Your Guide To Hosting A DUS Watch Party
Can't make it to Chicago for the Diversity University Summit in person?
You don't have to miss out. A DUS Watch Party brings the summit's college access, career, and financial literacy programming into your living room - and turns a night of watching into a shared experience for your family, your students, or your whole community.
Here's everything you need to host one.
What Is a DUS Watch Party?
A DUS Watch Party is a simple idea: gather the people who matter to you - your kids, your students, your neighbors, your community group, your classroom - and watch the Diversity University Summit's national livestream together, live, as it happens. You can think about it like a Super Bowl watch party but with better ROI.
Diversity University Summit (DUS) is a free college access and future pathways initiative, now in its sixth year, built for first-generation and underrepresented BIPOC high school students and their families. This October, DUS is hosting its first-ever in-person summit at the DuSable Black History Museum in Chicago - but the virtual experience, hosted under the theme "Kitchen Table Conversations," remains just as central to the mission. It's a livestream with real-time Q&A, built specifically so that distance or cost never has to be the reason a student or family misses out on what DUS has to offer.
A Watch Party takes that virtual access one step further: instead of watching alone on a phone, you're watching together, in community - which is exactly the spirit DUS was built on in the first place.
Why Host a Watch Party?
It turns information into experience. DUS was built around the idea that college access shouldn't feel like a pamphlet or a checklist - it should feel like something worth showing up for. A Watch Party recreates that energy, even from a distance.
It's free, low-lift, and high-impact. You don't need a budget, a venue, or a permit - just a screen, some snacks, and people who care about the same thing you do: helping students see what's possible for their future.
It builds community around a shared goal. Whether you're a school counselor, a youth pastor, a parent organizing with other parents, or a mentor running a small group - a Watch Party gives you a natural, no-pressure way to bring people together around college access, financial literacy, and career exploration.
It reaches students where information usually falls short. DUS exists because too many bright students get left behind in the college process simply because no one explained the rules of the game to them. A Watch Party is one more way to close that gap - right from your own kitchen table.
Coming soon
What You'll Need
A screen - a TV, laptop, or projector works. Bigger is better if you're hosting a group.
A stable internet connection for the livestream. A non-negotiable.
A cozy, welcoming space - your living room, a classroom, a community center, or a fellowship hall all work.
Snacks and drinks - grab a meal from one of our official watch partner restaurants to contribute to our scholarship fund, or make it a potluck if you're hosting a group.
A notebook or notes app per attendee - the panels move fast, and students especially will want to jot down names, schools, and resources mentioned.
A way to ask questions - DUS's livestream includes real-time Q&A, so make sure your group knows how to submit questions as they watch.
Optional: name tags and icebreakers - if you're hosting people who don't already know each other, a few minutes of introductions goes a long way before the stream starts.
Not optional: culture - every community has a culture whether it's rooted in tradition or formed from something new. No matter your community, make sure to weave elements of your culture into your gathering. That's where the true magic happens.
Suggested Run of Show
15 minutes before start - Welcome & Settle In Get everyone seated, snacks out, and the stream pulled up and tested. If your group is new to each other, do quick introductions - name, grade (if a student), and one thing they're hoping to learn tonight. This is also the moment to bring in your own culture: play the music that fills your home, serve a dish that means something to your family, open with a prayer or a toast if that's your tradition. Let the room feel like you before the stream even starts.
At start time - Kickoff Tune into the DUS livestream together. Let the energy of the opening carry the room - this isn't a lecture, it's an event, even from your couch.
During the College Admissions Panel Encourage students to write down any school names, scholarship tips, or advice that stands out. Pause briefly between segments if your group wants to react or ask each other questions.
During the Money & Financial Literacy Panel This is often the part families relate to most directly - let the conversation breathe. If your group has questions about paying for college, this is the moment to submit them live.
During the Alternative Careers Panel This is a great moment to open up small-group discussion, especially for students who've never seriously considered a path outside the traditional four-year track. Ask: "What's one thing you heard tonight that surprised you?"
After the stream ends - Reflect & Connect CClose your Watch Party with a short reflection: What's one thing everyone is walking away with? What's one action step a student wants to take this week? Consider closing the way your community usually closes something meaningful together - a shared word, a song, a moment of gratitude - whatever makes it feel like your gathering, not just an event that happened to happen in your home.
Make It Your Own
Every Watch Party looks a little different, and that's the point. Your classroom might turn it into a structured yet fun amphitheater with journals. Your family might keep it casual, just a Saturday afternoon with the TV on, good food, great people and the conversation flowing. A community group might turn it into a full potluck with a guest speaker of their own before the stream starts.
However you host it, the goal is the same: give students and families a shared moment to imagine what your future could look like - together.
Ready to host your own DUS Watch Party? Find livestream access details and sign up your group with the online ticketing link below.
Comments