Youth Outreach Coordinator (YOC) Manual
advertisement
YOC 101 Manual 2009-2010 Prepared by: Ian Enriquez Lincoln High School Wellness Center Table of Contents Job Description … Recruitment & Hiring … … … … … page 2 … … … … … page 4 YOW Application Student Registration page 6 page 7 Duties & Documentation … … … YOW Meeting & Activity Attendance Timeline Checklist … … page 8 page 13 … … … … … page 14 Meetings … … … … … … … … page 16 Training … … … … … … … … page 17 Team Building & Youth Development … … page 18 Wellness Outreach … … page 21 … … … … Photo Release Form Online Resources … page 22 … Developing Presentations … … … … page 23 … … … … page 24 Tobacco Presentation Evaluation page 29 Activities & Icebreakers … … … … page 30 Event Planning … … … … … page 42 … … Health Awareness Month Descriptions & Activities Special Projects … … … page 44 … … … page 54 A> Job Description San Francisco Unified School District School Health Programs Department HIGH SCHOOL YOUTH OUTREACH COORDINATOR (YOC) Job Description **Documentation of these responsibilities needs to be submitted to SHPD—stipends are dependent on attendance at each professional development and this documentation. Partial stipends will be paid to those who do not complete role responsibilities. ** Youth Outreach Coordinators are supervised by Wellness Coordinators on site and report to Youth Outreach Program Managers at SHPD. MINIMUM EXPECTATIONS: PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND PLANNING Attend: all day YOC training in the first semester; all day YOW training in the first semester; all-day Health Promotion Committee (HPC) Orientation and Professional Development in the first semester; and 2 two-hour after school HPC meetings (one in January and one in May), and 1 two-hour after school YOC meeting in the second semester Participate in on-site HPC team meetings (minimum of 2 per year) Participate in Wellness Initiative annual site visit and other observation as needed (based on communication and documentation needs) On-site coordination and collaboration with HPC and Wellness Program Team members Disseminate information to Youth Outreach Workers Attendance is encouraged during the second semester at: “Teens Tackle Tobacco, Alcohol and Drugs Conference” for adults and youth and “Tobacco Alcohol and Drug Educator Conference” for adults HEALTH AWARENESS AND EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS Utilizing a youth development framework, coordinate and mentor youth outreach workers in their efforts to: Develop a Youth Outreach Worker work plan and timeline, using SHPD Health Awareness resources for the school year Develop and implement Wellness Program marketing strategies Assist with HPC and Wellness program events Work with Wellness Program staff to improve program effectiveness Recruit student volunteers Solicit peer input in improving health and wellness programs Plan and implement a minimum of two school wide health outreach events per year (one on tobacco) Prepare YOWs to make 2 presentations at least 4 times each. One should be a tobacco presentation. Schedule peer tobacco education presentations to 9th grade students by December , (If school has less then 300 youth, plan on presenting to all students) Hand out Post Tobacco Peer Education Evaluations (will be provided) to all classes that have been presented to; return all Tobacco Peer Education Evaluations to Wendy Tran ADMINISTRATIVE DUTIES Complete documentation and activity logs online, as required, by the 5th of every month for the previous month’s activities. Recruit and select 6-12 youth outreach workers for this school year by the end of September. Meet with Youth Outreach Workers as a team at least two times a month and include Nurse in at least one YOW team meeting per month to ensure communication and collaboration Participate in on-site Wellness staff meetings at least once a month to provide update on activities of YOWs Facilitate the development of a cohesive youth team Facilitate the attendance of YOWs at required trainings Make one brief staff presentation or give updates to school site staff via newsletters, bulletin board each semester Assist with assessment and evaluation procedures, as needed Recruit and select at least 6 youth outreach workers for the following year by the end of May. Note: If YOWs are TAs for the Wellness Program or students in a Peer Resources class, additional work outside of those class periods are required, including meeting with the entire YOW team. B> Recruitment & Hiring 1. Recruitment: The most effective method of recruitment is direct outreach- this includes youth outreach workers recruiting their peers, doing classroom presentations, and getting teacher recommendations on strong presenters, self-motivated workers, or leaders already doing similar work (such as the presidents of the GSA or Red Cross Club) and inviting those youth to meet with you in person to inform them about the program. Though posters and announcements are minimally effective, it is still a good idea to utilize what publicity is available to you at your site. Be sure to use youth editors before releasing publicity materials to make sure they appeal to your target population. Tips Utilize adult recommendations: a strong motivator for youth involvement are role models and the knowledge that someone believes in their potential. Be clear in seeking recommendations that you do want achievers, leaders, and those who may be struggling but have the ability to express themselves. Encourage youth involvement: it will be helpful to have current outreach workers involved in making presentations. Youth respond to their peers stronger than they do adults. If they see role models who have paved the way before them, they are more likely to take interest and take the next steps in participating. Also, be sure to ask your outreach workers for recommendations on students who may have helped them with their projects. Clearly describe the program and its benefits: be specific and straight-forward about the goals and expectations of the position. Use youth-friendly language to share why this program is important and how involvement could benefit youth. The types of projects youth outreach workers initiate or get involved in can become strong selling points in both college and job applications. There is more to education than just the academic experience. Recruit a diverse population: academic achievers and youth leaders are an asset to the program, but it is also important to look to students who are struggling as they often bring more relevant personal experiences to the program. This is an excellent venue for them to explore their potential. Try to mirror the diversity within the school population. Be persistent: youth have a lot of responsibilities to keep up with at school and at home and they are still developing the skills to manage all of it. Do not be discouraged when you do not get a flood of applications submitted. In many cases, they still have them lost in their binders and often times they are already filled out. Call back the recommended students and encourage them to complete the application in your office or classroom. 2. Interviewinga. Assess interest: Talk to the candidates about their interest in the topics they have listed below. Ask about what they already know and why it is important to them to reach out to their peers around the issue. This gives you an idea about how passionate they are about the topic and what is motivating them. It will also give you an idea of how confident they are around talking about the subject matter. b. Rank skills: Since you will not be able to test them on their skills, have them rank the skills they believe they will be brining to the position. It is important to note what their strengths will be in order to put together a team with varied strengths. c. Skill testing: Test their public speaking skills through role playing a sample presentation. You can also use this technique to test volunteer recruitment. Another option is have them take you through the process of event planning or preparing for a meeting. d. Brainstorm: A big part of the job is brainstorming ideas for events and presentations. This is a very necessary skill for all the YOWs, they are more likely to see through the implementation of their own ideas. e. Recommendations: Check in with teachers and students about the candidates, especially if you are having a difficult time making a decision. 3. Hiring: It is advisable to begin the hiring process in April. Publicize the positions, distribute the applications, and conduct interviews by the end of the month. Any later and you will be running into final exams. Hiring at the beginning of the year is problematic. You will lose a lot of valuable time in the beginning of the year, plus hired students can begin planning during the summer. Here are some models used in the pasta. Single Team: Hiring a team of students to work together to complete YOW duties. This is simple and straight forward, easy to manage. A common concern is that one or two students end up doing most of the work, leading to a smaller scope of what is accomplished and less growth and commitment from the youth. b. Project Teams: A third option is to hire three teams of three to four students to tackle different elements of the Youth Outreach Program. The Drug Prevention Team would work with the nurse to do tobacco & alcohol presentations and events. The Wellness Team would work with the Wellness Center to promote services, outreach to parents, and do a school-wide event around mental health. A third team would be created based on school needs and develop a presentation and event to address that issue. c. Project Leaders: Another option is to hire students for specific roles. Some samples positions include: mental health, sexual health, physical fitness, nutrition, drug prevention, violence prevention, family wellness, cultural diversity, romantic freedom, and student achievement. This creates an accountability that leads to a larger scope of accomplishment, a diverse pool of applicants with a range of passions, more ownership and growth from the youth. The main obstacle is that it is more difficult to manage and you will need to rely on the rest of the HPC team (and possibly some community-based agencies) to assist in the supervision of the youth. i. Tobacco & Alcohol YOWs: Each school will be hiring two tobacco and two alcohol outreach workers to work with the school nurse or TYOC/AYOC. If you are hiring only one drug prevention project leader, other YOWs with a different focus can still be incorporated to create a team of four to address drugs. For example, the physical fitness YOW can focus on activity as an alternative to tobacco or the effects of tobacco on fitness. Also, one can examine alcohol issues as it relates to nutrition, sexual health, student achievement, violence prevention, or family wellness. ii. Health Promotion Committee: YOWs would assist the rest of the HPC team in their event planning and effectively supervise the youth. The TYOC/AYOC would work with tobacco and alcohol YOWs, the LSL would work with the romantic freedom and violence prevention YOWs, the HLC could work with the sexual health and fitness or nutrition YOWs. The Wellness Coordinator could work with the mental health and/or family wellness YOWs. Despite the different roles, all YOWs are expected to participate in the implementation of events and presentations outside of their specialization. iii. Additional Projects: YOWs could also get involved in special projects (see Section I for examples) to accrue hours toward their stipend. These projects include leading groups or clubs that creates a volunteer pool to assist them with events and presentations. Hiring existing leaders who are already accomplishing things on-site will serve to enhance your program. Youth Outreach Application 2009-2010 Name: _______________________________ Grade:_____ Homeroom/Advisory: _____ 1. Phone #: ____________ Why are you interested in this position? __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ 2. What are your strengths? Art/Graphics Event Planning 3. Research Volunteer Recruitment Website Development Writing What topics are you most interested in working on? Cultural Diversity Drug Prevention Environmental Health 4. Organizing Public Speaking Family Wellness Mental Health Nutrition Physical Fitness Romantic Freedom Sexual Health Student Achievement Technology & Media Violence Prevention Select one of the issues above. What do you want your peers to know about this issue? __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ 5. If you were to do a presentation on it, how would you make it more interesting? __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ 6. What could you do to raise awareness about this issue at your school? __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ 7. What school activities are you involved in this year? __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ Please return your application by __________________________ to __________________________! 2009-2010 Health Promotion Committee Youth Outreach Worker Registration Form The Youth Outreach Workers (YOWs) will assist in planning and implementing school health-related activities, meetings and publicity, under the supervision of the adult Youth Outreach Coordinator. Each YOW will be compensated financially with at the end of the school year. Amounts are to be determined by the Coordinator and usually depend on the completion of role responsibilities. YOWs should complete the information below, which is required for payment of stipends and reporting to the funders of the Youth Outreach Program. Please double check spelling and SSN carefully or you may not get paid promptly. Last Name: ___________________________________ First Name: _____________________________________ Address: ____________________________________ City: _____________________ Date of Birth: ____/____/____ Grade: 9 10 11 12 E-Mail: _________________________________ Home Phone: ____________________ Zip Code: _________________________ Gender: Male Female Transgender SSN: ______________________ HO # : _______________________ Other Phone: ________________________ Best time to contact: ____________ Home Language: English Cantonese English Fluency: Fluent Somewhat Fluent African American Other Black (specify) Asian-Chinese Asian-Filipino Asian-Indian Asian-Japanese Asian-Korean Asian-Laotian Asian-Thai Asian-Vietnamese Asian-Other (specify) Specify: M.I. ______ Mandarin Spanish Not Fluent Other: ______________________ Ethnicity: (refer to chart below) Hispanic/Latino-Mexican/Mexican American Hispanic/Latino-Central American Hispanic/Latino-South American Hispanic/Latino-Caribbean Hispanic/Latino-Other (specify) Middle Eastern-Arab Middle Eastern-Iranian Middle Eastern-Other (specify) Multiracial/multiethnic (specify) Native American Native Alaskan Pacific Islander-Guamanian Pacific Islander-Hawaiian Pacific Islander-Tongan Pacific Islander-Samoan Pac. Islander-Other (specify) White- French White- Irish White- Russian Other White (specify) Other (specify) Declined to state I understand and agree to the expectations of being a Youth Outreach Worker. Student Signature Date Adult Coordinator Signature Date Administrator Signature Date Parent/Guardian Signature Date To be submitted to SHPD by: ____________________ Due date: ____________________ C> Duties & Documentation Go over these duties with your youth outreach workers so they completely understand what is expected of them. 1. Attend meetings, trainings, and conferences- students should not be reprimanded if they cannot miss classes for such events, however, it should be understood that students who do attend many events will accrue more hours towards their stipend. [Track attendance on the YOW Meeting & Activity Log] 2. Create and implement an Individual or Team Work Plan (sample forms included below for Work Plan and Monthly Log, these are not required forms so use and adapt as you see fit)- clearly state deadlines and responsibilities. In the case of Team Work Plans, also designate the specific duties for each team member. Collect work plans and create a calendar of deadlines to share with the entire group. [Student to track any individual supervision hours on the Monthly Log] 3. Promote the Wellness Center- students will need to familiarize themselves with the services provided by the Wellness Center. Schedule a regular weekly meeting time to assist the Wellness Center. Activities would include classroom presentations, attending parent nights, making posters, writing donation letters, tabling/outreach for Wellness services or events, and general help for the Center. YOWs will need to schedule a weekly time to come in to the Wellness Center to find out what is needed and get it done. [Student to track hours on the Monthly Log] YOWs who are student aides: if they are doing it as a class, they cannot be paid for those class hours since they will be receiving a grade. 4. Presentations- students will get credit for the presentations they make to classes and parent workshops. Reminder: at least two new presentations need to be created. [Student to track hours on the Monthly Log; if students develop their own presentation, add additional hours accordingly] 5. School-wide events- students are expected to be involved in the planning of at least one school-wide event and participate in the implementation of at least three school-wide events. Students must outline an event plan and submit a Youth Outreach Program Activity Log at the end of the event. [Student to track hours on the Monthly Log] 6. Special projects- students are encouraged to lead special projects (see Section I for examples), but this is certainly not mandatory. [Student to track hours on the Monthly Log] 7. Submit monthly logs- YOC will collect monthly logs completed by students to track the hours they have worked to determine stipend at the end of the year. [Stipend = individual hours/group total * total funds] a. YOW Monthly Log- students keep these in their binders (or box, if they have one) so they can fill it out weekly and turn it in to the YOC at the end of the month. b. YOW Meeting & Activity Log- YOC will bring to all meetings, trainings, and conferences to check attendance. c. On-line Logs- see next two pages for more information. YOC Activity Logs Over the summer we made revisions to the online YOC Activity Log. We took feedback expressed from YOCs last year and made changes to the log’s format, and added some important sections. Online Log Requirements You will be required to keep track and log the following information online: School-wide Health Awareness Events YOW Meetings YOW Presentations How to access the logs? To enter you logs online, simply go to (bookmark this page so that it is easy to find next time): https://psweb.etr.org/researchWeb/index.cfm?login.displaylogin&id=yt54r1k43q or 1. Go to www.healthiersf.org 2. Click the ‘Forms’ tab 3. Click ‘Health Promotion Committee’ 4. Click ‘Activity log (link) To start using your account you will need a username and password. If you are a new user to the website your username will be your first name and your password will be your last name. (After your first successful login you will be asked to change this to something more personalize.) Once you are logged in you can create an activity log, update your user information, review/edit previous activity logsonline that you may have entered If you have any questions about the YOC activity logs, for that year andplease check contact to see if Donna you have meet your stipend requirements. Blanchard at SHPD (BlanchardD@sfusd.edu), Lisa at ETR You can or refer toO’Connor the HPC Log UserAssociates(lisao@etr.org). Guide for further information on how to use the online activity logs. Be sure to ask SHPD staff for a copy of this Guide if you do not have one. YOC Log Basics This guide was designed for new users of the HPC/HST/HA activity web-log. Please use this information to help you during your initial usage of the log. This guide should help you accomplish the following tasks: 1. How to login (username and password) 2. How to create a new log 1. How to login To log on to the site, go to the following URL: https://psweb.etr.org/sfusd/login/splash.cfm It is helpful to create a bookmark of the URL on your computer for easy reference to the site. The first time you login you will have the following username and password: Username: First Name Password: Last Name After you have logged into the site, the system will ask you to choose a new login name and password. Your login must be different than your first name, and your password must be different than your last name. You will also be asked to answer a question of your choosing—this question will be used for the system to identify you if you should ever forget your login or password. o After logging in you will notice several items on your screen. On the left navigation bar you will notice several key items: “Home” will take you to the main page if you get lost and want to start back at the main page. Information regarding your account can be found by clicking the “Your Info” link. The “Logout” link can be used to end your session. You can view all the activity logs that you have previously created for a school by clicking the “View All Logs” link. 2. How to create a new log To create a new log, simply click on the “Create New Log” link under the school on the left navigation pane. You will need to create a new log for each school wide health awareness activity/event and program you conduct as well as a log for YOW meetings and presentations. If you have any questions about the online YOC activity logs, please contact: Donna Blanchard at SHPD (BlanchardD@sfusd.edu), or Lisa O’Connor at ETR Associates(lisao@etr.org). Individual/Team Work Plan Youth Outreach Worker: ____________________________________________________ Wellness Center o Learn about Wellness Services o Schedule weekly time to support the Wellness Center o Day: _______________ Time: _______________ o What skills of yours would be the best asset to the Wellness Center? ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Develop Presentation Brainstorm topics Deadlines Research Select topic Outline main points Develop activity Type presentation Train YOWs Notify teachers Event Planning o What month would you like to put on an event? ______________________________ o Complete event planning form Special Project o What is needed to make this happen? ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Youth Outreach Worker Monthly Log Youth Outreach Worker: ______________________________________________ Month: ___________ Individual Supervision Date Supervisor # of minutes Activity # of minutes Wellness Center Assistance Date Presentations Date Presentation Audience # of attendees School-Wide Events Date Event # of hours Project # of attendees Special Projects Date YOW Meeting & Activity Attendance 2009-2010 Name of School: Month: Service Category: YOU Instructions: Use this form as an attendance sheet for meetings, trainings and activities involving YOWs. Each column with a date represents one activity, meeting or event. In the shaded box, write the type of activity, date and the length of the activity in minutes. Place an “X” in the boxes corresponding to the YOWs who participated. Names of YOWs (please print) YOC Signature Activity: Activity: Activity: Activity: Date: Date: Date: Date: Time: Time: Time: Time: # Minutes: # Minutes: # Minutes: # Minutes: Date PLEASE FAX TO SHPD, ATTN: WENDY TRAN AT (415) 242-2618 BY THE 5TH OF THE FOLLOWING MONTH (first log is due November 5 th) PLEASE KEEP A COPY OF THIS LOG FOR YOUR RECORDS AND GIVE A COPY TO THE WELLNESS COORDINATOR. OPTIONAL: PLEASE FEEL FREE TO SUBMIT SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION / MATERIALS. D> Timeline Checklist The Youth Outreach Program is critical for ensuring youth voice and involvement in the health and wellness programs. With guidance from the Youth Outreach Coordinators, YOWs work in a team to raise awareness of health issues, publicize services, and strengthen the quality of the health and wellness programs available on campus. YOC Responsibilities Checklist Suggested Timeline Activities August □ September □ Seek out Teacher recommendations for YOWs □ Solicit YOW applications from recommended students □ Advertise YOW positions (classroom presentations, bulletin announcements, etc.) and recruit a diverse pool of applicants. □ Coordinate the selection process of YOWs Deadline: 10/6. See YOW Recruitment Guidelines for details. Collaborate with the Wellness Coordinator and at least one other Health and Wellness Team member. □ Join SFYOC Yahoo! Group. □ Meet with HPC and establish clear consistent meeting schedule, goals for the year, and plans that would incorporate the YOWs. □ Meet with Wellness team and establish best method of communicating about YOW activities (ie: YOC gives updates, Wellness member attends YOW meetings, etc.) □ Hold first YOW Meeting and establish a regular meeting schedule (min. of 2x/month) □ Throw YOW Teambuilding activities – during first meeting or after school fun-time. □ Attend all day YOC training on September 9, 2009. □ Schedule a “Wellness Orientation” for all YOWs to get an overview/training about the Wellness Program by Wellness Staff. □ Attend all day YOW training on September 30, 2009 (another training in October is available). □ Idea: Hold a “Practice Presentation”. Teach YOWs the “Intro to Wellness” presentation and give students the responsibility to assist in leading the presentation to incoming 9th grade classrooms. Give students individual feedback and create goals of presentation skills to work on. □ Attend all-day HPC Orientation and Professional Development on October 14, 2009 (Fort Mason) □ Collaborate with other YOCs to prepare YOWs to give at least 2 presentations to represent SFUSD at Teens Tackle Tobacco, Alcohol and Drugs conference on February 9, 2009. □ Register all YOWS with registration form. Deadline: 11/6 □ If possible, connect specialized YOWs with adult mentor in HPC or CBO (ie: romantic freedom or violence prevention with the LSL, sexual health or nutrition and fitness with HLC). Arrange meeting for YOWs/mentors. □ Attend all day YOW training on October 20, 2009 (repeat from last month). October Meet with Wellness Staff about YOW positions and recruitment process. Please note: Whenever possible, it is preferable to do all of the following recruitment and hiring of YOWS (noted in italics) in April and May before the school year ends. November December January February March April May □ Review Individual Work Plans (IWP) with YOWs. Have all YOWs create IWP to be reviewed with their adult mentor. Final Work plans to be turned in to YOC. Deadline: 10/25 □ Create a monthly calendar from template (see manual) and plug in each YOWs timeline to achieve work plan, events planned, etc. Make sure to also plug in all school testing dates, closed week, etc. to avoid scheduling conflicts. □ Request to be placed on the school staff meeting agenda (in conjunction with HPC). Give an overview of the YOW program activities to teachers and selected students. □ Pick up $250 supply card from SHPD for YOC activities. □ Fill in YOW Monthly report, meeting and turn in Activity Attendance Logs □ Prepare and implement Tobacco presentations with THOC to reach all 9th grade classes by the end of December. □ Fill in YOW Monthly report, meeting and turn in Activity Attendance Logs □ Turn in YOW Monthly report, meeting and turn in Activity Attendance Logs □ Attend all day YOW training on January 14, 2009 □ Attend 2 hour after school HPC training on January 19, 2010 from 4-6 at Lincoln High School. □ Fill in YOW Monthly report, meeting and turn in Activity Attendance Logs □ Attend Teens Tackle Tobacco, Alcohol and Drugs conference at UC Berkeley on February 9, 2010 □ Prepare presentations on a second topic of students’ choice to be implemented during the second semester □ Fill in YOW Monthly report, meeting and turn in Activity Attendance Logs □ Attend 2 hour after school YOC training on March 3, 2010 from 4-6 at Lincoln High School. □ Fill in YOW Monthly report, meeting and turn in Activity Attendance Logs □ Participate in Wellness Initiative Site Visit □ Fill in YOW Monthly report, meeting and turn in Activity Attendance Logs □ Meet with Wellness Staff about YOW positions and recruitment process. □ Seek out Teacher recommendations for recruiting next years YOWS □ Solicit YOW applications from recommended students □ Advertise YOW positions (classroom presentations, bulletin announcements, etc.) and recruit a diverse pool of applicants. □ Coordinate the selection process of YOWS Deadline: 5/6. See YOW Recruitment Guidelines for details. Collaborate with the Wellness Coordinator and at least one other Health and Wellness Team member for interviews, etc. □ Attendance encouraged for Tobacco, Alcohol and Drugs Educator Conference on May 6, 2010 □ Attend two hour after school HPC meeting on May 12, 2010 from 4-6 at Lincoln High School. □ Fill in YOW Monthly report, meeting and turn in Activity Attendance Logs E> Meetings I. Planning a Meeting 1. Plan what you want to accomplish. Is this a planning meeting, an update report meeting, a voting on issues meeting, or a combination of these? Never have a meeting just to say you met, or you will lose participation in the future. 2. Write an agenda. If possible, e-mail or mail it to the meeting attendees so that they can make suggestions, prepare for the meeting, or bring support materials. 3. Establish when and where the meeting is to take place. Is the space large enough? Will chairs and a table be available? Do you need to arrive early to set up? 4. Prepare any materials (i.e. flip charts, overheads, handouts, food!) II. Setting Ground Rules 1. If the group is to meet regularly, establish rules for conducting your meetings. Brainstorm a list of ideas during your first meeting.* 2. Consider these rules like traffic laws. What terms can you agree on that will avoid verbal traffic and disagreement collisions? 3. Create “rules” that will determine who is speaking when (one at a time), how you agree to vote on an action or issue and how to keep time so that you can move through the agenda. * Keep a list of Ground Rules available to use as a model for your group. III. Conducting a Meeting 1. Be on time. 2. Hand out the agenda, or write/post it somewhere that everyone can see. 3. Go over the agenda with the group so everyone knows what to expect. Invite attendees to add new items to the agenda. 4. Conduct each topic on the agenda. Be cheerful and upbeat! But keep the discussion focused on the topic at hand. 5. Summarize after each agenda item what the group discussed. 6. Look for ways to involve other people in the meeting. For example, can you ask someone to lead one of the activities or read an announcement? 7. Watch people’s body language. It can tell you if they are happy, confused or frustrated. 8. Tactfully keep people from dominating the conversation or from being overlooked. 9. Review at the end of the meeting, including “action items” that were assigned. This means making a list of tasks individuals or the group decided to accomplish. 10. Always end the meeting with group appreciation, thanking the people for their time, and announcing the next meeting (if there is one). IV. Helpful Format Tips 1. Have weekly meetings to help YOWs keep on track. 2. Provide healthy snacks whenever possible. 3. Have a check-in reflecting on strengths and weaknesses. 4. Establish a signal to focus attention of the group. 5. Designate a team keeper and note taker who will type up the notes afterwards. 6. Agenda should touch on business (paperwork, tracking hours), outreach efforts, presentations, and upcoming events. 7. Break up into work groups to coordinate planning and preparation for upcoming events or outreach efforts. F> Training V. Field Trips for Trainings & Conferences 1. Submit a field trip request to your administration. All forms should be available from the main office at your site. 2. Certificated staff are required as chaperones at these events. 3. Distribute field trip forms to students as soon as possible. 4. Include information on the event and the benefits of attendance. 5. Be persistent in the collection of these forms. 6. Check for signatures- parent, teachers, and counselor. Parent signature at the back of the form is commonly overlooked. 7. Make sure absent students receive a summary from the group. VI. Valuable Training Topics 1. Duties and documentation (use this manual) 2. Wellness Center overview and outreach (use this manual and coordinate with your site’s Wellness Center) 3. Public speaking/Presentations (use this manual) 4. Event planning (use this manual) 5. Tobacco/Alcohol (scheduled by SHPD) 6. Anger & Violence (check with CYC and La Casa) 7. Anxiety & Depression (ask your site’s RAMS counselor for further assistance) 8. Diversity (check with API Wellness and HIFY) 9. Fitness & Nutrition (ask your site’s nurse for further assistance) 10. Sexual Health (check with Cole Street, HIFY, and New Generation) VII. Training Resources 1. Asian American Recovery Services (AARS): contact Amy Yamagami at ayamagami@aars-inc.org 2. Asian and Pacific Islander Wellness Center: contact Max Rocha at max@apiwellness.org 3. Cole Street Clinic: request workshop at http://www.huckleberryyouth.org/teenhealth.html 4. Community Youth Center (CYC): contact Jessica Yen at 415-775-2636 x216 5. Health Initiatives For Youth (HIFY): call 415-274-1970 6. La Casa de las Madres: send e-mail to comed@lacasa.org 7. New Generation Health Center: contact Tino Ratliff at 415-514-1578 G> Team Building & Youth Development 1. Initial meet and greet- it is a good idea to gather the new team together once they are all hired. Get their contact information and prepare them for the year ahead (whether you are meeting at the end of the prior school year or the beginning of the current one). Use name game icebreakers. Bonding is the top priority before putting them to task. 2. Group photos- taking a group photo for advertising and at events creates an effective sense of belonging. 3. Team building games- if meetings are long enough, it would be good to do one at the start of each meeting. Games need to include self-reflection, sharing, humor, and physical activity (not necessarily at the same time). Handouts of games are readily available from program coordinators. You are going to want your YOWs to be comfortable talking about these topics, so here are some examples that use self-revelation and sharing. (see Section I for more ideas) i. Example 1 (Me in the World)- Everyone draws a piece of paper that has one of the following descriptors- academic status, age, ethnicity, financial background, gender, physical ability, sexuality, social group. Think about how this factor affects your life and share with the group. In the event that students share deeper content, it may be good to have a Wellness staff member present for this one. ii. Example 2 (You are not alone)- This can be a fun way to find out if others in the group share something with you. Everyone stands in a line. One person crosses to the other side and makes a statement about themselves. If that is true of anyone else, they may step to the other side and join them. iii. Example 3 (Two Truths and a Lie)- Everyone comes up with three facts about themselves, however, one of them is a lie. People take turns sharing with the group while the audience moves to a section in the room designated as option 1, 2, or 3 depending on which fact they believe is the lie. iv. Example 4 (Who is normal?)- Normal refers to the person who best represents the majority. Each person will throw out a question that starts with “Who has…” People raise their hands in response and the majority (either those with the raised hands or not) takes a step forward. Repeat two or three times and find out who is the most normal! 4. Celebrate birthdays- take the time to recognize peoples birthdays and honor the summer celebrants at the end of the school year. 5. Ropes course & sailing trips- the School Health Programs Department will have some of these activities available. Take advantage of these for your YOWs or their special project groups. 6. Closing celebration- organized by YOWs (dinner, bowling. etc.), designate someone to create appreciation cards or have everyone make one for someone else, make sure everyone signs all of them, hand out diplomas/certificates, paychecks, gag gifts, or whatever works for your team. 5 THEMES OF YOUTH DEVELOPMENT (OVERVIEW) 1 1. SAFETY Programs can ensure young people: Feel secure that they are protected from physical and emotional harm. Know that they are protected by a set of fair and consistently applied rules. Feel secure that they will be valued and accepted by the group. 2. RELATIONSHIP BUILDING Programs can ensure young people: Experience emotional and practical support from adults and peers. Experience guidance from adults. Build knowledge of adults and peers. 3. MEANINGFUL PARTICIPATION Programs can ensure young people: Have opportunities to participate in decision making. Have opportunities to develop and practice leadership. Experience a sense of belonging. 4. COMMUNITY Programs can ensure young people: Build knowledge of the community beyond the program. Have opportunities to give back to the community. Experience a sense of connection to a larger community. 5. LEARNING EXPERIENCES Programs can ensure young people: Are motivated to learn because activities interest them. Have the chance to stretch their skills, knowledge, and abilities. Internalize a sense of mastery and competence. 1 This information was compiled from the Community Network for Youth Development “Youth Development Guide” 10 Tips for Running a Successful Peer Ed Program Health Initiatives for Youth 1. Program expectations: Treat it like a job! Have contracts to sign with youth and their parents if possible, with specific guidelines for tardies, absences, etc. (Don't "hope" that they get program philosophies, EXPECT IT, EXPECT they do the best work they can, and believe in their skills and abilities) 2. Ownership, accountability & group, agreements: Develop group agreements together and then allow them to call each other out, and hold each other accountable. Give them ownership over the program & major decisions. Create space to have a decision making process with the group. (Leadership Teams can be helpful) 3. Encourage youth to set goals they can meet: Whether its teaching points, or workshop team agreements, let the youth take initiative in planning what success means to them. It is your role to help point out potential objectives and support them in getting there, but their ownership will grow greatly if they determine their goals. (ex. Peers choosing evaluation questions and workshop goals) 4. Give youth time alone together: It is very important they have time when you are not in the room. Give them structure, an outcome, but let them do it without you. 5. Importance of Feedback: Teaching the group the importance of feedback and how to give it clearly and supportively is probably the most beneficial tool you can give the group. We acknowledge that young people know better than us what young people need and how to relate to each other. If a workshop isn't going well they will know. However, if you can support them in learning how to articulate this, they will be able to support each other in improving the content quality of their work. It is also important to constantly remind the group that feedback is positive (constructive, not critical)! You should always create opportunities for the group to share feedback with each other, especially between workshops. 6. Meet their parents/guardians: Involve them in the process or another adult in their lives- call them with positives. 7. Give them individual attention, but remember your role: Know what is going on in their lives, at school, at home. We are not therapists or case managers. Offer resources, but continue moving forward and hope everyone in your group comes with you. (Faith is an action word. Youth are resilient and making the best choices they know how in their situations) 8. Don't take it personally: Know when it's a good fit and when it's not. Youth have a lot of other things going on in their lives. Know what those things are and try and connect, but also don't take their decisions personally. The program has to be a fit for both of you and if it's not working, don't be afraid to say good-bye. They will appreciate that more in the long run. (Keep it real!) 9. Reward them for their successes: Perfect attendance, employee of the month, special fun days, parties, etc. 10. Snacks & Pizza: Especially if you run an after-school program. Youth are hungry, and think and work better when their minds aren't wandering to the nearest Taco Bell. Food is also a good medium for informal team bonding and building a sense of community in the group. H> Wellness Outreach 1. Advertising- There are five questions that need to be answered before creating any advertising materials: i. Who? Think about your target audience. Who are they? What would attract their attention? Where would they most likely notice your advertising? ii. What? Make sure you describe what it is that you are advertising and how attending would benefit your target audience. Sometimes it may be appropriate to include contact info if there are too many details to put on a flier. iii. When? Make sure to include that date and time of the event. iv. Where? Make sure people know where the event is taking place and how to get there. v. Why? Talk about the benefits or incentives of attending. Think about why you would go to this event and talk about that. 2. Creating the perfect posteri. Get Their Attention! a. Use bright, bold colors. b. Add pictures or clip art if you can. c. Big is good (but don’t make it too big to actually be useful). d. Post in high-traffic areas at eye level. ii. Have a Border a. Creative borders create the illusion of movement. b. Borders can be made with lines or with open margins. c. A poster should have a margin of at least one inch on all sides. iii. Consistent Lettering a. Select a lettering style that is easy to read. b. Draw pencil guidelines for lettering before using markers. c. Too many lettering styles will make a cluttered poster. d. Don’t use yellow for letters; it is hard to read. Maybe use it as an accent color instead. iv. Include Essential Info a. Answer the who, what, where, when, why. b. Keep it simple and to the point. c. Don’t crowd too much info on the poster. d. Keep as much white space as possible. v. Attention to Details a. Double-check your spelling, grammar, and all info. b. If you use tape, don’t let it show. c. Take posters down immediately after the event. 3. Other ideas- The school day is filled with a lot of hustle and bustle, especially in the hallways. It is very easy to walk by all the fliers or forget what you saw amidst all the other information you have to take in as the day progresses. Sadly, this makes posters not among the most effective techniques to advertising in a school. Here are some other ideas: i. Youth Outreach Zone- Designate a place in your school for all your promotions. ii. Website- Post your promotional information on the school website. iii. Newsletters- If your school, PTSA, or Wellness Center sends out newsletters or bulletins, be sure to include information you want to promote. iv. Announcements- Make public announcements in your classes, meetings, etc. There is nothing more effective than the personal touch! v. Tabling- Set up a table at special events at your school. 4. Photo Release- When using photos of people in your advertising or promotional materials, it is advisable to have a photo release form (included below) signed by the person and parent if under 18. Forms available on the YOC site, including edited version for those 18 and over. PARENT/GUARDIAN PHOTO RELEASE FORM 555 Franklin Street, Rm. 308-A San Francisco, CA 94102 Tel: 415-522-6738 Fax: 415-522-6792 Web: www.sfwellness.org I give my permission for the Wellness Initiative to use photographs of my child in its public information materials. I understand that ONLY the Wellness Initiative partners will use these photographs for their own publications, websites, exhibits and other public information projects about San Francisco’s high school Wellness Programs. I understand that the Wellness Initiative partners include: the San Francisco Department of Children, Youth and Their Families (DCYF), the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD), and the San Francisco Department of Public Health (DPH.) YOUTH’S NAME _____________________________________________ YOUTH’S SIGNATURE _____________________________________________ PARENT/GUARDIAN’S NAME _________________________________ PARENT/GUARDIAN’S SIGNATURE _________________________________ DATE _____________ _____ Place a check here if you give permission for the Wellness Initiative partners to use the student’s name in its public information materials. I> Online Resources 1. Sign Up!a. Go to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sfyoc b. If you already have a Yahoo! Account, then simply click Join This Group! c. If not, click on Sign Up on the top right corner of the screen and follow the directions. d. The moderator will need to confirm your membership, so please be sure to identify yourself in a note when prompted to write a “Comment to Owner”. 2. What is available on the group? a. Posting Messages: If you have questions or resources for other YOCs you can send us a message by e-mailing sfyoc@yahoogroups.com or clicking Post under the Messages heading on the left hand side of the screen. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sfyoc/messages b. Files: Under this section, you can upload files to share or download what others have already included. Some things you will find include ready to go presentations on a variety of topics, examples of school-wide events and directions on how to make them happen on your site, informational handouts and brochures, useful paperwork, and so on. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sfyoc/files c. Links: There is a links section that can connect you to various websites that support the work that we are doing, as well as local agencies that we can collaborate with on special projects. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sfyoc/links d. Calendar: There is also a calendar of special events and meetings that can send reminders to members anywhere from 15 minutes to 2 weeks before the event. All YOCs may post information with the option of sending reminders when necessary. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sfyoc/cal e. Other Options: This can include putting up photographs of your events, creating databases to chart information, or set up polls to gather information. Space is limited on the site, so some dated material may be deleted to make room for new files. J> Presentations 1. Development- The youth outreach team will be developing presentations for classes and conferences around drug prevention or other subjects of their choosing. Here is a simple system to accomplish this project. a. Brainstorm Topics- The team can brainstorm various topics they would be interested in presenting. If they are struggling with ideas, check out the applications and see what they wrote. Select a few topics to take to the next level. b. Research Information- Assign various team members to do research on each of the topics to find which yields the most content worth developing a presentation around. c. Select Topic- Once the topic is selected, research local and on-line resources for students who may want to seek further information and assistance on the topic and develop a handout to be available to students that can include both the important information and resources. d. Consider the Audience- Figure out how to connect your main points to the audience. Why would they care about it? Is there any language that may be confusing that can be made more accessible? Is there a logical sequence to the points being made? Make sure the transitions are clear, illustrating the relationship between one point to the next. e. Develop Activity- It is important to integrate the information in a fun and engaging way. Write out the main points. Look up various icebreakers or team building types of games for ideas and find one that can work with the information you are sharing. f. Create Outline- Type out the presentation in outline format so it can be easily distributed to current and future YOWs for continued use. g. Practice- YOWs can practice their presentations on each other to train everyone on the presentation so they will all be able to do it when needed. h. Send Notice- Inform teachers of the availability of these new presentations. 2. ISLAND Presentations- This is a presentation format designed to simplify the process of creating a full length workshop or presentation: Introduction, Survey, Learning Activity, Engage, and Debrief. Be sure that your YOWs become familiar with the ISLAND format as it could help them develop engaging presentations in their academic courses as well. a. Introduction: It is important to start the presentation by introducing yourself and the subject matter to the audience. Give them an idea of why you are someone who has information that they can learn from and what they should expect to happen during the presentation. b. Survey: You can ask your audience what they already know about the subject matter or about personal experiences that relate to the topic at hand. It is very valuable to know where your audience is coming from in regards to the information you are about to present. By surveying your audience, you personalize this experience and prepare yourself to interact with them at their level. This also helps to focus their attention on the subject matter. Here are some ways to get them engagedii. Open with a question. “How many of you ever walk to the store?” iii. Tell a story. “Some people may say that teenagers don’t care what their towns look like, but today I want iv. v. vi. to tell you about 16-year-old Jake who spent the last year on his city’s planning commission …” Use a startling statistic. “Did you know that cars and trucks are the largest sources of air pollution in the U.S.? Bikes, on the other hand, emit no pollution. So why don’t we have more bike lanes in…” Tell a joke. “What did the two bicyclists say to the trucker? ...” Quote someone famous. “The late Robert Kennedy said that we – the young people – are the world’s hope. The world needs our ‘predominance of courage over timidity, our appetite for adventure over the love of ease.’ I am here tonight to tell you…” vii. Use a visual aide. “Do you recognize this map? It’s the comprehensive plan for our downtown that was created in partnership with our youth commission…” viii. Central Idea. Once you have earned the audience’s attention, transition into your central idea, or thesis statement. “We believe that teenagers want to have a voice in community development and planning. That’s why we have invited both youth and adults to this meeting. We want to demonstrate that youth are capable of learning and making educated decisions in the planning arena …” c. Learning Activity: Including an activity to enhance the learning experience of your audience is important in making the subject more memorable. Take your main points and integrate into an activity to make for a more memorable learning experience. This can be a tricky thing to do, check in with your colleagues on what they have done and remember to share your ideas with them as well. d. eNgage: Sometimes activities can distract from learning for some of your audience, so it is important to bring things back into focus by engaging them in some way to clarify the information you are trying to pass along. Use this time to bring in the supportive evidence to back up your main points. Some things you can do at this point is give a little lecture, have a question and answer session, or provide resources for those who want to learn more about the subject matter. e. Debrief: As the presentation comes to an end, remember the key question for you is “what do I want my audience to leave with?” This is the time to summarize the key points of your presentation. It may also be helpful to assist your audience in reflecting on what they just learned. Other things to includei. Call for action. Tell your audience what you want them to do: ii. “So tonight, before you go home, we want all of you to commit to working together to help plan and build a better community for everyone. We want adults to look at youth as resources for ideas and action. We want youth to commit to creating change and taking an active role in their community.” See also techniques in section b. * You may want optional activities prepared in case the presentation flows too quickly. For example, evaluations on the presentation can be prepared to help improve on the content of material or skills of the presenters. 3. Presentation Skills- Here are a few things to watch out for while working with your students’ presentations (during practice runs, have other YOWs take one of the qualities to observe and critique the presenters): a. Professionalism > Energy and positive attitude > Look presentable > Be tactful with the audience and cooperative with your co-presenters > Identify your personal values and biases as such, not as facts > Use appropriate language for your audience b. Knowledge of Subject > Be well informed and show interest > Understand and be able to explain complicated aspects of subject > Utilize materials and resources that are helpful > Articulate basic points clearly and simply > Respond to questions appropriately c. Presentation > Use visual aids effectively > Demonstrate patience and encourage audience to ask questions > Use practical and relevant examples or anecdotes > Work to keep the audience engage and involved > Display confidence and minimize distracting mannerisms d. Verbal and Non-Verbal Behaviors > Speak clearly and project > Vary rate, pitch, and emphasis > Make eye contact > Vary facial expression > Use silence e. Organization > Clear and concise introduction and instructions for learning activities > Use time wisely to cover each section clearly and completely > Be prepared with handouts, equipment, visual aids when necessary > Stay on track > Effective debrief that brings closure to presentation f. Relationship with Audience > Use open-ended questions > Reflect feelings > Check out understanding > Use validation > Seek opinions > Encourage learning from each other when possible > Manage disruptions > Draw out quiet participants 4. Public Speaking- It is important to realize that youth participants may have not have had many opportunities to speak in front of crowds, and therefore may be unsure about how to prepare and nervous about the possibility. Ask YOWs what they think makes a good presentation and what makes a poor presentation. They can reflect back to things they have seen in the past that stick out. All of their brainstormed ideas can help motivate them to create something great. Practice presentations in front of mirror to better get a feel for your information and memorization of the sequence. Practice in front of friends or other YOWs to get their input. Impromptu speaking can be easier- since you essentially talk this way all the time. It is an important skill to practice since community organizers are often asked to “say a few words’ without warning. The best impromptu speeches use the same basic organization as a prepared speech, just shorter. So, if you have a few minutes to sketch out a quick outline, you’ll probably get your point across better. Attached below is a handout on speech writing to be shared with the YOWs and a chart to schedule presentations at your site. Also included is a presentation schedule chart and audience surveys for tobacco presentations that need to be submitted to school health. The survey could be tweaked for your own use for other presentations as well. Speech Writing I. Topic: ___________________________________________________________________________ Introduction & Survey II. Introduction (Share some background information on the topic) _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ III. Central Idea (What is the main point you are trying to get across?) _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ Learning Activity & eNgage IV. Main Body (What are the main points that back up your central idea?) A. Main Point 1: ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ B. Main Point 2: ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ C. Main Point 3: ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ Debrief V. Conclusion (Why is this important?) ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ Presentation Schedule Date Topic Period # Teacher/Room # Presenters + Back-Up Student Evaluation of Peer Presentation: 2009-2010 School Year School:_____________________________ We would like your thoughts about the tobacco use presentation you just had. Please do not put your name on this form, unless you want to request a confidential meeting regarding tobacco. Mark one answer for each question, and provide any comments you may have. Thank you. Agree Not Sure Disagree 1. The presentation showed me ways to keep from smoking. 2. The presentation made me more aware of the risks of tobacco. 3. I learned something new about tobacco advertising. 4. I learned new ways to tell someone I don’t want to smoke. 5. I plan on sharing the information I learned with my friends. Good Fair Poor Excellent 6. Overall, how would you rate the presentation? 7. How did the presentation change your thoughts about smoking? 8. If you don’t smoke, will you be more likely to keep from smoking because of the presentation? Yes, I’m more convinced not to smoke No, my thoughts about smoking did not change because of the presentation 9. If you do smoke, will you be more likely to cut back or quit because of the presentation? Yes No 10. What was the most important thing you got from the presentation? 11. How old are you? 12. What is your sex? Male Female 13. How would you describe yourself? African American Native American Chinese Japanese Other: Mexican Filipino Latino White Other Asian 14. Would you be interested in having additional information around tobacco and/or help quitting? Yes No Not sure If yes or not sure, please provide your name and grade level: _______________________ (confidential) Thank You! Please return to Wendy Tran at SHPD. K> HIFY’s List of Activities & Icebreakers 1. Information Gathering Move Your Butt: Everyone sits in a circle of chairs with the trainer in the middle. The trainer in the middle starts the sentence with “Move your butt if…” Everyone who this statement is true for must switch seats. There should be 10 or so statements that relate to the topic, for example: “Move your butt if you know someone who is HIV+” or “Move your butt if you think sexual harassment happens at your school” etc. (variation) You can also play this game just for fun. In that case the trainer plays as well and the statements are not topic specific. The person who says “Move your butt…” can fill it in with whatever they want (for ex: brushed their teeth this morning/is wearing the color blue/believes in justice/likes to dance/etc.) Since the trainer plays too, they sit down and a new person will be left in the middle without a seat. They then can come up with a new statement. An added variation is to say that folks need to find some creative way of getting from seat to seat, such as hopping or spinning. Power Shuffle/Cross the Line: (props to Making the Peace curriculum) This exercise is a way to discuss systems of power and oppression. The trainer reads statements that demonstrate a certain form of power and privilege and everyone for whom the statement is true steps forward or crosses a line. Examples include racism “Step forward if people of your race are most often on television” or heterosexism “Step forward if you can hold hands with your partner in public without attention.” See the Making the Peace Curriculum for in-depth examples. Values Clarification Four Corners: In this exercise, participants explore their own values about a topic. They can either hear statements verbally (similarly to the power shuffle) or they can get a worksheet with 4-6 value statements. On the worksheet they circle whether they strongly agree, agree, disagree or strongly disagree with a statement. The trainer then reads off a statement and participants move to a corner of the room according to their value. People from each corner explain why they agree or disagree with the statement. (variation) As a variation, you can also collect the worksheets and re-distribute them so that the participants are representing a value other than their own. (variation) Cross the line/Stand Up: Folks either stand up or cross an imaginary line when the facilitator reads a statement that they agree with. Sharing in Pairs Find Someone Who: This is a two part exercise. Each part happens three (or more) times. For the first part, that the trainer calls out “Find someone who…(can be anything that is likely to have at least two people, for example: has the same number of brothers and sisters as you, listens to the same radio station as you, is wearing different color socks than you, etc.)” and everyone has 10 seconds to find a partner that fits that description. Once they have found a partner, they have 1 minute to talk in pairs about a specific topic that relates to the subject (for example, talk for 1 minute about what you think are the reasons people have sex). You can then do it all over again with a different find someone who and a different discussion topic. This gives each person a chance to talk to three other people about three different relevant topics. You can then have them report back at the end about what they discussed. (variation) Survivor/Incorporation: This game is about grouping and regrouping as fast as possible. The idea is for participants to meet and talk to as many people as they can. They listen to the facilitator’s instructions and then run, find, and organize their appropriate group. The facilitator can ask a question of the group after they have all found each other. Here are some example grouping instructions: Find a group of 3 people you don’t already know Find a group of 5 people who are wearing the same color Find one other person who has the same number of siblings as you Here are some example follow-up questions: Give each person one minute to talk about what the love about themselves Give each person one minute to talk about what the want to be when they grow up Give each person one minute to define what Health means to them (variation) Body Contact: Put on music. Group mills around saying hello to each other and mingling as if at a party. When the music stops everyone grabs a partner. Then each pair has to put two body parts together: Elbow to shoulder Knee to hand Cheek to ear Once they are touching body parts, they answer a follow-up question (see FSW). Concentric circles: Group forms two circles, one within the other, facing on another. Facilitator reads statements or questions and the two people facing each other respond to the issue. 2. Information Offering Game Show Format Generic game show: Participants are divided into two teams. 1 person from each team comes to the front of the room. The trainer asks a question and the two people in the front compete to answer the question first (and correctly). Then two new people come up and are asked a question. Repeat until everyone has had a chance to compete. Trainers can take a debrief moment after each question to give more information about the answer. Price is Right: Trainer shows a number (can be percentage, dollar amount, number of people, etc.) attached to a fact or statistic and the participants guess if the actual number is higher or lower. For example, the trainer would show 59% and say “59% of surveyed 6th grade girls said they felt bad about their bodies – is the real number higher or lower?” and the participants would call out “higher” or “lower” and the trainer would show the actual number to be…”Higher! Actually 88% of 6th grade girls said they felt bad about their bodies.” The trainer can take a debrief moment after each fact or statistic to discuss. Board Game Format Scategories: Participants can be divided into groups to make it more competitive or can work as one big group. They are given 1 minute to come up with as many…(any category related to the topic for example: types of birth control, illegal drugs, etc.) as they can. Pictionary or Charades: Participants can be divided into groups to make it more competitive or can work as one big group. One person is given a term that relates to the topic (for example: dental dam, ally, clinic, etc.) They have one minute to draw (Pictionary) or act out (Charades) the term while their group guesses. Visual Metaphors This is a category that requires being creative about your specific topic. Some examples include: Relative Risk: Give each participant a piece of paper with a sexual act. The group then has to get themselves in a line according to risk of HIV transmission (or STI or pregnancy or whatever). The take home message is that different behaviors are riskier than others and it’s important to know the risk of the behavior you are engaging in. HIV Transmission: There are many variations on this exercise. Some variations have participants shake hands with 5 other participants. Then one person is revealed to be HIV positive and stands up. Then everyone that shook hand with that person stands up, then everyone who shook hands with any of those people etc. Some variations give some participants directions to not shake anyone’s hand or to wear a glove when shaking hands. The take home message is that any sexual partner potentially brings the HIV risk of all of their partners and all of their partners, etc. Demonstrations/Using Props (Variation) Add energy by having condom/etc. demonstrations as relay races. 3. Problem Solving Acting Games Role-play: Give small groups a scenario and have them act it out. (variation) Have one ‘bad’ role-play and then “Press the Rewind button” and have the small group act it out in a ‘better’ way. For example: act out a form of prejudice or oppression the first time and then add an ally the second time and see how that changes the interaction. (variation) Have two characters act out some kind of conflict or interaction but allow any member of the audience to “Pause” the scene and step in to take the place of one of the characters to change the interaction. Advice What would you do?: Give small groups a problem or written scenario and ask them to respond to it as though they were a friend of the person/s with the problem. It helps if the scenarios are relatively in-depth and give background information on the person. (variation) The small groups can play the role of an advice columnist like Dear Abby and give a written answer 4. Name Games Point and duck: Participants stand in a circle with chairs behind them. The trainer or a volunteer stands in the middle. The trainer points to someone and says their name. That person sits down quickly and the two people on either side of them have to face each other and say each other’s name – whoever says the other person’s name last (or not at all) is out and has to stay sitting down. The person who was pointed at stands back up and the trainer points at someone else and says their name. (This game works best with groups that have some – but not too much – familiarity but with each other’s names). Circle with Pattern: Participants stand in a circle and take turns passing an object (ball or whatever) to each other in a pattern while saying their name at the same time. They keep passing it according to the pattern until they have it memorized. Then you can start a new object being passed in a new pattern (and saying something new such as favorite ice cream or high school that they attend). Once the second pattern is established and memorized they can try to do both patterns simultaneously. Big Group Name Game: Everyone stands in a circle. The first person steps forward and says her/his name while making a movement that shows how s/he feels. It could be a wave or a skip, or a movement that expresses jubilation, sadness, worry, excitement. It should be something that everyone would be able to do. Then everyone else in the circle steps forward and repeats the persons name and motion. 5. Quick Energy Raisers Touch It: (props to Cory from Destiny Arts) Trainer names 5 objects in the room (such as chair, pencil, window, map and light switch). Everyone has 10 seconds (trainer counts out loud) to touch each of the 5 items and get back to their chair. Then the group does it again (same objects) except this time no one can touch any other person on their way around the room. Magic Pen: This is a very short energizer. Everyone stands up and pretends to have a magic pen in their hand. They sign their name in the air with their magic pen. Then they pretend like they have attached the magic pen to their elbow and sign their name again. Then they attach it to their knee and sign and finally their belly button and sign. 6. Silly Games Monkeys, Palm Trees, Elephants: Group stands in a circle with one person in the middle. The person in the middle spins around, points to someone and says either “Monkeys” “Palm Trees” or “Elephants”. That person that got pointed at and the two people on either side of them have to make the gesture of the monkey, palm tree or elephant. If any of them mess up, they have to come to the center of the circle and be the pointer. (longer variation) Sexual Jell-O: Group stands in a circle with one person in the middle. Ask group to quickly come up with a physical representation for “penis,” “vulva,” and “orgasm,” each involving three people. Person in the middle will then point to one person in the circle, and that person and the two people on either side have to correctly and quickly make the formation of “penis,” “vulva,” “and “orgasm.” Whoever messes up, or takes too long has to go into the middle. After a couple of rounds, you can make it more complicated by adding in any of the following: “sexual Jell-O” (person pointed to shakes or gyrates, symbolizing Jell-O; people on outside surround that person with arms, representing bowl), Charlie’s angels (person pointed to makes symbol of a gun with two hands, two outside people crouch and do the same), and sexual, sexual, sexual, sex (person in middle walks up to someone and says as quickly as they can, “sexual, sexual, sexual, sex.” The person being approached has to try to yell sex before the person in the middle says it. If they do not, they have to move into the middle. ) De-brief: This is obviously a silly game meant to make people laugh. It can help to make the topic of sex and sexuality a little less serious. Participants may have an easier time talking speaking about sex in a classroom setting if they first have an activity that gives them permission to get out their silliness and discomfort with sexual language. Big Booty: This is a rhythm/circle game. There is one person who is the Big Booty caller and every one else is given a number, starting with one. The entire group starts singing “Big Booty, Big Booty, Big Booty. Awwww yeah! Big Booty, Big Booty, Big Booty. Awwww yeah!” Then the Big Booty caller starts by choosing one of the numbers to call out, saying “Big Booty, Number 2” Then it would be Number 2’s turn to say their own number and someone else’s, such as “Number 2 Number 4” and then Number 4 would do the same, such as “Number 4 Number 5” and the process would continue until someone messes up and then everyone says “Awwwwww shucks!” Then the person who messed up goes to the last number slot and everyone moves up a number. The point is to try to become the next Big Booty. Elbow Tag: Like regular tag (1 person is “It”, one person is being chased) except everyone else is in pairs with their arms linked. The person being chased can link arms with one of the pairs and then 3rd person in that chain has to run. Machine: Each person makes a repetitive motion and noise that is in some way connected to everyone else, so that altogether the group looks like 1 big machine. Pass the Clap: The group stands in a circle. Two people turn to face each other and clap simultaneously, with their claps being only a few inches apart. One of them passes the clap on simultaneously, and the clap travels around the circle. Start slowly but eventually try to do it as fast as possible. Pass the Invisible Ball: Group stands in a circle. One person makes a sound and throws it to someone else (like an invisible ball). That person catches it making the same sound then throws it to someone new with an entirely new sound. If you love me baby, smile…: Everyone sits in a circle. The first person to volunteer stands inside the circle. This person must pick someone in the circle and try to make him/her smile by saying “If you love me baby, smile…” No touch is allowed. The other person must say “Baby I love you but I just can’t smile.” If he or she can do this without laughing or smiling, the first person must go on to someone else. If the person trying not to smile does so, they must trade places… Catch it-Drop it : Standing. Center person tosses ball to someone in circle while calling a command "Catch-it/Drop-it" Person must do opposite of command i.e. drop if told catch. If wrong go into center. Giants, elves, wizards: 2 teams decide secretly to be either G's, E's or W's. Teams line up facing each other 5 paces apart. Leader calls out "change" and each team gets into pose of their chosen character. If they are victims they run for the wall if they are taggers they run for the victims. If tagged they change teams. Order of priority: E's take W's take G's take E's. Poses: E's crouch wiggling fingers near ears, G's stand tall arms up, W's arms out making spells. Similar to Rocks breaks Scissors cuts paper. Scavenger or Treasure Hunt: Participants have clues that they have to find, riddles they have to solve. Skit in a Bag: Each group is given a bag of miscellaneous items to use to create a skit. (For example a condom, a phone card, and an apple.) Sometimes it also helps to give them the first and last lines of the skit, or maybe just a few words or phrases that they have to use in the skit. Soul to Soul: Everyone finds a partner and stands in a circle facing in. The facilitator stands in the middle of the circle and explains that when she calls out a body part the partners have to match that body part. For example when the facilitator calls out “elbow to elbow” partners have to put their elbows together. When the facilitator calls out “Soul To Soul” participants have to run to find another partner as fast as they can. The person left without a partner has to do a funny dance, song or activity in the middle of the circle. To play the facilitator will call out body parts several times and then call out “Soul To Soul” hoping to catch participants off guard. 7. Pairing and Grouping Favorite “candy” (fruit/nuts/etc.): Pass around a bag of different kinds of candy (there should be as many kinds of candy as number of groups you want). Once everyone has taken a piece of candy have them gather with the people who took the same kind of candy. Related characters: Distribute slips of paper a character to each participant. The characters should be recognizable and also grouped in pairs or groups (according to how many people you want in each group.) For example: Mickey & Minnie or Mickey & Minnie & Goofy & Pluto & Donald Duck. The participants have to find their related characters. Animal Game: Each participant is given a piece of paper with an animal on it (have the number of animals correspond with the number of groups you want). Everyone has to close their eyes and find the other animals like them just by making the noise that that animal makes. When everyone has found their group, they can open their eyes. Then you can use those groups to do small group work. Mystery Partners: Each participant lists some of their hobbies on an index card. The facilitator collects the cards and redistributes them. Each participant must find the person described on his/her card. Great way to divide up into partners for the next activity. 8. Community Builders/Trust Builders Two Truths and a Lie: People make 3 statements and everyone else needs to guess which two are true and which one is a lie. Tip: To make sure it’s not too easy to guess, think ahead so that the order of your statements is not actually truth, truth, lie. Silent Lines: Ask group to, in silence, line up in order of tallest to shortest, oldest to youngest, etc…Then debrief what worked, what didn’t, how could the group have worked together better, did everyone feel listened to or involved. Getting to know you: Make a list of categories of people e.g. find: 2 people with a parent's name same as yours, 5 people who like R. Kelly, 3 people with same hero, 4 people not born in California. Everyone wanders round interviewing each other to find people fitting list. Human Knot: Participants stand in a circle and reach into the middle to grab the hands of two different people to create a human knot. The group then attempts to untangle itself. Communication: Group splits in half and each half creates new language and gestures. But what means one thing to one group means something totally different to the other. The two cultures attempt to interact and communicate with each other. Big debrief on the process, how to create common understanding. Ford’s Tape Game: The group stands in a circle and passes a roll of masking tape (or any other object) in a sequence so that each person has touched the object once. The rules are only that only 2 people can be touching the tape at a time and you can’t pass it to the person directly next to you. The facilitator times the process and then gives the group the task of seeing how quickly they can pass the tape in that same sequence. You can appeal to their sense of competition by saying that another group has accomplished it in only 5/6/7 seconds (depending on the size of the group). There are many solutions – such as unrolling the tape or putting the tape on the ground and taking turns touching it. The goal is to have them think creatively and as a team. Balloon Tower: Equipment: About 20 un-inflated balloons per person, Plenty of tape Works best with a large group. Separate players into, preferably, 3 or more teams of about 3-10 persons each. Each team is given a pile of un-inflated balloons and a few rolls of clear tape. Instruct the teams that they are to build the largest free-standing balloon tower possible in a certain amount of time. Give no further restrictions on the game. Start the clock, and everyone begins building the towers. When time is called, look at the towers (measure if necessary) and declare whose tower is tallest. If at a leadership retreat, you can go on in detail about what went well and what didn't, and shock the players by suggesting that it would not have been against the rules to combine resources with each other to make a much taller tower. 9. Closing Activities Commitment Circle: Form a circle standing up. One person volunteers to start. S/he shares a commitment s/he wants to make and in which they want the group’s support. Example, “I commit to only having sex when I want to” or “I commit to being an ally to LGBTQI folks.” Everyone else raises their fist or does some sort of affirmation in support, they could come up with it on their own. Appreciation Circle: Everyone is in a circle. One person is appreciated at a time, going around the circle. Depending on the time available, the facilitator can call on different numbers of people to appreciate each person. (It should be the same for each person.) (variation) Spinning Webs: Participants throw a ball of string around the circle, holding on to their section of string, while saying something they appreciate about the person they are throwing it to. By the end, you have a web of string. Head Heart Feet: Each person shares something they learned (head), how they feel (heart), and one thing they’ll take from the day and do differently in their life (feet). The facilitator can draw a person on the board and write down each person’s responses. One word go around: Say one word that represents what you have taken from this activity. 1- The training leader draws a picture of a tree that includes the roots, trunk, branches, leaves, and fruit, and gives each participant a leaf cut out from construction paper. Participants write on the leaf something they are taking with them from the training. Then participants sit or stand in a circle while each takes a turn sharing what is written on their leaf while attaching it to the tree. Participants may place their leaf in different places on the tree, depending on what they are taking with them from the training. Trainers then note the significance of what it means to be the roots, trunks, leaves or fruit of the tree. 2- The training leader places a variety of objects on the floor in the middle of a participants' circle. Objects can be small toys, pictures, postcards, play money, magnetic letters, figurines representing different backgrounds, or other items that can be purchased at a dollar store or toy store. Each participant selects one object that represents some key idea or concept they are taking with him or her from the training. Participants share why they picked that particular symbolic object and what it means to them. Participants may keep their object to take with them, to remind them of what they have gained from the training. 3- The training leader gives all participants a small tub or piece of Play-dough (this can be purchased in bulk at stores like Target or Wal-Mart). Each participant creates an object that reflects something important they learned at the training that they would like to take away with them. Participants gather in a circle and show the object they have created and explain its meaning. Then they pass the object to the next person who mashes the object together with theirs and so on, until a big colorful ball of Play-dough is formed. When everyone has finished contributing his or her piece, the large ball is passed around the circle again. Each participant takes a piece of the large ball, so that they can carry away not just their own learning and experiences, but also a part of the whole group. 4- The training leader takes a black and white Polaroid picture of each participant's hand. As the photo develops, each participant thinks about what they gave to the other participants or what they would like to be giving to the community or the agency they serve. Once the photos develop, participants write down a message (symbolic or literal) to accompany the image of their hand. The trainer then assembles the photos on a piece of mat board for all participants to view. Participants then take turns discussing the statements they have written to go with their hand. 5- The trainer supplies a plain white banner, approximately twelve feet long and two feet wide, with the title of the training clearly marked. Also provided are magazines, paints, glue sticks, rubber stamps, modeling clay, stickers, markers, and tape. With these materials, participants create a symbolic picture of what the training meant to them. Once completed, all the pictures are transferred to the banner. 6- The training leader asks participants to form a circle. One participant hands a ball of twine to another participant, holding onto the end of the ball while stating something they appreciate about the other participant, something notable that took place in the training regarding the other participant, or support they felt they needed or got from the other participant. Then that participant, while holding on to the end of the ball, passes the ball to another participant who is admired or respected. By the end of this process, the string forms an intricate web among team members. The trainer then cuts through the twine, symbolically cutting the ties to the workshop and leaving each participant a piece of twine in their hand to remind them of the new connections they have made and the ideas they will take away from the training. 7- A variation on the ball of twine activity is to ask the question, "How do you as service leaders feel more connected after today's training?" Then the ball of yarn is thrown from participant to participant, making a web of connectivity. This modification can also symbolically illustrate what happens when someone drops their piece of yarn or when there is a knot in the yarn. 10. Longer Activities/Party Games Celebrity: Setup: The players are split into two or more teams of three or more players. Before play begins, each player is given 8 or more slips of paper upon which he or she writes the name of a different celebrity. All of the names are then placed in a hat or bucket or similar receptacle. What's a legal name? While the game is called "Celebrity," the names don't necessarily have to be celebrities. Fictional characters, famous animals, or any name that is well known to the group of players is acceptable. Generally one would expect at least half of the players to know the name you're writing down. Round 1: One team is chosen to go first, and that team selects a player to give clues to the rest of his or her team. Play begins when the clue-giver picks a name out of the hat. From that moment, he or she has one minute to get his team to guess as many celebrity names as possible before time runs out.In the first round, the clue-giver can say anything he or she wants as long as it is not any part of the celebrity's name or a direct reference to the name. For Dolly Parton, it is acceptable to say, "She has her own theme park in Tennessee", but not, "She has a themepark called 'Dollywood.'" It is also illegal to give clues such as, "Her name begins with a 'D'." When the team guesses the celebrity name correctly, the clue-giver draws another name from the hat and continues until time is up or there are no more names in the hat. If an illegal clue is given, that name is set aside and another name is drawn from the hat. When time is up, the team is awarded a point for every name they guessed correctly. They lose a point for every illegal clue that was given. The next team then picks a clue-giver and play continues until there are no more names in the hat. Teams must rotate the clue-giver each round until every member of the team has been given a chance. Round 2: After all of the names have been guessed in round 1, they are returned to the hat. The second round proceeds in the same manner except that the clue-giver is now limited to only one word. The word can be repeated many times, but only one word is allowed. Round 3: In the third round, the clue-giver cannot speak at all, but must coerce his team to guess the celebrity name through hand motions, gestures, and pantomiming, similar to the party game charades. Winning: After all the names have been guessed in the third round, the team with the most points is declared the winner. Paper Telephone: Each person starts out with a piece of paper. On each piece of paper, the first player begins by writing a sentence or phrase. This can be anything and in reference to anything; the more surreal your beginning sentence, the funnier your final result will be. The next player then attempts to come up with an illustration that fits with the starting sentence. Once the second player is done illustrating the initial sentence, the piece of the paper with that sentence on it is folded over so that only the current picture can be seen. It is then passed on to the next player. The next player then attempts to formulate a caption for the illustration he sees. Once the third player has captioned the illustration, the piece of the paper with the illustration on it is folded over so that only the caption may be seen, and the paper is passed to the next player. This is continued until the game ends. When the entire sheet of paper is filled (after 10 or so people have written or drawn on it) each paper can be unfolded to see how the sentence has evolved. Wink Murder: This party game works best with many people (absolute miminum is six). There are two variations of the game. Common to both is that in each round of play, one player is assigned the role of murderer, with the ability to "murder" other players (thereby removing them from that round of play) by making eye contact and winking at them. Other players are forbidden from winking. The objective of the murderer is to murder a maximum number of people. In one variation of the game, sometimes played by children as a class activity in primary school, another player, unaware of the murderer's identity, is assigned the role of detective. All other players sit in a circle around the detective, whose objective is to correctly identify and accuse the murderer, minimizing the number of murder victims. A limit is often imposed upon the number of accusations the detective can make. In this version of the game, players other than the murderer and detective do not necessarily know the murderer's identity, and have no role to play in the game other than to die noticeably if winked at. In another variation of the game, cards such as playing cards are allocated to all players, with one specified card randomly determining the identity of the murderer — players may not reveal their cards to each other. All players who are not murderer effectively take on the role of detective, with the objective of correctly identifying and accusing the murderer. Every accusation must be seconded by another player, with a false accusation resulting in the death (that is, the removal from the round of play) of both the accuser and the seconder. This version of the game can be played in an informal setting, requiring only that players are all within sight of each other — the game can be played concurrently with other activities (such as conversation or another game). Murder handshake is a variation where the players are expected to shake hands, and the murderer kills by using a special handshake, usually scratching the victim's palm. Many prefer this version of the winking version because "killing" someone is not as easily noticeable by third parties, and there's less chance for error (if you blink while looking at someone from the side, it could be interpreted as a wink even if you are not the actual killer). Mafia: The Scenario: The players in a game of Mafia are residents of a small village. The village is being terrorized by the mafia. During the night, the mafia roam about the village, selecting a law-abiding civilian as their victim. During the day, the villagers gather together, seeking justice, and vote to convict one of their number of secretly being a member of the mafia. The Number of Players: 12+ ideal, may accept 8-12 with slight modifications. No maximum number, although becomes unwieldy with 24+. The Equipment: Pieces of paper that read: Mafia, Detective, Civilian The Goal of the Game: The goal is different depending on what sort of player you are. If you are a member of the mafia, your goal is to kill off all the civilians in the game. If you are a civilian, your goal is to kill off the mafia before they kill you off. If you are the detective, you are on the side of the civilians and share their goal. The Deal: One player is selected each round to be the moderator. The moderator does not participate in the game as a player, but manages the game and remains absolutely neutral. The moderator passes out the papers that assign roles. Roles: It is recommended that the number of each type of role be adjusted according to the size of the game (for every 5 civilians, add 1 mafia). Each player will look at his or her paper to see whether he or she is mafia, a detective, or a civilian. No one shall reveal his identity before the first day. No one shall ever show his paper to anyone else while they are still alive. See additional roles on-line. The Play: Each turn consists of two phases. The first phase is night, the second phase is day. The moderator shall announce when each phase is occurring. Night: At the beginning of the game, and at the beginning of each subsequent turn, the moderator shall announce nightfall. All players (but not the moderator) shall close their eyes (and no peeking is allowed). The moderator should take pains not to speak in any particular direction lest he give out information as to the identity of the mafia or detective. The night phase is divided into two parts: (i) The moderator shall announce "Mafia awake." The mafia, and only the mafia, shall open their eyes. The mafia may kill one person per night. They may also elect not to kill anyone. They shall decide amongst themselves by means of hand gestures whom should be killed. They shall communicate to the moderator by means of pointing. The moderator, once he understands who is to be killed, shall announce "Mafia asleep" and the mafia shall close their eyes. (ii) The moderator shall announce "Detective awake." If there is more than one detective in the game, then one should be the "detective 1" one should be “detective 2” – be clear on their papers. They shall be called separately so that they do not see each other. The moderator shall ask "Who do you want to know about?" The detective should point to one person, and the moderator shall indicate by nodding or shaking of head and not by speaking whether the person indicated is a member of the mafia (nod) or not (shake head). The moderator shall then ask the detective to sleep. If there is another angel, then repeat this process. Day: After this is done, the moderator shall ask everyone to wake up. Before anyone speaks, the moderator identifies who (if anyone) was killed in the night. The person assassinated by the mafia indicates that they have died (by leaving the circle in some way). If someone is killed, he/she may not speak at all for the duration of the game, or in any other way communicate with the living. He/she may keep his eyes open at all times. At this point, the remaining survivors may vote to convict someone of being mafia. The survivors may freely discuss the situation. The detective, members of the mafia, or any other special added characters, may reveal themselves publicly if they feel that it is in their best interest to do so (which it mostly is not), provided that they never reveal their actual papers. Lying is permissible, and, for instance, a mafia member may claim to be a detective for the sake of having someone (nonmafia) convicted of being mafia. No player, though, under any circumstances, may display their paper to another player. The moderator, after allowing for a period of discussion shall ask for accusations. Any player may accuse any other player of being mafia. If an accusation is lodged, the accuser shall be allowed to explain the reason for his accusation. If a majority of the surviving members vote to convict, then the convicted player reveals their role-- they have been put to death and may no longer participate in the game. The day ends and night falls. Winning: The game shall be won by the mafia if there are no more civilians left, or if the number of civilians left is less than or equal to the number of mafia left, in which case the civilians will never be able to muster a majority to kill a member of the Mafia. The civilians win if all of the mafia are convicted and killed. Sticker Stalker: Give each person a pack/sheet of 10 stickers. The object of this game is to get rid of all your stickers by sticking them on other people (One sticker per person). However, if the person you are "stickering" catches you, he/she gets to stick one of his/her stickers on you. If you are "caught", you must temporarily take your sticker back, and you can try to sticker that same person later (at your own risk). But if someone falsely accuses you of "stickering" him/her, then you can automatically put one of your stickers on that person. The first one to get rid of all 10 of their original stickers is the winner! Pass the cards: Create enough index cards for each person to have 3. Write various characteristics/preferences/facts about someone on each card (a different one per card.) Examples might be: I like to ride a bike, I have 2 pets, I am from a different state, I consider myself a patient person. Try to make them specific enough that they could apply to some of the people in the group but not many. Each person begins with 3 cards. The object is to end up with 3 cards that are true for you. You do this by switching cards with people – you should only take cards that are true for you (although you can trade 1 that is true for you for another that is true to be nice). This is not a competitive game, but instead a get-to-know-you mingling game. Psychiatrist: This game is only possible if at least 1 person has never played before because once you know the “illness” you cannot be the psychiatrist. All players sit in somewhat of a circle. One person is chosen to be the "Psychiatrist." This person must then leave the room as the rest of the group prepares to play. With Psychiatrist out of the room and out of earshot, the rest of the players decide on a fake psychological illness that they will all have. The best illness is that each person acts like he/she is the person sitting 2 seats to their right. Once a "illness" is agreed upon, someone retrieves the psychiatrist, who then comes to the center of the circle. It is now his responsibility as psychiatrist to help his "patients" by discovering what is wrong with them. He/she does this primarily by asking individual people questions about anything, and noticing eccentricities and inconsistencies in the answers. If a patient answers a question or says or does something that is inconsistent with his disease, another patient MUST yell "Psychiatrist!!!" At this time, the person who said something wrong and the person who called him on it must switch seats. Sometimes such answers are given accidentally, but they can also be given intentionally to throw the psychiatrist off, especially if responding correctly would give away the disease too easily. (Ex., if everyone is pretending to be one specific person, and the psychiatrist asks "What's your name?", a truthful answer would make for an awfully short round). The game ends when the psychiatrist correctly identifies his patients' ailment. 11. Additional Resources 101 Games for Trainers by Bob Pike with Christopher Busse Getting Together: Ice-breakers and Group Energizers by Lorraine L Ukens Tribes: A New Way of Learning and Being Together by Jeanne Gibbs http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Party_game L> Event Planning 1. Brainstorming- Youth Outreach Workers are responsible for creating and planning at least one school wide health event (individually or in small groups) and assisting with at least two others over the course of the school year. It is advisable to brainstorm ideas at the beginning of the year and establishing dates with your site’s Activities Coordinators. 2. Work Plan- The Event Plan worksheet (attached below) will help guide you in planning your event. Here’s how to get started: i. Make a to-do list: Write out every single thing that needs to be done to make your event happen. This includes everything from advertising the event, reserving the space to hold the event, buying any supplies, creating any signs or flyers, etc. ii. Do you know how to do everything on the list? There will be a lot of details on your list – do you know how to get what you need to make it all happen? For example; do you know how to reserve the library, get a laptop projector for a classroom presentation; check to make sure a date will work with other school events that might be planned, get money for food for your event? You don’t need to know how to DO everything, but find out who to ask (and don’t forget to add that as an item on your to-do list!) iii. Assign Jobs: You will be planning one entire event, but it doesn’t mean you have to do it all! You have a whole team of YOWs to help you – and you can always ask your friends to help if it’s not during class time. Next to each to-do item, assign who will be doing that task. iv. Make an event timeline and.. work backwards! Get a calendar, write down the event date and then begin calculating what needs to happen backwards. Think of this like planning a surprise party, if you know the date of the party, when do you need to invite people so they have enough time to reply? What date do you need to have the food for the party made? If you need to have the food made by a certain date, then when do you need to purchase the food? Pull out your to-do list plug it into a calendar. v. Review and Revise: Meet with other YOWs, the Youth Outreach Coordinator and your mentor to make sure you haven’t missed any steps in planning. Things always change so as you get closer to the event, don’t be surprised if you need to move things around! 3. Successful Events (further resources are available on the YOC webgroup at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sfyoc) i. Cooking Show/Harvest Tastings- Conduct a healthy food cooking show at lunch. Include harvest of the month, information sheets from School Health, and recipe ideas. ii. Day of Silence- Hand out badges that inform others about participants decision to remain silent for the day (or whatever time period works for your site) in support for those who have had to hide their romantic preferences out of fear of abandonment and death. iii. Diversity Conference- Invite guest speakers to do presentations at a small auditorium for classes to visit. For example, a conference on sexual diversity included the following presentations- the Gay Asian Community in San Francisco, Life & Times of Harvey Milk, the Experience of Conversion Therapy, Christianity & AIDS, a Heterosexual panel, and a History of Men in Dance. iv. Food & Fitness Fair- Community Based Organizations (CBOs) table around issues of good nutrition and physical fitness. Encourage CBOs to develop an interactive experience for those stopping by. Develop informative brochures to pass out. v. Health Idol- This is a semester long program to promote better wellness for students and faculty who apply to be a part of the competition. Selected participants battle it out in 910 rounds of physical, mental, and social challenges until the title is earned. This program has had a tremendous impact on individual lifestyles and school climate. vi. Increase the Peace Week- CBOs table and present workshops over an entire week with YOWs hosting each visitor. Develop informative brochures to pass out. vii. Pink Tsunami- As an alternative or expansion to the Day of Silence, have students wear pink for the day to visibly show their support for LGBT youth and stand up against bullying/harassment. viii. Random Acts of Kindness Week- Inspire faculty and students to demonstrate random acts of kindness. Tons of ideas available at actsofkindness.org. ix. Red Ribbon Week- Crash car display, drunk goggle challenges. Be sure to incorporate education into the activities as they tend to be so fun that the point is often missed. x. Safe Prom- Put together packets for prom goers that include a brochure of tips, resource numbers (flowers, transportation services, restaurants, clinics), safety information and practices. CBOs can table or hold workshops the week before around self-defense, condom demos, etc. Coordinate free STI screenings the week after. xi. Summer Activities Fair- CBOs with summer programs table and sign students up for their programs. xii. World AIDS Day- Display AIDS quilt, invite HIV+ speaker, lesson plans for teachers visiting the quilt, and presentations made to classes visiting quilt. 4. Event Calendar- There is a month for everything these days. While trying to come up with events or projects, these special occasions may come in handy. Here are a few of themi. September (Healthy Start): Breakfast Month, Courtesy Month, Self-Improvement Month (all of which are great themes to start off the school year) ii. October (Positive Alternatives to Drugs): Indigenous (and Latin) Americans Month, National Coming Out Day (Oct. 11), Vegetarian Month iii. November (Tobacco Awareness): Thanksgiving (great time to do something positive for your family or community), Transgender Day of Remembrance (Nov. 20) iv. December (AIDS Awareness): World AIDS Day (Dec. 1), winter holidays (explore diversity through the various ways the winter holidays are celebrated) v. January (Violence Prevention): National Hobby Month, No Name Calling Week, Semester Exams (great time to focus on stress relief and study skills) vi. February (Physical Activities): Black History Month, Creative Romance Month, Random Acts of Kindness Week vii. March (Nutrition): Irish-American Month, Women’s History Month, Youth Arts & Music Month viii. April (Gay Pride/Respect): Alcohol Awareness, Community Service Month, STI & Sexual Assault Awareness Month ix. May (Summer Activities/Foster Youth): Asian Pacific Heritage Month, Mental Health Month, Teacher Appreciation Week (first week), Asthma & Allergy Awareness Month, School Health Programs Department Health Awareness Month Descriptions & Activities School Health Programs Department has designated health awareness themes for each month of the school year. Teachers receive lessons, community resource lists and activity ideas to stimulate classroom discussions and to promote health awareness and asset building. Schools are encouraged to provide families with information about specific activities schools are conducting to promote monthly health awareness events and ideas on how to build assets with their children. For more information on the Health Awareness Events, Healthy Spotlights, or a complete list of Health Awareness Asset Building Activities visit: www.healthiersf.org. Look for each month’s Healthy Spotlight which will focus on specific health issues and an Asset Building Focus* to promote the intentional development of assets for students. September is Start of a Healthy Year Awareness month. This month’s School Health Program campaign focuses on starting the school year with developing healthy habits for the entire year. We focus on good eating habits. Encourage everyone to eat lots of fruits and vegetables each day. The month also stresses that walking is a great way to keep in shape. Schools will be given suggested activities to promote walking. Students perform better academically when physically fit. The September Healthy Spotlight is on Healthy Habits. September Asset Building Focus: SUPPORT Asset #5- Caring School Climate, Asset #6 Parent Involvement in Schooling: School provides students with a caring, encouraging environment by smiling, greeting students, modeling positive behavior and providing students and families with resources and alternatives including information after school programs. Asset Building Activities: Asset #5 (+ #12, #16) - Establish a safe and caring school climate from the start of the year. Create community agreements and youth buy-in of school rules by including students in the creation of expectations and consequences. Establish a no tolerance policy for slurs and harassment so that all students feel safe. Students can create posters illustrating the community agreements to display around the school. Asset #5- Establish a student incentive system to use consistently throughout the school year. Work with school staff to create criteria, rewards and how to acknowledge student successes. Asset #6- Start the year off on a positive note with parents and guardians: Make positive phone calls home to report on student successes, coordinate activities to help parents feel welcome at Back to School Night (potluck, icebreakers, personal invitations or phone trees), and share a way that parents can easily communicate with you. Be sure to highlight the Parent/ Guardian Handbook and the San Francisco Action Guide as a reference for families. October is Positive Alternatives to Drug Use Month. This month’s School Health Program campaign focuses on positive alternatives to drug use. During Red Ribbon Week, students participate in events such as taking a drug and alcohol free pledge and learning about substance use prevention. Wearing a red ribbon shows a commitment to a healthy, drug free lifestyle. Schools are encouraged to participate in Lights On After School, a nationwide event highlighting the importance of after school programs, which keep kids safe, help working families and improve academic achievement. Schools should emphasize tobacco and drug free policy. The October Healthy Spotlight is on Poison Awareness. October Asset Building Focus: BOUNDARIES AND EXPECTATIONS Asset #12- School Boundaries, #14- Adult Role Models, #16-High Expectations: School provides clear rules and consequences by posting rules in classrooms and hallways. School rules and expectations are distributed through the Student and Parent/Guardian Handbook. Schools make regular contact with families for positive student feedback as well as for disciplinary reasons. Asset Building Activities: Asset #14- Encourage positive behavior and opportunities for relationship building with youth by scheduling time during the week to hold open office hours in your classroom for students to receive individual support. Asset #16- Start the year on a positive and proactive note with parents and guardians- make positive phone calls home to report on student successes and share your expectations of students. Other Youth Development Activities to Implement Health Awareness: Work with your After School Program to hold a “Lights On After School! Event” on October 20 th (National Lights On After School day) and invite parents, local businesses and politicians to participate. Connect with your school’s ExCEL After School Program Site Coordinator and check out www.afterschoolalliance.org for resources. Conduct an activity for youth to learn about support services in San Francisco. Have students access the Youthline website http://www.youthline.org/ or call the youth line hotline at 1-888-9773399. Youthline provides callers with confidential and anonymous peer-to-peer conversation. Contact: Just THINK for media literacy and teen health activities (415) 561-2900 Conduct a youth debate this month with topics such as Steroids in Athletics to have youth research facts for the debate. Work with Health Initiatives for Youth (HIFY) to plan youth panel on drug-education peer education. Have student’s research questions to ask the group or plan a follow up project after the youth panel to share this information with their school. Contact: Health Initiatives for Youth (HIFY) (415) 274-1970 November is Tobacco Free Awareness Month. This month’s School Health Program campaign focuses on tobacco prevention education highlighted by the Great American Smoke Out, where students participate in school wide events like Adopt a Smoker to encourage and support individuals to quit smoking. Schools are encouraged to publicize the District’s Tobacco Free Policy and intervention protocols. High Schools are encouraged to promote tobacco cessation programs The November Healthy Spotlight is on Cancer Prevention. November Asset Building Focus: SOCIAL COMPETENCIES Asset #32- Planning and Decision Making, #35- Resistance Skills: Young person knows how to plan ahead and make choices while learning to resist negative peer pressure and dangerous situations. Schools can teach goal setting skills and refusal strategies. student feedback as well as for disciplinary reasons. Asset Building Activities: Asset #32- Assist youth with planning and decision making by working with students to develop a campaign to educate local store owners on ways to reduce tobacco subsidiary products from being sold at stores. Contact: Youth Leadership Institute for activities, resources and youth presenters on these projects (415) 836-9160. Asset #32- Students can plan and prepare presentations for their peers; work with students to be youth presenters on a topic of their choice at the Teens Tackle Tobacco Conferences at UC Berkeley. -High School Teens Tackle Tobacco Conference-Middle School Teens Tackle Tobacco Conference- Asset #32, #35- Help students develop their resistance skills by working with them to organize a Smoke Free Pledge Drive. Have students educate their friends and family on the dangers of second hand smoke. Students can brainstorm ways to make a home safer (smoking outside, not smoking in the car, getting air filters etc.) and smoke free. Other Youth Development Activities to Implement Health Awareness: Resources: -www.tobaccofreekids.org for statistics about tobacco, local and national tobacco education and advocacy projects and articles and updates about tobacco legislation. -www.thetruth.org for tobacco fact finder and tobacco education activities - California Smokers Helpline 1800-No-BUTTS and http://www.californiasmokershelpline.org for activities, education materials and resources. December is World AIDS Awareness Month. This month’s School Health Program campaign focuses on HIV prevention education. Schools participate in a variety of activities to commemorate World AIDS Day on December 1st including Names Project quilt displays, HIV prevention educational theater performances, and classroom presentations by community based organizations. The December Healthy Spotlight is on STD and Teen Pregnancy prevention. December Asset Building Focus: POSITIVE VALUES Asset #26-Caring, #30-Responsibility, #31-Restraint: A young person places high value on helping other people while accepting and taking responsibility for his/her actions. Schools can provide opportunity for students to show empathy for others by displaying the names quilt, writing holiday cards or get well cards for others. Asset Building Activities: Asset #26- Foster caring by creating a safe place where youth can share their own stories of family or friends who are living with HIV/AIDS. Brainstorm with youth how the school community can create a safe and welcoming place for people living with HIV/AIDS. Asset #31- Discuss appropriate health education lessons and prevention strategies by contacting community based organizations to address HIV education. See the Approved Speakers List for Human Sexuality. The list was given to all Elementary Health Advocates and all members of the Middle School Healthy School Team, and High School Health Promotion Committee. Other Youth Development Activities to Implement Health Awareness: Conduct an activity for youth to learn about local support services. Have students access the Youthline website http://www.youthline.org/ or call the youth line hotline at 1-888-977-3399. (see Youthline above) Contact: Mission Neighborhood Health Center, (415) 552-3870 Submit an application to SHPD to host a panel of the Names Project AIDS quilt or have students make their own version of AIDS quilt with names of friends and family. Have students research the World AIDS epidemic by category (women, ancestry, culture, famous people). Study art that conceptualizes effects of AIDS (Truth Campaigns at www.thetruth.com). January is School Safety and Violence Prevention Month. These months’s School Health Program campaign focuses on creating safe schools so all students can learn and grow. Schools are encouraged to teach lessons on diversity, tolerance, conflict resolution, bullying violence and harassment prevention. Students participate in violence prevention activities including poster contests and remembrance walls. Schools should emphasize the District’s Anti-Slur and Sexual Harassment policies. ____________________________________________________________________________ The January Healthy Spotlight is on Mental Health Awareness. January Asset Building Focus: EMPOWERMENT Asset #7-Community Values Youth, #8-Youth as Resources, #9-Service to Others, #10Safety, #36-Peaceful Conflict Resolution: Young person feels safe at home, at school and connected to their neighborhood. Schools can provide students with community service opportunities, conflict resolution skills, communication skills, negotiation skills and access to community resources. Asset Building Activities: Asset #7- Foster a community that values youth by creating “Props” boxes within school office/classroom for students to acknowledge peers’ contributions. Props can be displayed on school bulletin board. Asset #9- Work with students to plan “Day of Kindness” activities throughout the school year to promote positive school climate and service to others. Asset #36- Organize peer discussion groups on violence and violence-prevention related issues. Put aside time to talk about these issues in homeroom or health classes on a regular basis. Provide conflict resolution skills to educate all students in how to resolve conflicts. Assets #8, #36- Have students help organize a non-violence poetry book or poetry slam. Work from this project can be turned into an assembly for all students. Asset #7, #8, #9- Create a Youth Advisory Board or invite student council members to participate in the School Climate Committee to include youth opinions as part of the decision-making and planning processes for improving school climate. Other Youth Development Activities to Implement Health Awareness: Have students create personal history stories (Who I am, Where I come from, Where I’m going) and create a presentation or book for the school. Middle School and High School: Coordinate with your school’s LGBTQ Support Liaison to promote the Ally Program by using materials made available by School Health Programs Department. Middle School and High School: Encourage school members to commit to the “Ally Pledge” and outline how they will be a caring part of the community. Contact: Peer Resources (415) 920-5211 Middle School: Students can view the Let’s Get Real “Bullying” video and participate in corresponding lessons. February is Physical Activities Awareness Month. This month’s School Health Program campaign focuses on physical activity as a component of a healthy lifestyle. An emphasis this month is put on healthy hearts, both physically and symbolically. Students participate in activities designed to promote cardiovascular health including Jump Rope for Heart at elementary and middle schools. High schools focus on the development of healthy relationships and decision-making skills during the week of Valentine’s Day. The February Healthy Spotlight is on Dental Awareness. February Asset Building Focus: CONSTRUCTIVE USE OF TIME Asset #17-Creative Activities, #18-Youth Programs: Schools can encourage students to participate in clubs, provide structured physical education activities, links to after school programs and structured activities provided by community based organizations. Asset Building Activities: Asset #17- Encourage students to set goals to increase the amount of physical activity they do each week as well as to minimize the amount of television that they watch. Have students chart their successes and share their favorite physical activity. Asset #17- Create a school-wide chart that illustrates the school’s physical activity success (e.g. number of students that walk to school, amount of miles that the students have run in PE class, number of reduced hours of television watching). Asset #17- Designate a day (e.g. Fitness Friday, Wednesday Workout) when everyone in the school will do a physical activity (e.g. jump rope for 10 minutes, walk around the school 4 times, 100 jumping jacks). Asset #18- Support students to participate in physical activities after school. Connect with the Site Coordinator of the ExCEL After School Program at your site, local Child Development Centers, or check with the local Beacon Center in your neighborhood. (www.sfbeacon.org) Other Youth Development Activities to Implement Health Awareness: Build relationships and literacy skills with students after a physical activity by allowing students to debrief the successes and challenges from games and activities. Not only can this build relationships among team members, but also encourages students to practice speaking, listening and repeating what they have learned. Encourage students to practice using social skills during physical activities (e.g. encouragement, good sportsmanship, taking turns, accepting differences). March is Nutrition Awareness Month. March is Nutrition Awareness Month. This month’s School Health Program campaign focuses on promoting the SFUSD Wellness Policy and providing nutrition education lessons in the prevention of obesity, diabetes and heart disease. Schools can encourage healthier eating by sponsoring activities that promote a diet which includes colorful fruits & vegetables, nutrient-rich foods and water, while limiting foods that are high in fat, salt and added sugars, such as soda, chips and candy. Activities can include family health events, garden-linked activities, field trips to farmers’ markets or gardens & healthy cooking clubs. The March Healthy Spotlight is on Diabetes Awareness and Child Abuse Prevention. March Asset Building Focus: COMMITMENT TO LEARNING Asset #21-Achievement Motivation, #22-School Engagement, #24-Bonding to School, #25 Reading for Pleasure: Young person is motivated to do well in school by having time allotted by school site or home for completing homework, reading for pleasure and caring for his/her school. Schools can provide tutoring time, homework assistance, school spirit activities and youth engaging reading opportunities. Asset Building Activities: Asset #21- Provide healthy incentives to students. Avoid using food as a reward and instead reward students with activities, increased privileges, praise or other incentives to acknowledge success. Asset #22, #24 – Provide opportunities for students to bond with their school by helping students organize School Service Activities or a “School Spirit Week”. In addition, give awards or incentives to the grade that contributes most to improving the appearance of the school. Asset #25 – Encourage students to read for pleasure at least three hours a week by providing time in the classroom, after school, creating classroom/school wide reading contests, or holding Family Literacy Night events. Other Youth Development Activities to Implement Health Awareness: Post a classroom, school, or cafeteria bulletin board with student photos to highlight nutrition education activities and events. Invite student nutrition food workers to make classroom presentations on job duties, healthy eating or cafeteria rules. Create a site committee that includes students, parents, teachers, and food service staff in support of the SFUSD Nutrition & Physical Activity Policy. Have students set goals for healthy eating habits and monitor progress (e.g. including a fruit with morning cereal, decreasing consumption of soda). Middle School: Students can view Teen Files Flipped “Eating Disorders/Steroids” video. All Levels: Students can view the Body Talk videos. April is Gay Pride Month. This month’s School Health Program campaign celebrates the contribution of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) community. District approved bulletin board materials and curriculum that recognize the civil rights movement and historical achievements of the LGBTQ community are made available to all schools. April also includes the National Day of Silence, which is an additional activity to create a safe school by raising awareness of the discrimination LGBTQ people face and how they are often silenced due to the fear of discrimination. Schools should promote the District’s AntiSlur and Anti-Discrimination policies. The April Healthy Spotlight is Asthma Awareness. April Asset Building Focus: POSITIVE IDENTITY Asset #37-Personal Power, #38-Self-Esteem, #39-Sense of Purpose, #40-Positive View of Future: Young person feels control over personal future. Schools can work with Student Government and youth leadership groups to create Town Hall meetings where students can share beliefs and discuss youth issues in a safe environment. Asset Building Activities: Asset #37- Encourage students to take a lead in organizing Gay Pride/anti-slur activities by providing space, resources and materials to coordinate events. Asset #37, #39 – Create a school wide Day of Silence activity in April to provide students with a powerful interactive experience to raise awareness of the discrimination of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender persons. Some schools set aside a ten minute silent period, while many others hold activities all day. Refer to Day of Silence activities created by School Health Programs Department for activity ideas and resources. Asset # 37, #38, #39, #40- Build students’ sense of personal power and self esteem by working with them to identify and coordinate a community service activity for Youth Service Day on April 21, 2006. Other Youth Development Activities to Implement Health Awareness: Promote Ally Program by using materials made available by SHPD and encourage school members commit to Ally Pledge. Middle School and High School: Promote Gay Straight Alliance clubs on campus. Post bulletin board materials created by students or those made available by SHPD. Invite community based organizations to present LGBTQ issues and topics to students. Have students write articles celebrating gay persons, themes and events. High School: Students can attend the New Conservatory Theater Company’s performance of “Other Side of the Closet”. Middle School: Students can view Teen Files Flipped “Tolerance” video. Elementary School: Students can view “That’s a Family” video and participate in corresponding lessons. For more information: Contact Support Services for LGBTQ Students at 242.2615 May is Summer Safety and Activities Month. This month’s School Health Program campaign focuses on preparing for a healthy and fun summer break. Summer fun means staying safe, active and healthy. Families will be provided information on a variety of local summer programs. Teachers will receive information on how students can stay safe and healthy during the summer months. The May Healthy Spotlight is Sun Safety and Skin Cancer Awareness. Asset Building Focus: SUPPORT Asset # 3- Other Adult Relationships, #5- Caring School Climate, #6-Parent Involvement in Schooling: In your parent/guardian newsletter capture student successes, school highlights and inform families of end of the year events. Share Summer Resource List with students and families. End the year on a positive note by encouraging Asset Building Strategies so youth feel supported in the transition from school to the summer months. Asset Building Activities: Asset #3, #5, #6- Celebrate students’ accomplishments individually and school-wide to end the year focusing on students’ strengths and successes. Encourage teachers and school staff to acknowledge success through cards, awards, assemblies or letters home to parents. Asset #3, #5, #6- Studies show that students fall behind in academics significantly during the summer. Create summer activities lists with your students. Have students brainstorm activities they can do over the summer to build upon their skills. Compile this information and distribute it to students and families to encourage fun skill building activities over the summer. Asset #3, #5- Complete Transition Plans for graduating 5th and 8th graders who need extra support and caring relationships from adults at their new school. Contact School Health Programs Department at (415) 242-2615 for forms and more information. Asset #3, #5, #6- Refer students and families to summer school and summer activities from School Health Programs Department’s summer resource list. ►Refer to the Resource Page of Health Awareness Weekly Administrative Directives (WAD) for additional curriculum and specific lessons for Health Awareness months ►Use the developed lesson plans for each Health Awareness Event located in this binder and at www.healthiersf.org. Event Plan Event____________________________________________ Event Date_______________ YOWs_______________________________________________________________________ Step One: What needs to get done to make your event happen? What needs to happen before the event, the day of the event, after the event? To-Do: Who’s doing it? When? Step Two: Review & Revise Plan with Mentor & Youth Outreach Coordinator Step Three: Calendar – Put all of your to-do’s in a timeline and add them to your work calendar. M> Special Projects Advertising Club: YOWs develop a video advertising club to create and film commercials around the various wellness issues and services they want to address and air it on campus TV or on-line. Remember to do the image release forms! ATLAS & ATHENA: This is a peer-led sports nutrition program sponsored by the NFL to help high school athletes train without the use of steroids. YOWs in sports are eligible to train other athletes to be squad leaders for their teams and run a squad of their own through the curriculum. Cultural Clubs: YOWs could help coordinate a cultural club and ensure that projects occur that will educate the community and addresses issues the group may face in the community. Diversity Action League: This is a coalition between cultural club leaders to assist in promoting underrepresented cultures, advise each other on effective or ineffective projects, collaborate on joint projects or simply unify the groups by working together to execute each others events. YOWs could coordinate meetings, plan a joint event, and advocate for the clubs needs on campus or in the community with the assistance of their local Beacon Centers. Gay-Straight Alliance: This is a youth leadership organization that connects schools to community resources around issues of romantic freedom. The goals are to create safe environments at school, educate the community, and end harassment. YOWs could take leadership in the school club to ensure its continuance and assist the HPC in organizing events such as National Coming Out Day or Day of Silence. Peer Resources: YOWs involved with Peer Resources can take a more active role and become and/or help manage Conflict Mediators, Peer Mentors, Peer Tutors, Peer Counselors, or whatever programs are being implemented by Peer Resources at your site. If there is interest in a non-existing program, YOWs can seek aid from Peer Resources, Wellness Center, or Counseling Department to make it happen. Interns in those departments may be seeking a special project. Physical Activity Clubs: YOWs could create and/or lead clubs that promote physical activity. Such clubs include Biking, Break Dance, Hiking, Hip Hop, Rock Climbing, Yoga. PTSA: YOWs could get involved with the school’s Parent Teacher Student Association and assess the needs of families around health and wellness and assist the Wellness Center to bring resources to do presentations and workshops. YOWs can also keep the PTSA informed about what is new and available at the Wellness Centers. Random Acts of Kindness Club: YOWs can promote a climate of conscious kindness within their school by developing this club. On-line resources are available at http://www.actsofkindness.org/ Resource Specialist: YOWs can assist the Wellness Center in publicizing and maintaining information on what is available in the community, such as jobs, volunteer opportunities, classes, workshops, and events. Sports Medicine Club: YOWs can assist UCSF’s Playsafe Program in establishing a sports medicine club on campus that will teach youth about athletic training and injury care. Students will also be given opportunities to intern at the school site or UCSF. A Red Cross Club would be similar project.
