TRASH YOUR VALUES
This activity focuses on helping students begin to think about their values and how their values can guide
their decision making.
Materials Needed:
-Pens/pencils
-Small sheets of paper- 10/student
Pre- Activity:
Discuss briefly what values are.
What are values?
- beliefs, ideas and experiences that are important to you and direct your decision making
-The regard that something is held to deserve; the importance or preciousness of something: "your support is of
great value".
ACTIVITY
Debrief/ Discussion Questions: Put students into small groups of maybe 4-5. Have them discuss the
following questions for about 5-10 minutes. Then, have groups share back. :
-What process did you go through to make your decisions?
-What was difficult?
-Did anything surprise you during the activity?
-Why do you think it is important to know your values and how you prioritize them?
-How do you feel knowing your values can impact choosing a major or career?
Facilitator Points:
-Connecting your values to major and career exploration
-MYPLAN- more focused on career values, which you won’t know until working
(achievement, relationships, support, recognition, independence, working conditions)
-two jobs may look same on paper, but are 2 different cultures
-your values should guide the questions you ask for a job (ie. If achievement is
important, does position offer opportunity for growth or if relationships are important to you, ask
what the culture among staff is like or if independence is important, does the job offer an
independent work environment)
-Values in terms of majors:
-what types of values might you consider when choosing a major?
(ie) experiential opportunity, creative outlet, hands on, writing, group work, solving
equations/problems, critical thinking, career specific vs options more broad, flexibility
to pursue minor/certificate, preparation for grad school
-Your values help give purpose to your work
-Take time to really consider your values and what is most important to you when choosing your major
and/or career
Activity: Have students write down ten things that they value on slips of paper (make sure they do not rank the
top ten in order of importance). The values can be tangible (i.e. parents, food), intangible (i.e. God, sleeping),
and/or concepts (i.e. honesty, integrity). Tell the students that you are going to transform yourself into the
Supreme Garbage man and that you will be helping them to take out their trash, aka their values.
1. Trash your values - They must eliminate two of their values from their lives by “throwing” them away. They
will have eight values left. Ask a couple students what values they got rid of and why.
2. Spring cleaning - They must separate their top five values from the rest and “throw out” three values that didn’t
make the top five. They should have five values left.
-
Ask what values they have remaining and why they kept them.
3. Let your neighbors help you take out your trash – Randomly pair up the students and have them decide upon
one value that they think their neighbor can live without and have them “throw out” that value. Participants
cannot have a say in which value their neighbor wants to take away. Each participant should now have four values.
-
Ask what value they took from their neighbor and why.
Ask them how they feel about the value that their neighbor took away from them.
4. You forgot to put your trash out last night and oh no, here comes the garbage truck! – Have students hold
one value in the air after 10 seconds, then “throw it away.” They should now have three values.
-
Ask how they felt about being so rushed in giving away a value. What value did they give up and why?
5. One person’s trash is another person’s treasure – Randomly pair up the participants again. Tell them they
have to switch one of their values with one of their partner’s values. They should still be left with three values.
-
Ask what they switched and why.
Also, ask if anyone switched a value that matched one of their neighbor’s values and use this to illustrate
that many times we do share similar values.
6. Trash you values - Have students “throw out” another value. Two values should be left.
7. Digging through the trash – Allow participants to look through the values that have been trashed and switch
one of their values for any one of the values in the trash (if they want to switch). They should still have two values
left.
-
Ask why they chose to switch or not to switch a value.
8. Trash your values - Have students “throw out” another value. They should only have one value.
-
Ask what they have left and why that value is the most important.