Paw Prints to Learning
Teach young people about animal welfare and how they CAN make a difference in animals' lives.
Activity
At-a-Glance
Time:
30 minutes
Materials:
- Letter paper
- Markers
- Pen or pencil
- Construction paper
- Stamps
- Mailing envelopes
Physical Setting:
Table and chairs to facilitate writing/drawing activity
Youth Workers
Sending Our Message to the Mayor: S.W.A.H.*
From Community Partnerships with Youth Inc.
Youth as Trustees
Youth as Trustees
*Sealed with a hug!
Purpose:
- To affirm their stake in the community as community trustees.
- To share this role and the action to be taken to demonstrate trusteeship with the mayor.
- To begin developing the guiding principle that “youth are valuable resources” to a community.
Activity:
- The facilitator tells the group that the community should be aware of its trustees and suggests communicating that. Facilitator notes that there are several ways to increase awareness, including sending a letter, drawing a picture or composing a poem or song about your project.
- Facilitator distributes pens, paper and markers, explaining that participants may select writing or drawing.
- Facilitator allows 15 to 20 minutes to complete messages.
- Facilitator brings the participants back together and asks
them to form a large circle.
Suggestion: Play Michael Jackson’s song, “Heal the World” or Whitney Houston’s “I Believe the Children are Our Future.” - Facilitator asks for volunteers to share their writing or drawings. After each one shares, facilitator gives him or her an envelope addressed to the mayor and a stamp.
- Facilitator asks that the messages be placed in a box in the front of the room.
- After gathering the participants into a circle, facilitator says
that there is one last thing that appears on lots of letters —
those are the X’s for kisses and O’s for hugs. Facilitator asks participants to put their arms around the waists of participants on either side of them. Facilitator says that, at the count of three, everyone will take one giant step inward for a “great big (name of your community) hug!” - After the training, the facilitator mails the “messages to the
mayor,” sealed with a community hug.
Variations/Options:
Left-Right-Left Activity
Before the community hug, the facilitator might ask participants to think of one new idea, skill or awareness learned through trustee training. Facilitator asks participants to form a circle. Facilitator starts the group moving to the right and, when someone wants to share a learning, the circle stops moving and everyone listens. The person who shares then says “left” or “right” and the circle moves in that direction until the next person shares. When all who volunteer have shared, then finish with the community hug!
