UNDERSTANDING THE NFTY PROGRAM FORMAT
Written by Sarah Ruben, 5765-5766 NFTY PVP and Melissa Goldman, NFTY Director of Operations and Special Projects
Revised by Benjamin Judah Phelps, 5767-5768 NFTY PVP
Touchstone Text:
“And thou shall teach them diligently unto thy children.” – Devarim (Deuteronomy) 6:7
This should be a piece of Jewish text or a Jewish concept that supports and strengthens the theme or message of the program. It is strongly encouraged that these be incorporated into the program itself, so that the participants can fully benefit from its inclusion.
Goals:
- Your goals are your big ideas of what you want to achieve during your program.
- Your goals are untestable, i.e. you won’t know if you’ve achieved them, at least until after some time has passed.
The goals should be the first thing you write in a program, and all aspects of the program should be written with these in mind. Goals are the notes that program and group leaders will use to keep the program focused; however, because they are untestable, there will be no clear way of determining if they have been achieved.
It may be helpful to begin goals with “Participants will…” and continue with a verb like understand, explore, be exposed to, or grapple with.
Objectives:
- Your objectives are things you can prove.
- Your objectives are testable and concrete.
- Your objectives must be achieved in order to reach the goals.
The objectives should be written second, after the goals. They should define your far-reaching ideas and document the specific skills, knowledge, and attitudes participants will need to have as they leave in order to properly achieve the goals. Remember: objectives are testable; thus, everybody should be able to pass an exam about the objectives at the end of the program.
It may be helpful to begin the objectives with “At the end of the program, participants will be able to…” and continue with a strong active verb.
Materials:
- Every supply
- that you are
- going to need
- to make the
- program happen.
This includes absolutely everything you need (pens, posters, etc.).
You should write and rewrite this section every time you make a draft of your detailed procedure. Doing this will prove your program is practical and remind you in the program writing process to make your program realistic.
People:
- The total number of participants involved
- The total number of groups
- The total number of group leaders needed per group
- The number of Program Leaders and Time Keepers you will need to roam and check time
- Anybody else you will need for the program
This list must include all the people involved, from the guy who holds up a light bulb in the abstract art room to the program leader who will walk around checking time. Write this section at the same time as the Materials to keep your program practical.
Space Needed:
- Rooms
- Room set-up
- Any spaces you will need
This section should be written with Materials and People, to prevent yourself from rewriting your program due to lack of space.
Time Table:
00:00-00:10 Introduction
00:10-00:15 Break into groups
00:15-00:40 Activity A
00:40-00:50 Group discussions
00:50-01:00 Wrap-up/Clean up
This is an exact timeline of what is happening. Remember to include travel time! Programs exist in the context of a larger event; therefore it is important that you do not run over.
Detailed Procedure:
This is the detailed section of the program. Write out your program completely, so anyone who leads or facilitates can pick up this paper, and understand exactly what to do. The Time Table will be repeated in this section with specific instructions listed for each time sequence. Remember: people can’t read your mind, so even if this program will be executed by highly experienced programmers, write the detailed procedure as if the leaders have no idea how a program works. Find a balance between scripting and leaving things open to allow discussions to occur organically. Your detailed procedure should directly relate to your goals and objectives. By making sure that all of your objectives are met and addressed in your detailed procedure, you can guarantee that your goals will be met as well as they can be.
00:00-00:10 Introduction
Facilitator welcomes the groups….
00:10-00:15 Break into groups
Groups move to five locations…
00:15-00:40 Activity A
Participants will…
00:40-00:50 Group Discussions
Group leaders ask questions from Appendix A – Understanding Program Format….
00:50-01:00 Wrap Up/Clean Up
Today we’ve had the opportunity to learn many new things…
Insert Page Break before each Appendix
Appendices:
Appendix A – Understanding Program Format
This is where you would add any handouts, models for posters, information sheets for group leaders, and anything else you need or would find useful in your program but has no place in the detailed procedure. Be sure to save everything in one document so it can be shared with other TYGs and the NFTY Program Bank.
