Watch Parties — Community Independents Project

6pm to 9pm AEST on Friday 5 September 2025
9am to 5pm AEST on Saturday 6 September 2025
See the Program (linked) for more details to select the sessions that are of most interest to your group. All sessions will be recorded and available for viewing after the event.

Housekeeping

You may consider commencing your watch party 15-30 minutes early to provide you with time for things like:

Your own acknowledgement of country,
A housekeeping briefing for guests, pointing out bathrooms, refreshments, and setting any house rules,
Agenda setting for how your group will be facilitating discussion and turning ideas into action.

It’s always best to communicate these important talking points in advance too.

Post-Event Discussion

We would also recommend that you conclude your Watch Party with 60 to 90 minutes of post-event discussion where you identify common threads, and develop post-event plans of action.

Facilitating Discussion

As the Convention will be attended by both individuals and groups, the sessions will be run back-to-back with limited breaks.

This makes it tricky to squeeze in discussion “in the gaps”, and some community members at your watch party might be annoyed by chatter over the speakers - so watch party groups will need to be a little creative in how they make space for discussion and planning.

One way to overcome this is to give people a way to capture ideas in real time.

Sticky notes on a wall, a communal whiteboard, or a shared Google Doc can be used for participants to jot down:

What resonated?
What challenged you?
What could this mean for our local community?

After the stream, the group can gather around these to identify common threads, and create action groups to develop next steps.

As a facilitator, begin by taking a moment to speak to the mood of the room (uplifted? anxious? energised? exhausted? purposeful? confused?) then set some clear expectations around the allocated time available being limited - and that as a group “we will need to agree to keep the following questions to [15?]-minutes each”.

What key themes emerged for our community?
Take a moment to group individual ideas into key themes (if this has not been done already) to ease the flow of conversation that follows.
What stood out most to you personally?
If you are doing this via sticky notes, consider giving each person 3-5 coloured dots or stars that they can use to “vote” for the themes that stood out most to them by sticking the dots beside that theme/idea.
How could we act on these themes locally?
Typically this results in the formation of small “working groups” of people who have a particular interest in a topic agreeing to come together to work on that issue.
When do we meet next to check-in, or to take something forward?
Maintaining momentum is crucial if you plan on turning inspiration into transformation!

While the format prioritises momentum and exposure to ideas, the real value for local groups is in the conversations and reflections that follow - and then the transition from discussing something to acting on it.

If you need more assistance preparing for the Convention, please contact us.

Authorised by T.Jackson, Sydney, The Community Independents Project Pty Ltd.

The Community Independents Project acknowledges the Traditional Owners of Country throughout Australia and recognises their continuing connection to land, waters, and community. The Community Independents Project pays respect to their cultures; and to elders past, present and emerging.