Have a public bowl where everyone has his or her own (identified) stone. There should also be a few unidentified stones. All stones are set next to the bowl. If someone has an issue they need to discuss, they put their stone in the bowl. Teachers, parents, and youth then know that there is an …
Encourage youth to write poetry about who they are, what they value, and where they come from. “I am from…..” can be a helpful writing prompt, followed by family names, ancestor names and descriptions, sounds, sights, smells, foods, songs, place names, verbal expressions, and more. This is a useful way to learn more about the …
Create an end of the semester or end of the year skit or play on a particular historical event. Each child/student has a role. Play it out so they feel the differences in perspective, interests and needs. Identify who needed the most help. Ask, “what could have been done differently?”
Youth propose discussion topics and craft questions around topics that interest them. They vote on the topics/questions they want to pursue as a group, and use a community ball or talking stick to facilitate discussion. Youth learn to ask a variety of open-ended questions to foster critical thinking. Questions might include, “Is it fair to …
Pull apart the layers of a problem in your classroom, school or community. Look at the history of the problem, the needs and interests of everyone involved, tipping points, and potential collaborations. Peeling the onion is about making the problems small and manageable after you’ve pulled away the layers to get to the essence of …
Providing a space for problem solving is important. A peace table designates expectations for where and how youth will engage with each other. Peacebuilding literature, small peace gardens, talking sticks, peace flowers, and other problem-solving tools are kept in this prominent area. Have youth design and decorate their table or space and plan activities or …
Approximately once a month (or more often), have students write down four names – 3 classmates that they want to get to know better, work on a team project or assignment with, or just sit next to; and one classmate who has been a good friend during that prior time period. The teacher’s job is …
“NVC” requires people identify shared needs, revealed by the thoughts and feelings that surround these needs, and collaborate to develop strategies that meet them. Do this by observing a situation without judgement, identifying your feelings about the situation, and requesting actions you would like done to meet your needs. Also, make efforts to use language …
With gloves and buckets, walk the neighborhood and pick up rubbish off of sidewalks, in public parks, or on the beach. Combine with lessons about where rubbish comes from and where it goes, and how we can minimize our production of waste.
Help youth to get more specific and expand their emotional vocabulary, replacing basic feeling words with more sophisticated terms. They graduate from using words like ‘ok’ or ‘fine’ to using words like ‘alienated’ and ‘hopeless,’ or ‘tranquil’ and ‘serene.’ By teaching subtle distinctions between similar feelings, this empowers youth and adults to recognize the full …
