Best Feeling Ever Fall 2020 Plans, And Some Thoughts About Last Week!! :)

Heyy everyone!!

Sorry that this week's Newsletter and Blog Post are going out a bit later than usual, it has been such a super-busy weekend for me! Lots of great and exciting stuff is in the works, and I am very excited to share it all with you. So, let's get right into this week's Newsletter!! :)

First and foremost, we are doing very well in planning out our Best Feeling Ever Fall 2020 Zoom Schedule! And get hyped, because the schedule is going to be announced... THIS WEDNESDAY, September 16th!! Please check our social media accounts for the schedule, and be on the lookout for a special e-mail that evening as well! We are very excited to finally be getting into all of our Zoom plans for this fall, and we can't wait to announce to all of you what we have going on. This week, we will have some introductory meetings to talk about our Fall schedule with everyone, and then we will fully kick things off next week on September 21st! Of course, we will also be talking about our upcoming Service Projects as well! It's all coming your way very very soon, so stay tuned and get excited, we have a lot to look forward to!! :)

Also, we are excited to share with you all of our plans so far right here, just in case you are interested in helping out by offering any of your own feedback, questions, comments, or contributions! At the end of this post, please check it out, it's all here for you! Thank you so much, we really appreciate all of your support and enthusiasm, and we are so excited to see what we all do together! Going to be so much fun!! :)

Alright, so before we get into talking about our plans, I would first like to talk a little bit about some things from last week, other than our planning meetings. Last Thursday and Friday were two very important days, as many of you know. Thursday, September 10th, was World Suicide Prevention Day, and Friday was September 11th. Both of these days are something that we addressed in Best Feeling Ever, and I would also like to talk a little bit about them here as well.

Firstly, World Suicide Awareness Day is a day that is very close to my heart and is something that I am extremely passionate about. I will share that throughout much of my life I have struggled with some mental health issues, and these are a huge part of my story, and of the reason why I created Best Feeling Ever. I won't go too much into detail about all of that right now, but I did want to share that no matter what, I am committed to doing everything I can to continue raising awareness for mental health, and to offering as much support as I can for those who are struggling with similar issues, both in my personal life and through Best Feeling Ever. Please know that no matter what, you are NEVER ALONE. You are so loved, and so amazing, and so needed in this world. Please reach out to me if you ever need anything, and know that there are so many resources out there that you can turn to if you ever need them!!

For example, please always keep the National Suicide Prevention Hotline in mind if you ever need to talk to anyone at any point throughout the day. As many of you know, their phone number is 1-800-273-TALK (8255). Please share this number with as many people as you can, and know that this is resource is always there for anyone who needs to talk to someone. There are also lots of other great resources out there that you can check out, we posted a bunch of them on our Best Feeling Ever Instagram account on last Thursday. As always, if you have any other resources that you would like to submit, please send them our way, we would be very grateful to see them and to help you share them around!! Thank you so much everyone, and again, always remember how amazing and loved you are!! Keep shining bright and being YOU!!!! :) <3

The next thing that I would like to talk about is 9/11, which was last Friday as we know. This date marked 19 years since the 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. This day is one of solemn remembrance and reflection, and that is something that we do our best to support in Best Feeling Ever. I know that it is a very heavy, difficult day for many people, and our hearts go out to everyone who is affected by it in any way. We are sending you all so much love. Thank you again to everyone who came to the 9/11 Memorial Service we held over Zoom on Friday evening, I think that went really well and I am grateful so many of you came to that. I hope that it brought you some comfort and helped you feel more connected. :)

Again, I know that it is a very hard day for so many people, but please know that we are here for you, and no matter what, we will ALWAYS keep the hope burning bright. In these times more than ever, we need to stay connected, and we need to be there for one another and offer each other comfort and support. We are always stronger when we come together and lean on one another, and our strength will prevail!! Please keep doing what you do to be the light for those around you, and to offer the words of encouragement and kindness that have the power to change someone's whole day. Remember how important, needed, and strong you are, and all the great power you have to make the change we need to see. I am sending you so much love, and I thank you for all that you always do!! Keep being amazing!! :)

Thank you for reading my thoughts on those, and please feel free to send me your own thoughts at any time. Thank you!! And now, here are all of our plans for the Fall so far, please take a look if you would like! Also check out this week's Newsletter to find this information in a convenient Word Document form. I'd love to hear what you think!! Thank you so much again, you are the best!!!! :)

Best Feeling Ever Fall 2020 Planning: Updated As Of 9/14/2020

- Meeting Types/Frequency: How many meetings per week? One of each type?

- General Meetings, Service Nights, Workshops, Fun Nights

Fall 2020 Schedule Ideas:

W = Workshop, FN = Fun Night

Week Of September 21

W: Fall/Back To School In The Covid Era/Fall Arts & Crafts FN: Jackbox Games

Week Of September 28

W: Yoga/Meditation FN: Movie Night

Week Of October 5

W: Halloween/Fall Season In The Covid Era FN: Watch It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!/Jackbox: Trivia Murder Party

Week Of October 12

W: Creepypasta FN: Halloween Escape Room Night

Week Of October 19

W: Pumpkin Decorating/Crafts FN: Scary Movie

Week Of October 26

W: Ghost Stories FN: Halloween Party

Week Of November 2

W: The Importance Of Voting, Stress Relief In Election Season FN: Team-Building Session

Week Of November 9

W: Mental Health/Stress Relief/Self-Care FN: Game Night

Week Of November 16

W: Helping Those In Need/Thanksgiving In The Covid Era FN: Comedy Night

Week Of November 23

W: What We’re Thankful For/Expressing Gratitude FN: Zoom Friendsgiving!

Week Of November 30

W: Holiday Season In The Covid Era FN: Holiday Game Night

Week Of December 7

W: Mental Health Around The Holidays FN: Holiday Song Karaoke

Week Of December 14

W: Holiday Arts & Crafts FN: Holiday Movie

Week Of December 21

Holiday Party!! 😊

Monthly Projects:

October: Halloween Candy Drive For Doctors

November: Thanksgiving Food Drive

December: Holiday-Themed Service Drive/Toy Drive

Best Feeling Ever Service Project Plans Fall 2020: Updated As Of 9/14/2020

COVID-19 Fundraiser Stream

We Will Raise Money For Doctors Without Borders. What Should Be Our Fundraising Goal?

Dates/Times: Saturday, October 10th & Sunday, October 11th from 7-10 PM each night!

Schedule For The Event:

- Saturday: Opening Ceremony, Talent Show, Challenge Stream, Yoga/Meditation

- Sunday: Motivational Speeches, Gaming Stream, Movie Night(??), Closing Ceremony

Question: Should we have the Gaming Stream & Movie Night Back To Back, or is this too much time in a row focused on watching a screen rather than the streamers?

Challenge Stream Ideas:

- Have each streamer in this segment prepare a List Of Challenges that they are comfortable doing, open their part of the segment by doing one or two of them, then offer up others to the audience in exchange for donations if audience runs out of ideas.

- Streamers can negotiate with audience members a price to do a certain challenge… try to get them to donate as much money as possible!

- In the time between doing challenges, streamers should engage with the audience by sharing fun facts about them, playing games such as Would You Rather and 20 Questions, talking more about Best Feeling Ever, doing a Q&A, etc.

Will We Do Movie Night? If Yes, What Movie? If No, What Will We Do Instead?

- We likely will not do this because we don’t want to conflict with copyright laws. We will research this a little bit more.

- Ideas For An Alternative Segment: Stand-Up Comedy Stream, Workout/Fitness Stream, Poetry Stream, Arts & Crafts

- Poetry/Storytelling Segment would likely work very well and would flow into our Closing Ceremony. We could read inspiring poetry, short stories, poetry/stories we have written, etc. Thoughts on this?

What Platforms Will We Stream On? YouTube, Facebook, Twitch?

- Restream website can enable us to stream on both YouTube and Facebook at the same time. Twitch might be used for the Gaming Segment.

Practice Livestreaming A Zoom Meeting

- We should do this soon!

How Will Donations Work? How Will We Encourage The Audience To Donate?

- We can set up a fundraising page on the website GoFundraise, and post the link on the stream to raise money.

Ways To Encourage People To Donate:

Talent Show: “People’s Choice”: Donate To The Talent You Want To See Win!

Challenge Stream: Donate In Exchange For Doing Certain Challenges

Meditation/Yoga Stream: Donate To Request A Yoga/Breathing Exercise

Motivational Speeches: Tailored Motivational Shout-Outs

Gaming Stream: Donate For Streamer To Do Something Specific In-Game/Give Tutorials

Poetry/Storytelling Stream: Donate In Support Of Each Person’s Poetry, Donate To Have Someone Recite A Poem

What Will Be The Name Of This Event?

Think Of Ideas!

Black Lives Matter Event

Get Availability From Outside Speakers

Plan Agenda

For Thursday 9/10:

- Practice Livestreaming Through Zooms

- Discuss Names For Both COVID-19 Fundraiser Stream And Black Lives Matter Event

- Plan Agenda For Black Lives Matter Event

- Plan Meetings For Week Of 9/14

- Discuss How We Can Sign Up To Host Meetings/Workshops

- Discuss Social Media Outline For Fall

- Create Questionnaire For New Registrants

- Plan Possible In-Person Events

Plans For Week Of 9/14

Monday 9/14: Create Schedule

Tuesday 9/15: Finalize Schedule

Wednesday 9/16: Announce Schedule

Wednesday, Thursday, Friday: Intro Meetings

Intro Meeting: 1 Hour Or An Hour And A Half (Which Is Better?)

- Open With An Icebreaker/Fun Activity

- Welcome New People

- Show A Positive Video(?)

- Present Our Fall Schedule

- Mention Service Projects

- Activity To Get To Know Each Other/Get To Know What Best Feeling Ever Is About

- Discussion: Start By Asking What Are You Most Excited For For The Fall?

- Get Ideas: What Do You Want To See Us Do During The Fall? Social Media, Group Chats, Etc.

- Fun Game

- Positive Send-Off

Black Lives Matter Event Agenda:

Length: Hour Or An Hour And A Half

- Welcome, Talk About What Best Feeling Ever Is, Why We Are Here

- Discuss The Black Lives Matter Movement, show the website for it

- Guest Speakers/Presenters

- Show Videos

- Presentation On Allyship

- Show Resources, Petitions, Places To Donate, Etc.

- Highlight Works By People Of Color (Movies, Books, Etc.)

- Share Tips For Allyship

- Discuss What We Can Do To Combat Racism

- Thank Everyone, End On An Inspiring Note

Best Feeling Ever Fall 2020 Plans: Updated As Of 9/14/2020

Plans For Week Of 9/14:

Monday 9/14: Meet in the evening, create schedule based on availability calendars, send out schedule to everyone else for feedback.

Tuesday 9/15: Meet in the evening, finalize schedule, incorporating feedback.

Wednesday 9/16: Announce Schedule On Social Media!!

Wednesday, Thursday, Friday: Intro Meetings

Intro Meeting: 1 Hour Or An Hour And A Half (Which Is Better?)

- Open With An Icebreaker/Fun Activity

- Welcome New Participants

- Show A Positive Video(?)

- Present Our Fall Schedule

- Mention Service Projects

- Do An Activity To Get To Know Each Other/Get To Know What Best Feeling Ever Is About

- Discussion: Start By Asking: “What Are You Most Excited For For The Fall?”

- Get Ideas, Ask: What Do You Want To See Us Do During The Fall? What Should We Do On Our Social Media, Group Chats, Etc.

- Fun Fall-Themed Game

- Positive Send-Off!! 😊

Service Projects:

COVID-19 Fundraiser Stream

- We Got The Zoom Livestreaming To Work!! 😊 We Will Practice Again The Week Before The Event.

- What Should We Name The Event? We need a fun, catchy name that combines the Best Feeling Ever themes of spreading kindness and positivity with our mission of raising money for doctors fighting COVID-19.

- What should be our goal for how much money we raise through this event? Both before the event, and during the event?

- Can We Do A Movie Night? If Not, Should We Do The Poetry/Storytelling Stream?

- Flyer will be created this weekend and will be posted early next week.

Black Lives Matter Event

We are aiming to do this event on Friday, October 2nd, but the final date will depend on the availability of our guest speakers. We are aiming to set a date by 9/18 and get the flyer out as soon as the date is set.

Length: Hour Or An Hour And A Half

Agenda:

- Welcome, Talk About What Best Feeling Ever Is, Why We Are Here

- Discuss The Black Lives Matter Movement, Show The Website For It

- Guest Speakers/Presenters

- Show Videos

- Presentation On Allyship

- Show Resources, Petitions, Places To Donate, Etc.

- Highlight Works By People Of Color (Movies, Books, Etc.)

- Share Tips For Allyship

- Discuss What We Can Do To Combat Racism

- Thank Everyone, End On An Inspiring Note

Any other thoughts? What else should we also include in this event?

Thank you all!! 😊

Best Feeling Ever Fall 2020 Social Media Outline: Updated As Of 9/14/2020

Posts About Meetings/Events

Facebook:

- Post Fall Zoom Schedule Wednesday 9/16.

- Post Weekly Schedule Every Sunday Night.

- Post Monthly Schedule Beginning Of Each Month.

- At the beginning of each week, discuss events/meetings coming up that week that may need extra promotion, and what posts we should make for them.

- Post COVID-19 Fundraiser Flyer 9/17.

- Post Black Lives Matter Flyer By 9/18 Or Sooner.

- Make Weekly Posts For Large-Scale Events

- Make Daily/Bi-Daily Posts For Large-Scale Events During Week Of Events.

- Post reminder for daily Zoom meetings on Stories: In The Morning, A Couple Hours Before, Shortly Before Meeting.

- Post About Large-Scale Events On Stories Every Few Days Leading Up To Events

- Week Before Event: Post On Story Every Day.

- Add To Stories During Meetings/Events

Twitter:

- Tweet Fall Zoom Schedule Wednesday 9/16.

- Tweet Weekly Schedule Every Sunday Night.

- Tweet Monthly Schedule Beginning Of Each Month.

- At the beginning of each week, discuss events/meetings coming up that week that may need extra promotion, and what tweets we should send for them.

- Tweet COVID-19 Fundraiser Flyer 9/17.

- Tweet Black Lives Matter Flyer By 9/18 Or Sooner.

- Send Weekly Tweets For Large-Scale Events

- Send Daily/Bi-Daily Tweets For Large-Scale Events During Week Of Events.

- Tweet reminder for daily Zoom meetings on Stories: In The Morning, A Couple Hours Before, Shortly Before Meeting.

- Tweet About Large-Scale Events On Stories Every Few Days Leading Up To Events

- Week Before Event: Tweet Every Day About Event.

- Tweet During Meetings/Events

Instagram:

- Post Fall Zoom Schedule Wednesday 9/16.

- Post Weekly Schedule Every Sunday Night.

- Post Monthly Schedule Beginning Of Each Month.

- At the beginning of each week, discuss events/meetings coming up that week that may need extra promotion, and what posts we should make for them.

- Post COVID-19 Fundraiser Flyer 9/17.

- Post Black Lives Matter Flyer By 9/18 Or Sooner.

- Make Weekly Posts For Large-Scale Events

- Make Daily/Bi-Daily Posts For Large-Scale Events During Week Of Events.

- Post reminder for daily Zoom meetings on Stories: In The Morning, A Couple Hours Before, Shortly Before Meeting.

- Post About Large-Scale Events On Stories Every Few Days Leading Up To Events

- Week Before Event: Post On Story Every Day.

- Add To Stories During Meetings/Events

Snapchat:

- Post to Snapchat during meetings and events to highlight what we are doing!

TikTok:

- Have Us Take Separate Videos, Put Them Together, Fun Creative Ideas!

Daily/Weekly Posts

Facebook:

- Weekly Post To Spotlight Black/People Of Color: Authors, Creators, Works, Businesses, Etc. (What Day Of The Week?)

- Self-Care/Mental Health Tip Of The Week (What Day Of The Week?)

- Spotlight A Best Feeling Ever Supporter Each Week (What Day Of The Week?)

- Positive Quote Of The Day On Story

- Story: Post What We’re Doing In Our Lives, Put What We Want To Highlight For That Day On The Story

- Repost Other People’s Posts On Our Stories

Twitter:

- Weekly Tweet To Spotlight Black/People Of Color: Authors, Creators, Works, Businesses, Etc. (What Day Of The Week?)

- Self-Care/Mental Health Tip Of The Week (What Day Of The Week?)

- Spotlight A Best Feeling Ever Supporter Each Week (What Day Of The Week?)

- Tweet Positive Quote Of The Day

- Throughout The Day, Tweet What We’re Doing In Our Lives, Tweet What We Want To Highlight For That Day

- Retweet Other Tweets From Similar Accounts

Instagram:

- Weekly Post To Spotlight Black/People Of Color: Authors, Creators, Works, Businesses, Etc. (What Day Of The Week?)

- Self-Care/Mental Health Tip Of The Week (What Day Of The Week?)

- Spotlight A Best Feeling Ever Supporter Each Week (What Day Of The Week?)

- Positive Quote Of The Day On Story

- Story: Post What We’re Doing In Our Lives, Put What We Want To Highlight For That Day On The Story

- Repost Other People’s Posts On Our Stories

Snapchat:

- Snap throughout the day, share our thoughts

TikTok:

- Fun, Creative Ideas to show what we are doing!!

Special Social Media Events

Facebook:

- Raffles

- Offer Incentives For A Certain Number Of Likes/Shares

- Encourage People To Post What They Are Doing, Then We’ll Repost/Retweet

Twitter:

- Raffles

- Offer Incentives For A Certain Number Of Likes/Retweets

- Encourage People To Post What They Are Doing, Then We’ll Repost/Retweet

Instagram:

- Raffles

- Offer Incentives For A Certain Number Of Likes/Shares

- Encourage People To Post What They Are Doing, Then We’ll Repost/Retweet

Snapchat:

- Get People To Snap Us Back

TikTok:

- Do Duets With People

Interacting With The Audience

- How can we interact with our audience? How can we use things like Q&A Stickers, Polls, Filters, Asking Questions, Games Livestreams, Etc.

When should we go live on what platforms? What should we do while we are live? 😊

That's what we have so far!! We will have more updates very soon, and we can't wait to hear all about your ideas as well. Please send them our way whenever you can!! And of course, please stay tuned for lots more updates coming very soon, like our Fall 2020 Zoom Schedule coming on Wednesday!! We are very excited to be sharing this with all of you, and we can't wait to see all of the great adventures we have to look forward to from here on out. This is only the beginning!! Thank you so much again, everyone!! :)

Keep being the amazing people you are, and keep doing what you do to spread love, kindness, and positivity around the world!! Always remember how loved, cared about, and needed you are. TOGETHER, we will do such amazing things!! Sending you infinite love and lots of warm hugs. Always keep being kind and loving to yourselves and to others, and keep staying strong. I know that the best is yet to come for us! Sending you so much love, please reach out to me at anytime for more information or to submit your own ideas!! Thank you all so much again, just for being who you are. We have so much to look forward to, together!! I LOVE YOU ALL LOTS, LET'S DO THIS!!!! :) <3

Your friend forever,

Adam Silverstein :) <3