Upper Merion Challenge AGENDA:
7:45 – 8:30 am Set Up (8 round tables, 2 long tables, 85 chairs, microphone, projector, computer, screen,
8:30 – 9:00 Check In Wrestling Room
· Welcome bag, button, t-shirt
· Survey
9:00 – 9:10 am Find Someone… Large Group Activity
· Same color hair
· Same color eyes
· Same color hair and eyes
· Birthday in the same month
· Same first letter of name
· Same guidance counselor
· Someone you have never met before and introduce yourself
· Someone who is a different race
· Find someone who is a different religion
· Form a group of 5 people with the same color shoes.
· Form a group of people from your grade.
· Form a group of people who are in the same sport as you. (Anyone left out)
· Form a group of people with the same zip code
· Form a group of people of the same gender
· Form a group of humans
9:10 – 9:20 KIVA - Large Group Circle (The KIVA is the Native American discussion circle where important ideas are shared and decisions are made).
· Purpose of the day
o Get to know each other
o Identify the things that separate us
o Identify the things we have in common
o Learn to walk in other people’s shoes
o Break down the barriers which separate us
o Identify positive actions to improve school culture
· Rules of the day
The UM Challenge –
Suggestions for a Great Day
o Each member of the group is treated with respect (no put downs).
o Individuals choose to express themselves in different ways. Respect these differences.
o Speak only for yourself. Don't assume you know how others feel.
o Focus on Solutions
o Listen before you talk, and more than you talk.
o If you don't understand, ask for clarification. Don't jump to conclusions.
o Everything that is discussed is confidential, unless the group decides otherwise.
o When you have a friend's back, show the sign.
· Schedule for the day
o Bathroom breaks – just let us know
o It is OK if you choose to sit out
o We will serve lunch and snacks!
9:20 – 10:05 Ice Breakers – Color Groups
9:20 – 9:35 Interview Your Neighbor – (interview questions in bag) -
UM Challenge Interview
Directions: Get into pairs. Using the following questions, interview your partner. Jot down some notes, and be prepared to introduce your partner to the group.
1. What is your full name?
2. What grade are you in?
3. Where were you born?
4. Where do you currently live?
5. So far, what has been your favorite class at Upper Merion and why?
6. What do you like do in your free time?
7. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
· Interview someone in your group
· Introduce your interviewee to the group
Hopefully this has given you the opportunity to meet a group of people that you did not know before.
9:35 – 9:50 Fit Into The Square (Personal Space and Trust. Use masking tape or heavy fabric cut into 6 foot by 6 foot squares. Ask group members to stand with both feet in the square. See how small the group can make the square) – 3 sizes – progressively smaller. Smallest square is big enough for one foot from each person.
How did this feel at first? What allowed you to be successful in this challenge? We all have a protective bubble around us. It is uncomfortable when others invade our personal space. Letting people in requires trust and risk, but the reward is the opportunity to meet new people, grow, and learn new things about your self. Today we challenge you to trust others. To do this, you need to be trustworthy yourself.
9:50 – 10:00 Team Mascot – Use the materials in the bag to dress one of your team members as your team mascot. Your group will have ten minutes to create your mascot.
Your mascot should have a name, and a group member should be prepared to tell us your mascot’s name and why you chose this mascot to represent your group.
Every team has a mascot. The mascot is a symbol of group cohesion, and group purpose. The mascot is a source of pride for group members. What skills did you use as a group to complete this challenge?
Extra Activities:
9:50 – 10:00 Silent Tower (Working Together as a Team) – 8 minutes to build the highest tower possible with 3x5 cards and masking tape. No talking.
This was not an easy task. Two heads are better than one. Can anyone share the secret to their group’s success? Can anyone share some of the difficulties you faced? Did anyone observe roles emerging in their group? Leader, follower, judge, cheerleader, artist? Teams require that we work together with a common purpose. As part of a team, we take on different roles at different times. The same applies to families.
10:00 – 10:05 Human Knot (Extra Activity?) Untangle yourself – combine the three – getting to know each other, invading personal space, and working together as a team.
Ask participants to form a circle, shoulder-to-shoulder. Encouraging/urging participants to all stand closer can be a subtle way of helping to prepare them for what is about to come.
Ask participants to each place a hand in the middle of the circle and to grasp another hand.
To emphasize learning of names and get a bit of fun going, ask participants to introduce themselves to the person they are holding hands with.
Then ask participants to put their other hand in the middle, grasp a different person's hand, and introduce themselves.
Don't let participants let go of hands - some will be tempted to think the activity might then be over - but it is only just starting.
Explain to participants that what you'd like them to do is untangle themselves, without letting go of hands, into a circle.
- 5 minute SNACK break –
10:15 – 10:30 Large Group Debrief – Discussion Round
· Review of ice breaker activities
o Introductions – Meeting people you ordinarily would not talk to.
o Fit into the square – our personal bubbles are coming in contact – this can be uncomfortable!
o Silent tower – working together, taking on roles, being constructive, body language, leadership, synergy!
· How do these activities connect to your experience at Upper Merion? We are better when we work together.
· How many of you met someone you didn’t know in our school?
· How many of you met someone you never saw before?
· Reflection in Notebook – “Write as many words as you can think of to describe Upper Merion Students”.
· Round The Room – share your descriptors of UM Students. Each student contributes one word – pass the microphone around the circle. Was your word positive or negative? Where there any repeats?
· Discussion.
Upper Merion is comprised of many different things. What did you notice about our descriptions? What does it say about Upper Merion? Do you think Upper Merion is like other high schools?
Lets go around the room again, this time, share a word that is positive if your first was negative, or negative if your first was positive.
Raise your hand if you feel UM students are “out for themselves”.
The differences between us are real, but to be a family that is built on trust, and a family that helps everyone reach their goals, we must learn to understand these differences, and celebrate these differences, and sometimes work through obstacles that are caused by our differences. This will be the goal of our afternoon session.
Quote: Student Volunteer
“I learn to be a human by associating with other human beings…
We’re made for community, we’re made for togetherness, we’re made for friendship.
We’re made to live in a delicate network of inter-dependence…
I have gifts you don’t have,
And you have gifts that I don’t have.
Thus we are made different so that we can know our need of one another.”
- Archbishop Desmond Tutu
10:30 – 10:45 Airport Greeting
Line up across the gym. You are meeting the person across from you at the airport. Greet the person as though they are:
o Your taxi driver
o A business associate you have never met before
o A great Aunt that you haven’t seen in 6 years.
o Your college roommate at a college reunion.
o Someone in your family.
o Your best friend – whom you haven’t seen in 6 months.
Did you always have the same idea about how this greeting would go? What is the point of this activity? How many people at UM do you really know, or who really know you? We treat people differently when we know them. We couldn’t possibly treat every other human as though they are our best friend. However, when we know someone, we are more likely to treat them with respect and dignity and understanding. Let’s take some time to get to know our school better.
What does trust have to do with this activity? Family? Respect?
10:45 – 11:15 Lunch Break – Pizza / Salad Activity
Each table is provided with an ingredient to the salad. Groups must interact to share their ingredients to create a complete salad. Enjoy pizza and salad with your group.
11:15-11:30 High – Medium - Low
A Look at Upper Merion: High Medium Low Meter – Post signs on the wall “High” on the far right, “Medium” in the middle, and “Low” on the far right. students should move to the area which best describes their opinion about…
· I am tolerant of others’ differences
· The average UM student is very tolerant and understanding of others
· There are a lot of cliques at UM
· Cliques are a problem at UM
· I am in a clique
· UM students respect their teachers
· UM teachers respect theirs students
· UM students respect each other
· I fit in at Upper Merion
· People stereotype others at UM
· People get along at UM
· UM a safe place
· UM is a place where I feel comfortable and welcomed
· People are picked on at UM.
· Peer pressure is a problem at Upper Merion
· Drug abuse is a problem at UM.
· Alcohol abuse is a problem at UM
· There are a lot of people to help out at Upper Merion
· I have good friends at Upper Merion
· I know adults at Upper Merion that I trust
· I work hard to make Upper Merion a better place.
Debrief –How many of you looked to see how others responded before you responded yourself? Peer pressure is real!
What are the issues that we face at UM? How should these be addressed? What are we like as a school? Are we like other schools? What problems do we have? Feeling in control. What power do you have as an individual to address these concerns? What role do you play? At the end of the day, the only person you can ultimately control is yourself.
Quiet Reflection – What is a change you would like to see in your school? What is a change you would like to see in yourself?
11:30 - 11:45 Cross the Line
Create a masking tape line across the middle of the gymnasium floor. For each question, ask students to walk across the line, and then turn and face their peers. After a brief pause, ask students to return to their original position.
We ask that you remain silent through this activity. If you want to show someone support – show them you have their back. (Music playing quietly).
Racism
· You have ever been the target of a racial or ethnic slur…
· You have ever felt left out because of the color of your skin, your ethnicity, or your religion
· You have ever laughed at a racial or ethnic joke that you did not think was funny
· an authority figure has treated you differently because of your race or religion
Sexism
· You have ever been whistled at, cat called, called a bitch or a slut.
· You have ever been made to feel less of a man for showing emotion
· You have ever been made fun of because of the color of your hair, your body shape, complexion, or the clothes you choose to wear
· You have ever been called a pussy or a wimp
· You have ever been called a faggot or a dyke
· You have ever been intimidated by a member of the opposite sex
· You have ever been humiliated by a member of the opposite sex
· You have ever been abused mentally, emotionally, or physically by a person who said “I love you”.
Bullying
· You have ever been picked on because you want to be left alone
· You have ever been picked on by someone older or stronger than you
· You have ever been picked on by an adult or an authority figure
· You have ever been humiliated by a teacher in a classroom
· You have ever been made to feel the brunt of a joke in a classroom