• Set up a circle of chairs for the number of participants, minus one.

Have participants explore ways they connect with one another, using a game of fruit basket.

To play "regular" Fruit Basket, invite the group to sit in chairs in a circle, except for one person who will be "It" and stand in the center. "It" calls out a word or a phrase that applies to "It," and everybody else to whom the word or phrase applies jumps up and scrambles, along with "It," to sit in an empty chair. The person left standing becomes the new "It" and calls out a new word or phrase. Anybody leaving a chair must find a new one to sit in.

In Connection Fruit Basket, "It" must chose a word or phrase showing how two or more people in the game may connect with each other. For example, "It" might say "I live on Bridge Street" or "I go to X school" and all others who live on Bridge Street or attend the same school respond. This helps youth discover connections among them. "I like" phrases are good, because they reveal similar interests that individuals share but may not know about. Connection fruit basket is particularly good for groups whose participants do not know each other well.

After playing, ask youth if they discovered connections they did not previously know existed. How does this make them feel?

If physical limitations prevent some participants from jumping up and running to empty chairs, find another way to share common interests. One possibility is simply to have each person in turn say "I like to _____," and letting others who like the same thing say, "Me, too."