Over the last two years a quiet movement has begun within Breakthrough. The mighty networks InTouch Breakthrough Community. Many of you may have heard of this already and I know many of you are using it already. This is what we are calling a “digital clubhouse” using an application available on phones tablets and as a web browser which at its heart is a communication tool. Imagine a private version of Facebook where only people who are in the club can use it to stay InTouch.
Through this application we can send each other direct messages connect for phone support organize social events and most amazing of all is there are workspaces in it where we are able to conduct the workshops. It operates very much like an online college learning platform where we deliver courses, share materials and content, and post all things related to each cohort’s workshop in one place.
Each class has its own private section in the application for only their class and their team members. When the classes graduate, they then have access to the full online community there of Breakthrough alumni. All graduates of Breakthrough are eligible to participate. We are currently working on a process to invite men into the “clubhouse” through an enrollment form on our website. Stand by for future announcements as this gets ready for launch.
Currently we are in the final part of beta-testing and things are going very well. We have our 3rd class running on the platform now as well as a few hundred alumni who have been invited in to test it out with us. One huge success of this platform occurred in May when one of our breakthrough brothers self-organized a picnic at Via Paraiso Park. About 20 men showed up to that event and it was a wonderful time to gather socialize and connect with men we knew and some we've never met before. Along similar lines, groups are forming up around cycling, skiing, hiking, and other social activities. It's also a place to post thoughts comments and links to other resources. If you have a book you love, or an amazing podcast or other content this is a great place to share that with all the men in the community. It's our vision that in touch becomes the go-to space for men in Breakthrough to reach out and connect with each other.
A key component of using this application is that it is designed for our privacy. This company is not affiliated with any big data such as Facebook Amazon et cetera. Data is never shared or sold and all the content in our area is private to our group. This new digital clubhouse is considered an extension of the workshop and each participant who joins it is expected to commit to and honor our workshop confidentiality agreement in this space. That means all content is private, not to be shared, not to be discussed without permission, and the space is not to be used for solicitation of business or relationships. This is truly a space where our tenet of “you are safe you belong, and you matter” applies.
We are excited here at Breakthrough for the future of this and look forward to seeing all of our alumni participating and connecting with each other in this way very soon.