Timeout for Youth is a toolkit that supports youth participation and practicing dialogue skills. It is based on the Timeout Dialogue method developed at Sitra.
By using this toolkit, you can develop both your own and your group’s conversation and listening skills. The material also helps you practice facilitating Timeout Dialogues.
The Timeout for Youth toolkit is specifically designed for teachers, facilitators, coaches, municipal civic engagement professionals, and voluntary workers.
In addition, young people themselves can use the toolkit to facilitate Timeout Dialogues.
You can also use Timeout as part of decision-making within a group or community.
The Timeout for Youth toolkit includes the following sections:
- Three Ground rules for a constructive dialogue and their explanations
- Support material for facilitating Timeout Dialogues
- Warm-up activities for practicing dialogue skills
- Ready-made scripts and an open script template one can use to carry over a Timeout Dialogue
The Timeout for Youth toolkit has been developed based on feedback received from young people and on gathered Timeout experiences. It was created by the Timeout Foundation in collaboration with a development group of experts in education and media.
Materials for Timeout Dialogues with Youth
What’s Timeout about?
Timeout is a semi-structured dialogue method that consists of certain elements.
With the Timeout you can learn more about yourself, others, and the world.
Timeout enables constructive and calm conversations on important topics related to everyday life, school, your community, or local area.
A Timeout Dialogue can support learning, team building, processing shared experiences, collaboration between home and school, and strengthening youth participation.
In a Timeout dialogue, participants share their own experiences and thoughts. There’s no need to reach decisions or agree on everything. The goal is to reflect and explore topics together in a way that allows everyone to take part, if they wish.
Each Timeout Dialogue is led by a facilitator who guides the conversation and ensures that everyone has a chance to speak. Timeout Dialogues usually take place in a circle without tables in the middle, and phones are set aside for the duration of the conversation.
Every Timeout Dialogue begins with a review of the Ground Rules, to which participants commit together. At the end of each conversation, the group reflects on what they learned or what felt especially meaningful.
A Timeout Dialogue group can consist of a school class, a confirmation or Prometheus camp, a student council, a student organization, a year group – or a mix of participants who have never met before. You can also invite both youth and adults to participate, especially when you want to support young people’s involvement in decision-making.
You are encouraged to adapt the Timeout materials to suit your own group. Use your expertise and judgment – feel free to add activities or different exercises, or adjust the timing as needed.
At its core, Timeout is always about dialogue, constructive conversation, and ensuring everyone has a chance to participate.
The more you use Timeout, the easier it becomes – and the easier it is for young people to join in. Repetition is a valuable tool for getting comfortable with the method.If your group already has experience with dialogue, you can use the traditional Timeout method as is.