A Better World
Youth work to identify community problems and respond to community needs. They are guided through exercises (many in this Tool Kit) in imagining a stronger
Connection
The tools have been grouped according to the “Ceed” or skill that they are attempting to guide, teach, or practice. Many of the tools in this toolkit correspond to more than one ceed and are therefore listed in multiple places.
Connection: A feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, aspirations, interests and goals; civic engagement. Providing a clear link or relation to another person that allows them to understand that they are safe and valued.
Active Learning
Vary instructional strategies to develop the whole brain. Provide youth multiple sources of input including books, videos, lectures, discussions, visuals, stories and songs. Allow youth
Acts of Kindness
Encourage individuals to perform a kind and selfless act for another person, be it someone known or unknown, with the only purpose being to brighten
Ants on a Log
A fun and physical activity that encourages teamwork and collaboration. You will need an even number of youth to participate, ideally close to 10. Find
Beanbags of Cooperation
A fun, noncompetitive game that clearly demonstrates concentration, cooperation, and commitment. You will need a large indoor or outdoor space and many bean bags (or
Being Responsible Online
Starting in the pre-teen years, many people use electronic devices and social media, and it is critical that we teach them how to behave appropriately
Blind Teamwork
This is a fun game that emphasizes clear communication, listening skills, and teamwork. Choose a large indoor or outdoor area and divide youth into two
Bucket Filling
An idea born in 2006 that works very well with young children, in which a bucket represents your mental and emotional self. When your bucket
Buddy Bench
A simple idea to eliminate loneliness and isolation and foster friendship and inclusion on the playground or in any public space. They work best when
Canoe Travel
Identify a problem-solving journey (personal, local, national or global) that you would like to undertake. Imagine you are in a problem-solving canoe, heading toward successful
Cast the Net
Ensure broad participation and diversity of representation in developing classroom, family, or community action plans. Have youth think about casting the largest possible net to
Celebrations
It is really important to celebrate both small and large successes, honor the people involved, maintain momentum, and continue to inspire improvement. Remember to build
Change the Ending
Revisit an event that ended with a less than desirable outcome. Encourage youth to create their own alternative endings. Why did they make the choices
Character Lenses
While doing creative writing, have youth investigate the people involved in their storyboards. What types of people were involved? What do you think they were
Community Care
Establish age appropriate shared jobs that rotate throughout the year and that will help build the classroom or home environment. Create a classroom or family
Connect-Challenge-Serve
After exploring some of the many facets of representative democracy, including voting, representation, free speech, assembly etc., youth identify ways to: a) participate and connect
Connections Map
Youth draw a map that identifies relationships people have with each other. From that map, they identify key decision-makers as well as people that might
Definitions of Peace
This can be a very valuable and eye-opening exercise that can be done with all ages, child to adult. There are many definitions of peace
Double Listening
Includes active listening plus listening for the counter story. A counter story is one that will introduce possibilities of resolution or that will help you
Family Cultural Sharing
Identify cultural treasures from the families in your classroom. Have families come in and share their cultural traditions. Highlight ways of celebrating community through dance,
Family Meetings
Plan meetings as a whole family (try for weekly) where members discuss the upcoming week. Identify where family members might need some help. Family Meetings
Family Narrative
Research shows that youth who have knowledge of their family history, events, challenges, and successes have more self-control, higher self-esteem, and handle difficulties better. This
Gender-Neutral Language
Make efforts to use language and references that are not limited to only one gender, for example, “How are you guys doing today?” or “Firemen
Grow a Garden
Consider the benefits of establishing and maintaining a garden….. time with nature, cultivation of living plants, growing of edible foods, time to reflect, and many
Gut Check
Project a slide or make a poster listing or showing in pictures a wide range of emotions and feelings (brave, uncomfortable, confident, jealous, peaceful, disappointed,
Hopes & Dreams
A reflection activity that can be done as part of a family meeting, intervention, restorative justice session, or other time in which a “big picture”
How does it feel?
After analyzing the information surrounding a problem or challenge, what is your reaction? Were the systems fair? Why or why not? Identify one or two
Ho‘oponopono
Learn about Ho‘oponopono, the Hawaiian system for ‘setting it right,’ and restoring individual and community harmony and balance. It promotes acts of healing interpersonal conflicts
Huaka‘i
Design a huaka‘i or fieldtrip for youth to help them better understand the history, culture, and land systems (ahupua‘a) of Hawai‘i. Your huaka‘i might focus
Human Bingo
An interactive game to learn names and qualities about people in a group, that teaches skills of investigation, appreciating diversity, identifying similarities and differences. Photocopy
I Am Here For You
When a young person is in the throes of anger, panic, or emotional outburst, often their minds and bodies are experiencing a stress response whereby
I Wish My ________ Knew
Have youth respond in writing to the prompt “I wish my __________________ (fill in person or role) knew…….” in order to learn more about their
Identity Activities
Provide opportunities through art, music or writing for youth to express their own identities, history, affiliations, values, intentions, and needs, etc. Explore different facets of
Individual Work & Group Pairings
Youth need to feel comfortable sharing their ideas and feelings, so allowing space for individual work, one-to-one work and group work is critical for self-reflection,
Just Because
These are positive interactions that we can make with each other “just because”, meaning they are not in response to what someone else does. “Just
Kindness Tree
Role-play one act of kindness each week with words or actions. When acts of kindness are noticed or a classmate shares an act of kindness
Kupuna Sharing
Bring in a knowledgeable kupuna (elder) to share their life story. Discuss how roles, rights, and responsibilities look similar or different in Hawai‘i (or elsewhere)
Land Management Systems
Mauka (mountain) to makai (ocean) management. In teams, draw an ahupua‘a (Hawaiian term for a large traditional socio-economic/geologic/climatic subdivision of land that was cooperatively managed).
Modeling
Rather than just telling children and youth how they should act, show them. Show them in your own daily actions and words with them. Intentionally
Modeling Self-Awareness
At mealtimes, during commutes, or whenever there is time to talk with a teen, let them know how you are feeling and why. For example,
Movement Healing
Use movement as a way to increase blood flow for effective thinking and problem solving. Build in yoga, dance, stretching, and physical exercise on a
Mo‘olelo
The Hawaiian word for story or tradition; use classical Hawaiian stories to teach literacy, science, and culture. In so doing, youth build their own stories
My Community
Focusing on wants and needs, have youth each draw their own classroom, school and/or family. How would they meet their needs? They will most likely
Name it to Tame It
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
Neighborhood Walkabout
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
Non-Violent Communication & Language
“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
Patterns of Connection
Approximately once a month (or more often), have students write down four names – 3 classmates that they want to get to know better, work
Peace Table
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,
Peeling the Onion
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
Philosophy for Children (P4C)
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
Play It Out
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
Poetry of the Person
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
Pohaku Bowl
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
Power of the Bystander
The bystander is one of the most critical, if not the most critical person in a conflict. Teaching youth how to successfully and confidently intervene
Recognize-Absorb-Admire
In more diverse classrooms or other groups, have youth share their cultural heritage through music, food, literature, language, art and so on. Have each of
Restorative Practices
Restorative Justice (RJ) is a form of restorative practice and a problem-solving approach that focuses on relationships and building community. It is an approach to
Role Play
A way of seeing situations play out and encouraging individuals to think critically about how to intervene, and in the process build compassion for alternate
Roots of Empathy
An international evidence-based K-8 classroom program (started in Canada in 1996), which has shown significant effect in reducing levels of aggression among school children while
Seeds of Empathy
An international evidence-based early childhood (age 3-5 years) program started in Canada in 2005 as the “younger sibling” of the Roots of Empathy K-8 program.
Shared Values and Commitments
What do we want to see in our community, classroom or home? Identify shared rules together. Call them “peace actions” or ask individuals what they
Snack Meditation
Opportunities to share healthy snacks together builds community. Everyone begins eating together, often marking the time with a simple shared message. Parents or teachers can
Socratic Seminar
Titled after the Greek philosopher, Socratic dialogue transforms a student’s learning experience by allowing youth to generate and express their own ideas via the teacher
Structured Academic Controversy
An opportunity to explore controversial issues and divergent positions and work to reach consensus on what may have happened– highlighting the complexities of particular perspectives,
Talking Stick
Use a tangible object like a stick, a flower, a ball, or something important to the group to facilitate civil discussions and collaborative activities. Three
The World Peace Game
TWPG is an elaborative hands-on, youth-driven game/exercise. Founded in 2010, TWPG Foundation is dedicated to sharing the global mission of peace, developing self-awareness, and the
Think Pair Listen Share
Have youth think individually and record their views about a particular issue. Then have them share their ideas with one another. Teachers/parents can foster careful
Try It On
n exploring conflict, commit to trying on different perspectives in the conflict. Draw out of a bowl a particular role with an attached explanation. Play
Upstander
A person who recognizes when something is wrong and then acts to make it right; doing one’s best to help support and protect someone who
Wagonload of Compassion
Share individual stories of people in need. Identify what everyone can contribute. Where could we find the needed materials? Together as a group, deliver the
Web of Life
Youth sit in a circle, often at a transition point in the day. Holding a ball of yarn, they share one thing (something they like
What Should We Do?
Show pictures and/or video of certain situations at school and in the surrounding neighborhood. Examples include: seeing garbage on the floor, an elderly person dropping
Where in the World?
Show youth a variety of pictures of celebrations involving young people from around the world. Place cut-outs of known children/students into the celebration picture (make
Where Were Women and Girls?
Explore what role females played in various events in providing leadership for problem-solving, collaboration and working together. How is that different or similar from today?