MY FAMILY, MY GROUP

Age group:

13–66

Keywords:

Family Structure, Social Dynamics.

Time required:

45 minutes Number of people: Minimum 10, maximum 30

Equipment, materials, and space needed:

Board and marker, tables,

cards for team building, paper and pen. Activity explored and suggested by: Escola Profissional de Agricultura e Desenvolvimento Rural de Marco de Canaveses - Portugal.

Aim of the method: To understand the importance of communication and maintenance and respect about the rules defined in any group, mostly in family setting.

Preparation: Cut the shapes for the activity (given below).

DESCRIPTION

INTRO The facilitator contextualizes the activity within the scope of the concrete context where the session takes place, the contents, the educational process and/or the group concerned. The facilitator presents him or herself and gives the group members the opportunity to introduce themselves and share their experiences as well as their expectations for the activity.

EXPERIENCE The facilitator asks the participants to set two tables in the centre of the room and choose if they want to participate or observe (considering the minimum number of people needed). After the participants choose who plays and who observes, the facilitator organises the participants in groups with the same size (minimum 3, maximum 5 participants per group), and briefly reminds the importance of communication and respect for the rules defined in a group. The facilitator clearly explains the rules: the previously cut sets of pieces are distributed between the teams, and the facilitator explains that each participant needs to build a square with only 3 pieces. In order to be able to build the square, each player can only GIVE and RECEIVE pieces of paper, which are going to be passed in a circular manner, clockwise, by all the players, who cannot change the order by which the pieces circulate. Whoever finishes stays quiet in its place, with the square build in his or her front, on the table, waiting that the remaining players complete the task. No one can talk during the exercise, neither help the colleagues, in any manner. The team that concludes it the sooner, in a correct way and following the rules, wins. The participants that observe are supposed to register how the process develops, how the others behave, and if the team followed or not the rules, and what time the exercise ended.

DEBRIEFING Ask the participants to express themselves about the exercise: what did they experienced, was it easy or difficult and how did they feel when they finished. Allow for each team to share, as well as the observers. Ask how you can build something as a team, if the rules are individual…

GENERALIZATION AND INPUT Reinforce how, in a group, it is important to exercise communication competences and follow the defined rules, establishing a parallel with family, bigger or smaller social group (using a the exercise as a metaphor for a meal in the family).

ACTING AND FOLLOW UP Ask them that from then on, they start to notice the most important family rules that no one even questions anymore or that almost all the elements in the family follow without the need of speaking about it.

Shapes to be cut, considering as basic size an A4 sheet of paper (each square thus corresponds to approximately 2/3 of an A4 sheet of paper).