Voice Up Saturday Planning — Session 2

Art Fuller opens the call with an audio check, confirming Carah Ann and Diana Cisneros can hear. He explains he cannot be on camera for this meeting but will still participate fully, and apologizes for having changed the meeting time. He greets attendees spanning four time zones — Erik Armas, Raymond Williams, Sabrena Marie, and Dr. Angee Gonzalez Rodriguez — and confirms Shammah Emmanuel and Alabi Omotola ("Mariam") are present. An informal roll call establishes who has arrived before Art begins framing the session.

Art delivers a long welcome — "good afternoon, good evening, good morning" — acknowledging the multiple time zones. He explains that the previous week was the "big fall kickoff" and this session is a progress check-in where each person shares updates "one at a time." He acknowledges participants are at different stages: some just beginning to think about their projects, some further along, and some still learning about Voice Up. Art announces that "next week" about 20 doctoral students will be added to Voice Up and will eventually join the Saturday programming. He explains the purpose: by the end of the semester there will be "documented evidence proof" from a whole cohort of doctoral students on the impact of Voice Up's work, completed as part of earning their doctorates. He stresses the "power of being able to share your lived experience" and encourages people to think of ideas connected to apps. He states the mission of helping people "connect to purpose" and says he will start with Shammah.

Shammah introduces herself as a recent Master of Public Health graduate from Mercer University. Her project examines how young adults use AI and social media when lonely and whether AI helps with loneliness or replaces human connection. So far she has done "listening conversations" and started a small pilot survey using a Google Form. Key finding: none of the people she spoke with described AI as completely replacing people. Most said they use it for school, work, studying or business, but a few said they turn to AI during emotional distress. This made her rethink her question: she is now more interested in what happens after people turn to AI when lonely or distressed. The top reason respondents gave for turning to AI is that it is readily available and that users do not feel like a burden the way they might repeating the same problem to a person. However, respondents also said AI lacks a sense of human connection. Next steps: refine the survey, get more responses, expand the sample, and explore whether people use AI as a supplement, a bridge or a substitute. She wants to work with Overcome (the UK company) to develop a simple "human connection bridge framework." Art says her question is "on the leading edge" and promises to send her a recent national study on youth and young adults' use of AI. Raymond asks what she does with the pros-and-cons data once collected; Shammah says she is still deciding and has generated pie charts, tables, and histograms but has not settled on an analysis approach. Raymond requests a copy of her survey form; Shammah agrees and notes she already uploaded it to her Voice Up portal.

Art thanks Raymond and Shammah, then tries to call on Sabrena Marie and Sy'Viceeaa Hall. Both appear present but are not responding at this point. Raymond confirms they are on the call but may join later. Art moves on to the next speaker.

Jose confirms he is present. Art asks how things are going with his app and what he is thinking about. Jose says he is making sure everything in the app works so the group can go through it at the next meeting. He is building a "tour" that shows all the features. He describes the app in its current phase: it tracks clients and sends notifications about what needs to be done on given days; helps users stay organized; teaches how to write notes (he mentions BIRP notes); has features he is adding for supervisors to track students; and includes self-care features for students who feel overwhelmed. Art says it sounds good and announces there will be a brainstorming session later to dig deeper into how the app can be used and piloted in different areas.

Dr. Angee confirms she has been exploring Base 44 and is "very intrigued." Art introduces her to the group as a Voice Up consultant who joined a couple of weeks ago. She explains she runs a nonprofit focused on domestic violence and used Base 44 to create templates for healing circles being started across Chicago. She created sign-up templates so people can see which location is closest and fill out a form on their history with domestic violence. She also used Base 44 to create a website for the new nonprofit. She is excited about how quickly it works — her last two websites took several days; this one took less than 15 minutes after describing what she wanted and tweaking colors. She plans to take the new website live and embed the template so survivors can register for the nearest healing circle, with everything "very discreet." She says she loves the platform and uses AI daily. Referring to Shammah's research, she says "Oops, I'm one of those people" who turns to AI when she needs someone to listen, and offers to be interviewed for Shammah's study.

Carah confirms she is present. She says that, like Dr. Angee, she explored the Base 44 link Art sent, using it in relation to the internship discussed earlier to see how far she could go and what platform she could create. She had only glanced at Base 44 before but now understands the process: it is simpler than manually building a website or app, you can change what you want, there are templates, and with a good prompt you can be very specific. She notes the AI "goes above and beyond" what she asks. Art says "that's very nice" and thanks her.

Diana reports she has been moving through modules and case studies and is curious about what comes next. The previous day she chose the "Naming Gap trilogy" case study and resonated strongly with it. She is getting familiar with what she calls "portals." Art says she is "at just the right spot" and asks whether she has found the case studies helpful. Diana says she takes her time with them, which she does not think is bad, that they are challenging, and that she has enjoyed them. Art says they will discuss next steps more specifically and promises to send her a link that includes the Base 44 platform so she can see how everything connects.

Art asks how Erik is doing. Erik says he is good. Art says he saw Erik's email about speaking Spanish and asks him to confirm. Erik confirms he is fluent in Spanish and English and knows some French. Art says he did not know this and will follow up because Voice Up is "about to do some neat things in Spanish." He asks whether Erik has worked through any writing pieces this week. Erik says he has finished everything but has not been able to submit it because of occasional website issues and because he works full time. Art explains the next step: a review process involving himself, Dr. Angee, and Dr. Nestor, calling out how many doctors are joining Voice Up. The goal is peer review and feedback so that several items can be submitted to a peer-reviewed journal. Art says he completes his own doctorate in December, and his dissertation will include a couple of scientific articles; the timing will be aligned so it all flows.

Art asks how "Mariam" (Alabi Omotola) is doing. She says she is very well and wishes Art a good evening (it is 7:12 PM in her time zone). Art explains that two students are on a pathway to collaborate with Voice Up as consultants: Jose and Mariam. He asks Mariam to share her initial reflection on the Miracle as a Monster project she started this week. Mariam describes Miracle as a Monster as a book by a former Voice Up student (Emmanuel Matheny) that educates children about anxiety and how to manage it, describing anxiety subtly for a child audience. It includes grounding and psychological techniques such as the 5-4-3-2-1 exercise and relaxation breathing. She wrote a clinical reflection, mentioning she completed a behavioral health internship with Voice Up and a mental health coaching program with Overcome this week. She says the book resonated because she uses grounding techniques with clients. In her view the book is "clinically safe" and unlikely to harm a child reader. She suggests the author could add more techniques. She values that it addresses anxiety early, since she herself lacked such information for social anxiety and stage fright. Raymond thanks Mariam publicly for going through the app and programming and giving feedback. He explains that the program is deep and robust because the APEF is comprehension-based: participants must pass certain percentages to earn badges, complete modules, and unlock further modules. Mariam calls it a great platform for students, teachers, youth, and teenagers of all ages.

Sabrena confirms it is her. She says she has been exploring Base 44. As a service coordinator who completes Individualized Program Plans (IPPs) for clients, she finds that families often do not understand the language used or what they can ask for, so they stay silent, which leaves coordinators unsure what to offer. Her solution is an app for families to educate themselves before the IPP, with educational resources and an option to fill out a "pre-IPP" so coordinators know the client's likely needs. This week she focused on it. Problem: edits in the preview take longer than rebuilding, so she has sometimes copied her prompt and remade the app from scratch. She hopes to talk with other service coordinators for a couple of weeks and then turn it into an app that is actually used. Art calls the idea "awesome" and announces an open Q&A session on Base 44 this week where he and Raymond will offer tips. Raymond adds that they will create a document of tips for everyone. Art gives a key prompting tip: when a change does not turn out right, specify in the prompt what must stay the same, because Base 44 is a creative tool that can go many directions. Sabrena also mentions running out of credits; Art clarifies that anyone who signed up through the Voice Up link should not worry about credits because Voice Up has a large pool of credits it lets participants use. Jose chimes in to confirm they will double-check her link.

Art makes a final call for Sy'Viceeaa, thanks everyone, and apologizes for the 15-minute time shift. He previews the goal: by the end of the semester "every single one of you will have created something that is valuable to other people." He explains how Voice Up could help apps reach real users: he, Raymond, Jeff Cheeks, and Dr. Nestor know people who run organizations and could ask them to pilot student-created apps. The current semester is for refining and gathering feedback so the apps are well reviewed before reaching that stage and can reach more people than expected. He tells Sabrena he likes her idea because it originates from a real problem where she works — "that's where great solutions start." He asks for any final questions. Sabrena says she has a question specific to Alliant that may not need the whole group. Art says they will wait until afterward, closes the group portion, and says anyone with individual, program-specific questions should stay on. The formal group portion ends.

Sy'Viceeaa Hall appears. She explains she had been muted because of a difficult day at work. Art offers encouragement: "God's got it, whatever is causing anxiety." She says her academic advisor (her instructor from her internship course) will need a reflection from her supervisor. She emailed everything to Art and wanted to make sure he received it. The items are not due until next month, around the 20th, before Thanksgiving. Art promises to make sure it gets done. Sabrena says she has a similar situation: an assignment due this week that she sent to Dr. Nestor on Tuesday but has not heard back. The assignment is to review safety questions from her professor; after answering, she reviews them with the supervisor and needs education on any misunderstood safety procedures. It needs a supervisor's signature and is due Sunday. Art explains the two-supervisor structure: Dr. Nestor is the clinical supervisor and Art is the task supervisor. He says she can send such items to him and confirms they will get it done. Diana says she has the same safety-questions issue as Sabrena and also needs to schedule a 30-minute virtual meeting with Dr. Strayer. Art says to include his email (info@ellingtonbooks.com) on the message because he coordinates scheduling. Diana also asks about the curriculum: should she keep working on case studies? Art says her hours will include a balance of Base 44 work and case studies, and that new case studies are created weekly and personalized based on reflections. He asks whether she attended Monday's session with Dr. Nestor; she says she did not. Art says that is where she needs to begin, because attending unlocks the pathway to the other steps.

Art signals the brainstorming segment. Raymond explains that Art has done brainstorming for years and it has worked well in creating Voice Up. They come in open-minded as "forward thinkers": look at something in front of them and ask how to improve or enhance it; if a topic arises, they talk it through, gather everyone's input, reach consensus, and then build something from it. Art asks Jose: with no limits, what is the absolute best-case scenario for how his app is used? Jose says practicum students and people practicing toward LCSW licensure use the app to stay organized and gain knowledge, especially with note-taking. It tracks clients, notes, meeting dates, and anything important to know before or after a meeting. Art asks what would need to be in place to make it successful. Jose says he would like someone to use it and confirm it works and helps; he lacks enough face-to-face client experience to judge its effectiveness. Raymond asks a pivotal question: once information is entered, can the app help the user know what to ask at the next conversation — i.e., prepare for the next client meeting? Jose explains that the app currently reminds users what happened in the previous session but does not prepare them for the next one; preparation is up to the clinician. Raymond says that would be a valuable feature: the clinician always signs off, but an AI assistant could format and put things in perspective to save time and strengthen the "connection side." Jose agrees he had been thinking something similar — helping prepare from the first to the next session and recommending which therapy or treatment plan to use. Art recommends a dedicated AI agent for the post-meeting workflow, creating what the clinician needs to be prepared for the next meeting. He says he will add Jose to Voice Up's Calendly account so Calendly can integrate with Base 44 for meeting recording (Base 44 is not suited for recordings beyond about five minutes). Raymond gives a tip: in Discuss mode, Jose can tell Base 44 he wants to build an AI agent for a particular task and it will give a step-by-step printout of how to create it. Art asks Jose to try Raymond's suggestion and report progress next week.

Art says "Raymond does it again" and wishes everyone a great week. He confirms that for Alliant University the meeting is Monday at 8:30 PM EDT. He tells Carah they will meet Thursday. He tells Diana he will see her Monday and clarifies the time is 8:30 PM Eastern Daylight Time; she confirms she will be there now that she has the link. Jose asks whether Art has approved his hours; Art says he approved them that morning. Jose says he will send the rest now. The call ends with warm goodbyes.