATIONAL OR CULTURAL THEMES OBSERVED IN U.S. SCHOOLS. FAMILY ENGAGEMENT IN RESPONSE TO INCREASED DESIRE FOR FAMILY ENGAGEMENT IN SCHOOL SETTINGS, WE DEVELOPED A NEW TOUCHSTONES FAMILY ENGAGEMENT PROGRAM IN 2022 FOR USE IN LEARNING COMMUNITY CHARTER SCHOOL (LCCS), JERSEY CITY, NJ. LCCS IS THE STATES MOST DIVERSE CHARTER SCHOOL, WITH STUDENTS SPEAKING AT LEAST 40 LANGUAGES AT HOME. THAT PILOT PROGRAM WAS SLATED FOR DELIVERY IN THE FALL OF 2022 BUT WAS PUSHED TO A FEB 2023 LAUNCH. IT SUCCESSFULLY WELCOMED MORE THAN 15 FAMILY ADULTS IN A DISCUSSION ABOUT COOPERATION, LEARNING, AND TRUST.

MARKETING & SOCIAL OUTREACH PROGRAMS AT A TIME WHEN PEOPLE NEED SKILLS OF CIVIL DISCOURSE, CRITICAL THINKING, CREATIVE PROBLEM SOLVING, COOPERATION, AND COLLABORATION MORE THAN EVER, TOUCHSTONES IS RISING TO THE CHALLENGE. IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE EXECUTIVE, COMMUNITY AND K-12 PROGRAMS, TOUCHSTONES MAINTAINED A WEEKLY ONLINE PRESENCE THROUGHOUT 2022 THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA ENGAGEMENT, NEWSLETTER AND BLOG PUBLICATIONS, AND MORE OUTREACH TO CURRENT AND PROSPECTIVE VOLUNTEERS. OUR SOCIAL MEDIA FOLLOWING MORE THAN DOUBLED IN 2022 AND SEVERAL MAJOR EDUCATIONAL SITES REPOSTED OUR CONTENT. WE LAUNCHED A NEW WEBSITE IN 2022, TO BETTER SERVE OUR K-12 AND HIGHER ED CLIENTS. THE NEW SITE PROVIDES EASIER ACCESS TO DIGITAL PRODUCTS AND SUPPORTS STREAMLINED E-COMMERCE SOLUTIONS.

ADULT AND COMMUNITY PROGRAMS IN 2022, LOCAL TOUCHSTONES VOLUNTEERS HOSTED AN ART EXHIBITION OF WORKS BY DR. ELLIOTT ZUCKERMAN, WHO BEQUEATHED MORE THAN 180 PAINTINGS TO THE TOUCHSTONES DISCUSSION PROJECT IN 2019 WHEN HE PASSED AWAY. HIS GIFT LEFT AN ENTIRE COLLECTION OF HIS WORKS TO SUPPORT TOUCHSTONES EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS. EACH PAINTING SOLD IS ACCOMPANIED BY A CUSTOM TOUCHSTONES DISCUSSION LESSON PLAN. THESE LESSONS WILL BE COMPILED AND EDITED FOR USE IN A TOUCHSTONES DISCUSSION PROJECT ART VOLUME FOR RELEASE WITHIN THE NEXT SEVERAL YEARS. 100 GUESTS ATTENDED THIS EVENT, WHICH LED TO 4,000 IN SALES OF ART IN SUPPORT OF THE TOUCHSTONES ENDOWMENT. COMMUNITY PROGRAMS ONLINE AT THE BEGINNING OF THE PANDEMIC IN 2020 AND IN RECOGNITION OF THE TYPES OF SUPPORT AND CONTACT THAT PEOPLE WOULD NEED DURING PERIODS OF GREAT UNCERTAINTY AND POTENTIAL ISOLATION, TOUCHSTONES INITIATED A FREE ONLINE TWICE-MONTHLY DISCUSSION PROGRAM WITH THE TOPIC OF COMMUNITY AND CONNECTIONS AS ITS CENTRAL FOCUS. IN 2021 WE ADDED A MONTHLY THURSDAY EVENING PROGRAM, WHICH RAN FOR MUCH OF THE YEAR. THIS SATURDAY MORNING PROGRAM CONTINUED THROUGHOUT 2022, WITH LEADERSHIP RESPONSIBILITY BEING SHARED BY FIVE VOLUNTEER MEMBERS FROM WITHIN THE GROUP. TOUCHSTONES STAFF AND TRAINED VOLUNTEERS RAN 19 DISCUSSIONS, WHICH PROVIDED 30 HOURS OF FREE PUBLIC PROGRAMMING FOR 100 MEMBERS OF THE GLOBAL COMMUNITY. PROGRAMS WITH INCARCERATED ADULTS BEGINNING IN MAY, TOUCHSTONES PROGRAMMING AT THE MARYLAND CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTION FOR WOMEN STARTED AGAIN AFTER A TWO-YEAR PANDEMIC CLOSURE. TOUCHSTONES CLASSES RAN 19 TIMES DURING THE YEAR SERVING MORE THAN 40 INCARCERATED WOMEN AND ENGAGING SIX COMMUNITY VOLUNTEERS AS DISCUSSION CO- LEADERS. THOSE CLASSES MOVED SEQUENTIALLY THROUGH TOUCHSTONES VOLUME A AND TOUCHED ON THEMES AND SKILLS RELATED TO HEALTHY LIFESTYLE CHOICES, RESILIENCY, CONFIDENCE, SELF-REGULATION, AND ENHANCED SELF-EXPRESSION AND INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION.

LEADERSHIP & EXECUTIVE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS EXECUTIVES AND MANAGERS IN DIFFERENT TYPES AND SIZES OF BUSINESSES AND ORGANIZATIONS GAIN A BETTER SENSE OF TEAMWORK THROUGH CUSTOM TOUCHSTONES PROGRAMS. EXECUTIVES SYSTEMATICALLY IMPROVE HOW THEY ACCESS, ASSESS, AND UTILIZE DIVERSE PERSPECTIVES AND COLLECTIVE KNOWLEDGE IN PROBLEM-SOLVING. AT THE SAME TIME, TOUCHSTONES WORKSHOPS OR CUSTOM PROGRAMS HELP THEM IDENTIFY AND GROW LEADERSHIP CAPACITY, BUILD MORE INCLUSIVE AND COHESIVE TEAMS, AND IMPROVE ORGANIZATIONAL FUNCTIONALITY AND MANAGEMENT. THESE PROGRAMS TAKE PLACE WITH TEAMS IN NON-PROFIT AND HIGHER ED LEADERSHIP, CORPORATE SETTINGS, AND GOVERNMENTAL AGENCIES. TOUCHSTONES STAFF CONTINUES TO WORK WITH POTENTIAL SUBCONTRACTORS TO BUILD ORGANIZATIONAL CAPACITY THAT WILL DELIVER MORE TRANSFORMATIONAL AND INCLUSIVE ENGAGEMENT IN A GROWING MARKET. IN 2022, TOUCHSTONES CONTINUED A CUSTOM PROGRAM BEGUN ONLINE IN 2021 FOR EXECUTIVES LOCATED ACROSS THE UNITED STATES, INCLUDING DELAWARE, NEW YORK, COLORADO, MARYLAND, ILLINOIS, CALIFORNIA, VIRGINIA, AND WASHINGTON. THIS PROGRAMMING BROUGHT EXECUTIVES TOGETHER IN A TOPIC-ORIENTED PROGRAM CALLED, LISTENING TO THE VOICES OF WOMEN THINKERS. THIS PROGRAM USED DISCUSSION AS A FORUM FOR EXAMINING HOW GENDER AND IDENTITY SHAPE OUR SELF-CONCEPTS AND SOCIETY AND HOW WRITERS RESPOND TO AND INFLUENCE EMERGING ENVIRONMENTS.