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Session: ____________________ Date: __________ Place: ______________________
What we collect and why. Only what’s on this sheet, and only if you choose. We use it to tell you about future sessions. We don’t collect addresses, we don’t share this list, and we don’t track who comes to what. Ask the data steward to delete your line anytime.
Data steward: ______________________ Contact: ______________________
| First name | Best way to reach you (optional) | Tell me about future sessions | OK to quote me without my name |
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| | Yes | Yes |
| | Yes | Yes |
| | Yes | Yes |
| | Yes | Yes |
| | Yes | Yes |
| | Yes | Yes |
| | Yes | Yes |
| | Yes | Yes |
| | Yes | Yes |
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My privacy checklist
Check the ones you already do. Circle one to start this week.
Before I type into a chatbot
I leave out my Social Security number, bank or card numbers, and passwords.
I leave out medical details about me or my family.
I don’t paste in leases, contracts, or legal papers. If I need help, I remove names, addresses, and numbers first.
I don’t type other people’s private information.
When a chatbot tells me something
I check numbers, laws, deadlines, names, and links at the original source.
I use it for drafts and ideas. I make the decisions.
For legal, health, or money questions, I ask a real person too.
When a message or call feels urgent
My family has a safe word a stranger couldn’t guess.
If someone asks for money in a hurry, I hang up and call back on a number I already have.
I don’t tap links in messages I wasn’t expecting. I go to the official website myself.
One thing I’ll do this week
Good, risky, or never?
Cut apart. In small groups, sort each card into three piles: Good with checking, Risky, Never. Facilitator key on the back of the last card.
Card 1Summarize a 40-page city budget so our association can read it.
Card 2Tell me exactly what the law says about my eviction notice.
Card 3Draft a polite email to my council member about a broken sidewalk.
Card 4Decide which families get the food pantry’s last boxes.
Card 5Brainstorm questions to ask at the zoning meeting.
Card 6Figure out what my symptoms mean.
Card 7Translate a school flyer into Spanish so I can check it with a neighbor.
Card 8Rank which neighbors are “trustworthy.”
Card 9Explain what a word in a city notice means.
Card 10Pick which contractor to hire from a list of reviews.
Card 11Write a first draft of our block party flyer.
Facilitator keyGood with checking: 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11. Risky: 2, 6, 10 (use it to find better questions, then ask a person). Never: 4, 8 (decisions about people).
Pocket cards
Cut along the dashed lines. Two of each per page.
Check the machine
- It predicts what sounds right, not what is right.
- Check numbers, laws, deadlines, and links at the original source.
- Never type ID numbers, bank info, passwords, health details, or legal papers.
- Use it for drafts. You decide.
neighborhoodos.org/learn
Our family safe word
If someone calls sounding like family and asks for money in a hurry, ask for the word. No word? Hang up and call back on a number you know.
Safe word:
Keep it private. Don’t post it online.
Check the machine
- It predicts what sounds right, not what is right.
- Check numbers, laws, deadlines, and links at the original source.
- Never type ID numbers, bank info, passwords, health details, or legal papers.
- Use it for drafts. You decide.
neighborhoodos.org/learn
Our family safe word
If someone calls sounding like family and asks for money in a hurry, ask for the word. No word? Hang up and call back on a number you know.
Safe word:
Keep it private. Don’t post it online.
Spot the scam
These are made-up examples of the kind of messages AI makes easy to write. Circle every warning sign you can find. Then compare with your group.
Text message · from an unknown number
Hi, this is Water Services. Our records show a past-due balance on your account at your address. Service will be shut off TODAY at 4pm. Pay now to avoid a $150 reconnection fee: bit.ly/pay-water-now
Email · “Neighborhood Assistance Program”
Congratulations! Because you live near 75th Street, you qualify for a $2,000 home repair grant from the city. To receive your funds, confirm your Social Security number and bank routing number by replying to this email within 24 hours.
Phone call · sounds like your grandson
“Grandma, it’s me. I’m in trouble, I got in a car accident and they’re holding me. Please don’t tell Mom. A lawyer is going to call you. I need you to get $800 in gift cards, right now.”
Warning signs to look for
- A deadline measured in hours
- A threat (shutoff, arrest, lost money)
- A shortened or strange link
- Asking for ID or bank numbers
- Gift cards, wire transfers, or crypto
- “Don’t tell anyone”
- Local details that make it feel real
- Money you didn’t apply for
What to do instead
Hang up or don’t reply. Look up the real phone number yourself (on your bill, or the official website) and call. Ask the family safe word. When in doubt, ask someone you trust before you pay anything.
Public data treasure hunt
Work in pairs. Pick a block you know. Find as many of these as you can in 20 minutes, using the city’s open data portal, the 311 map, and council agendas. Facilitator: write the local website addresses on the board.
| Find | What you found (and where) |
|---|
| An open 311 request near your block | |
| How long a similar request took to close | |
| A building permit issued nearby this year | |
| A property on a dangerous or vacant buildings list | |
| An upcoming council or committee agenda item that affects the area | |
| One line in the city budget that pays for something on your block | |
| Something you expected to find but couldn’t | |
The line we don’t cross
We look at places and institutions, not people. “Every unresolved streetlight request in our area” is fine. “Which neighbors complain the most” is never fine, even if the data could show it.
Problem brief
One page, four answers. A complaint is a frustration; a brief is a plan. You can also fill this in online at neighborhoodos.org/#brief.
1. What’s wrong, exactly?
Where, since when, who it affects. Concrete beats general.
2. Who has the power to fix it?
City Utility Landlord / property company County State Us (neighbors, association) Not sure yet
Specific office or person:
3. What evidence exists?
311 case numbers, dated photos, permits, meeting minutes. Things anyone can check.
4. The smallest next step
What:
Who will do it: By when:
Public problem log
Post this on the wall. Update it at every clinic. Report back on every line, including the ones that didn’t move.
| # | Problem | Who can fix it | Next step | Owner | Status |
|---|
| 1 | | | | | |
| 2 | | | | | |
| 3 | | | | | |
| 4 | | | | | |
| 5 | | | | | |
| 6 | | | | | |
| 7 | | | | | |
| 8 | | | | | |
| 9 | | | | | |
| 10 | | | | | |
Should we build it? Score sheet
Tool idea: ______________________________ From brief #: ______ Date: __________
Red-light test: any “yes” stops the idea
Does it link people’s identities to their records (complaints, violations, disputes)?
Does it connect to police, immigration, or other enforcement systems?
Does it track where individual people go over time?
Does it give people or households a score or rating?
Does it collect social media conversations without clear, ongoing consent?
Does it make automated decisions about who gets help or resources?
Score (0 to 3 each). Need 7 of 9 to build.
| Question | Score | Why |
|---|
| Neighbors first. Does it directly help residents, especially those with the least access? | | |
| Show the receipts. Does every fact link back to a public, checkable source? | | |
| Toothbrush test. Will people use it weekly, and can a volunteer keep it running? | | |
| Total | | |
Human reviewer (who checks its output):
Date we’ll decide whether to keep it:
Quick check (anonymous)
Don’t write your name. Hand out at the start of Learn 1 and again at the end of Learn 3. Circle one: Before / After
1. A chatbot gives you the exact city code section your landlord is breaking. You…
Use it in a letter Look it up on the city’s site first Ask the chatbot if it’s sure
2. A call sounds like your grandchild asking for $800 right now. You…
Send it Ask their birthday Hang up and call back on a number you know
3. Is it safe to paste your whole lease into a free chatbot?
Yes Only if I delete the chat Not without removing private details first
4. How confident do you feel using AI safely?
Not at all 1 2 3 4 5 Very
Session feedback slips
Cut into four. Anonymous. Collect in a box by the door.
How useful was today? 1 2 3 4 5
One thing I’ll do differently this week:
What should change?
Come back? Yes Maybe No
How useful was today? 1 2 3 4 5
One thing I’ll do differently this week:
What should change?
Come back? Yes Maybe No
How useful was today? 1 2 3 4 5
One thing I’ll do differently this week:
What should change?
Come back? Yes Maybe No
How useful was today? 1 2 3 4 5
One thing I’ll do differently this week:
What should change?
Come back? Yes Maybe No
Free · Neighbors welcome · No experience needed
AI is showing up in our neighborhood. Let’s learn it together.
Three friendly evenings on what AI chatbots can and can’t do, the scams aimed at people like us, and how to keep your information private. Then bring a real problem from your block and leave with a plan.
Where:
When:
Food:
Questions or accommodations:
The software doesn’t swing the hammer. People swing the hammer.