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Activity
- Assemble the group in a circle or a shape as
close to a circle as the room allows.
- As participants are arriving, have some music
playing the background. We often use instrumental versions of African
American spirituals. Jazz is also a good choice. Try to find music with
a somewhat slower, more contemplative feel to help people calm themselves
and relax as they come into the room.
- Welcome the group and introduce yourself, providing
a brief overview of what you hope to accomplish. Explain that as a way
to begin the process, you would like to have each member of the group
introduce themselves to everyone else by answering several questions.
- As each person takes her turn, ask her to share
the following information with the group:
- Full Name
- Where you spent your childhood
- Add another question that is relevant for your setting:
For example, if the participants are all teachers you might ask "Why
did you decide to become a teacher?" If the participants are
high school students you might ask: "What was the best thing
a friend of yours ever did for you?" Or, for a more heterogeneous
group of people a question related to the general theme of the gathering
might be appropriate -- such as "What brought you here and why
is it important to you to be here?"
- Tell us your grandmother's name, where she spent
her childhood and a brief bit of information about her; whatever you
know and/or care to share.
- As the group finishes, ask them what it added to the introductions
to include a reference to one’s family history. Explore the various
reactions and comfort levels in doing so. Close the discussion by checking
to see if anyone can repeat any of the grandmothers' names.
- Ask the participants to form small groups of
3 or 4 and provide each group with enough paper and markers or pencils.
Explain that this next activity will build on the first, allowing them
to share important parts of their personal history that they feel comfortable
sharing but which might not be readily apparent.
- Ask each participant to think for a moment about
the four following topics:
- A time when you found hope amidst despair
- A cultural or spiritual resource you’ve
drawn upon during difficult times (e.g. a song, or a story, or a
saying)
- A characteristic or experience in your family’s
history that strongly influences your own life
- A fear or concern you have that still remains
- These categories can of course be modified to
suit your needs. Next, ask each participant to create a symbol for each
of their responses and draw it on the paper provided. (If you have bowls
or baskets available, they can put these symbols into them, and if not,
they can draw the items on the paper within a large circle symbolizing
a bowl.) The goal is to think through things that are important in their
lives and to share them with a small group. Make sure everyone gets
an opportunity to do so, and then reconvene the larger group.
- Ask if anyone would care to share the contents
of his or her bowl with the larger group, or to summarize how the discussions
went in the smaller groups. Probe to discover the kinds of elements
that tend to make up our identity, and the influences that shape them.
Questions might also include:
- What common themes did you hear?
- What surprised you?
- What are some of the resources that people have
to share with each other?
- What kinds of experiences have we had in our own
histories that have lead us to help others?
- Also explore what helped or hindered the process
of sharing them—and what aspects of the group made it so.
- Once all participants have shared their responses,
explain that this exercise is a small example of a process that will
unfold over time—people reflecting on their own lives and the
lives of others to figure out how we can better use our experiences
and our common strengths to heal and transform the world around us.
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