HEEDING THE CALL
A Tapestry of Faith Program for Youth
WORKSHOP 1: THE CALL FOR AWARENESS
2010
BY NICOLE BOWMER AND JODI THARAN
© Copyright 2010 Unitarian Universalist Association.
Published to the Web on 9/29/2014 7:23:10 PM PST.
This program and additional resources are available on the UUA.org web site at
www.uua.org/religiouseducation/curricula/tapestryfaith.
WORKSHOP OVERVIEW
INTRODUCTION
Who thinks of justice unless he knows injustice? — Diane Glancy, Cherokee poet, from Lone Dog's Winter Count, 1991
Welcome to Heeding the Call! Throughout these workshops, youth explore some of the qualities that help us create a better world and experience how these qualities are reflected in their lives. They are encouraged to grow these qualities and use them in the world.
This workshop helps youth see themselves as social activists or justice makers. It explores the first quality: awareness. Youth become more aware of their personal history of justice work and how awareness can influence their commitment to this work. This workshop also introduces the Justicemakers Guide and other important program elements. Make sure you read the Introduction sections Implementation and Before You Start to help you decide how youth will interact with the guide.
GOALS
This workshop will:
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Participants will:
WORKSHOP-AT-A-GLANCE
Activity | Minutes |
Opening | 10 |
Activity 1: Story — Babies in the River | 10 |
Activity 2: Spheres of Influence | 15 |
Activity 3: Tag-a-long | 10 |
Activity 4: Introduction to the Justicemakers Guide | 10 |
Faith in Action: Activists Interviews | |
Closing | 5 |
Alternate Activity 1: Activist Alphabiography | 25 |
Alternate Activity 2: Points to Ponder | 20 |
Alternate Activity 3: Perceptions Matter | 15 |
SPIRITUAL PREPARATION
Take some time to consider your understanding of injustice. Pick up a copy of a local newspaper or check an online news source such as National Public Radio or UU World. Which stories are about injustice from your perspective? Unitarian Universalists have a long history of working for justice. Do any examples of social justice work come to mind? In 2009, the Standing on the Side of Love campaign was launched to promote the inherent worth and dignity of every person, a Unitarian Universalist Principle that informs our social justice work. This campaign asks, "What does 'standing on the side of love' mean to you?" How would you answer this question? How will working with youth influence your understanding of both justice and injustice?
WORKSHOP PLAN
OPENING (10 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
Gather the group in a circle. Explain that each workshop will begin with a chalice lighting and an opportunity for silent reflection. Light the chalice, or invite a participant to do so, and recruit a volunteer to read the chalice lighting words:
As the illumination of this chalice starts with a single spark, so may our journey toward justice-making be sparked by our thoughts and deeds today and our time together in the upcoming days.
Ask the group to reflect silently on the words. End the silence with "So be it," or other appropriate words.
Welcome youth to Heeding the Call. Introduce yourself and your co-leader and then invite all participants to introduce themselves. After introductions, say, in your own words:
In these workshops, we will focus on social justice and ways to heed the call for greater justice in our world for everyone. As Unitarian Universalists, we inherit a strong tradition of doing good works. You have been hearing about social justice and serving the community for years, in this congregation, and in your school and family. What words or images come to mind when you think about heeding the call for social justice?
Take responses from the group. Point out the slips of papers on the chalice table. Tell participants that these are what some other people have said about justice. Invite youth to pick out and read as many as time allows. Ask participants which quotes resonant with them and why.
ACTIVITY 1: STORY — BABIES IN THE RIVER (10 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
Youth will hear a story about the importance of being aware of the world around them.
Read or tell the story. Ask for answers to the questions at the end of the story. Use these additional questions to spark a discussion about different aspects of justice work: providing humanitarian relief as well as looking at root causes of injustice.
Say, in your own words:
Some people never see injustice in the world. Maybe they do not know how to recognize it or maybe they are too focused on their own lives. Author Douglas Adams, in his book Life, the Universe, and Everything, describes this as a SEP, or Somebody Else's Problem. He says a SEP is something we can't see, or don't see, or our brain doesn't let us see, because we think that it's somebody else's problem. The brain just edits it out—it's like a blind spot. Even if you look at it directly you may not see it unless you know what it is. Your only hope is to catch it by surprise out of the corner of your eye. This is because it relies on people's natural predisposition not to see anything they don't want to, weren't expecting, or can't explain.
Some people see injustice, but ignore it thinking it is not their problem or that someone else will handle it. Others see terrible things happening and they organize to help the people affected. Still others are like the villager who decides to head upstream, find, and try to eradicate the root cause. They want to stop the babies from getting in the river in the first place. The reality is that we need both of these last types: we need people to provide services to fulfill needs right now and we need justicemakers who work to make sure all people have equal access to the resources they need to fill their needs. We need many people, working together and working separately, to bring about true change in the world.
Everything in the story started with the villager who saw the babies and realized there was a problem. Being aware of injustice is the first step toward creating a more just, peaceful world for everyone. Getting babies out of a river is an extreme example. Other injustices may not be life threatening. They may not be as obvious as the injustice in the story. Today we are going to talk about awareness. Awareness is the first step: you need to be aware of injustice before you can do anything to correct it.
Ask the group what kind of injustices they are aware of. If participants have difficulty naming injustices, ask them to think about groups of people who are oppressed in our society: people who do not enjoy all the rights and freedoms of our country or do not have access to opportunities. They could think about youth who are picked on at school. They could think about some of the causes the congregation advocates for and embraces. Let them know that during the workshops you will discuss some injustices, like racism and classism. Ask if there are other injustices they are concerned about and would like to discuss. If they offer suggestions, write them down and make sure to include them as topics of discussion in later workshops. If activities discussing these injustices are not in the program, there are ways to add them. See the Introduction for ideas.
Including All Participants
Have enough copies of the story to share so that visual learners can follow along. Include a large-type version.
ACTIVITY 2: SPHERES OF INFLUENCE (15 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
This activity examines how one person can influence others to work for justice.
Remind participants that awareness is a first step toward social justice. However, we do not want to be aware simply to say, "I see injustice." After seeing it, people need to do something about it. Sometimes, you can directly address injustice. At other times, you need help.
Show the diagram to the group. Remind them that the story was an example of how one person, seeing an injustice, made big changes. This is because we all have the power not only to act directly, but also to influence others. The diagram is one way to illustrate this influence.
Explain that the inner circle is the sphere of Self. Write "Self" next to the inner circle. Ask participants to name ways they influence themselves to create more good in the world. If they do not mention these ways, add them to the poster:
Invite participants to give specific examples of ways to educate themselves for social justice.
Label the next circle "Close Family and Friends". Point out that this sphere is composed of those closest to them. Ask for ways they influence their family and friends, making sure to include:
Invite participants to name people who have mentored and supported them in justice work.
The next circle is the sphere of "School and Congregational Life." Label it and say that this sphere includes other groups to which the individual belongs. As the group names ways they can influence this sphere, make sure to include:
Invite participants to tell about a justice or community service activity sponsored by a group to which they belong.
Label the outer circle "Community." This circle includes groups to which they may not have intimate ties. It includes cities, states, nations, and the world. How can youth influence this sphere? Remind them to:
Remind participants that most importantly, to influence all spheres, they must open their eyes and be aware. Say that you hope youth will continue to practice awareness.
ACTIVITY 3: TAG-A-LONG (10 MINUTES)
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
Youth illustrate influencing others with a game.
Invite participants to play a game of tag. This is a variation, called "tag-a-long." In tag-a-long, when "it" catches you, you join hands and become part of "it." The first person caught will join hands with "it," the next person holds hands with the first one caught, and so on, forming a chain of "its". Play continues until everyone is part of "it."
After playing, ask the group if this game has anything in common with the other activities today. They will probably mention the Spheres of Influence. Ask if the game has anything to do with "awareness." Mention the idea that their perspectives play a part in what they become aware of. Ask if their perspectives and awareness were different when they were runners from when they were "it"?
ACTIVITY 4: INTRODUCTION TO THE JUSTICEMAKERS GUIDE (10 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Option 1
Option 2
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
Participants receive the first pages of the Justicemakers Guide, a tool to help them use information from the workshops in their daily lives.
Option 1:
Pass out Handout 1, Justicemakers Guide. Tell youth that these are the first pages. Additional pages will be added later. Say in your own words:
This is your own, personal Heeding the Call Justicemakers Guide. You can put your name on the front (or folder or report cover). The guide will contain tools we will explore in our workshops, like the Spheres of Influence, which you can use as you go about your daily lives, outside of our meeting space, as a reminder to be mindful or aware that your actions influence the actions of others.
There are other tools for doing social justice work that we will encounter in later workshops. You will receive those tools on additional pages of your Justicemakers Guide. Let's look at the other sections of the guide.
Look at the section, "Seen, Thought, and Done." This is a place for you to make note of actions of justice or injustice you see in the world and the thoughts you may have and actions you may take to remedy injustice or support justice.
Remind youth that often justice is about making sure everybody has the opportunity to have their needs met. As justice makers, they can help people meet those needs. Justice actions do not have to be big. Helping one person with one need brings everyone closer to the kind of world we want to create. Ask youth for examples they might encounter in everyday life. Say that there will be time during every workshop to share their experiences, but they may pass.. Writing in the guide is first and foremost for their personal use.
Ask participants to turn to the "Workshop Reflections" section. Here they can make notes on anything that happened during the workshop that they wish to remember or refer back to later.
Note the blank section, which youth can use any way they wish. They might include souvenirs or mementos from justice activities they participate in. They might draw or write poetry. It is their choice.
Ask youth to bring their guide to every workshop. If you have emails for participants, consider emailing youth the day before to remind them.
Option 2:
Go over the same sections as above, showing them on the computer. Give participants a CD. Inform them that the CDs include the sections you described. They can save the guide to a computer or keep it on the CD. As additional tools are explored in future workshops, they will be sent to youth electronically. You may either send them via email or post them on a website (the church's website, your own blog or Facebook page, or a site created especially for Heeding the Call). Make sure there is a system in place to notify participants when a new guide page is ready.
CLOSING (5 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Description of Activity
Invite youth to stand in a circle. Thank everyone for their contributions to the group. Pass out Taking It Home and explain that it contains ideas for ways they can continue to explore workshop topics with family and friends. End the workshop with these words:
May we leave here more aware of the feelings and needs around us and within us.
FAITH IN ACTION: ACTIVISTS INTERVIEWS
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
Youth discover what people, places, and things shape the lives of other activists.
Ask youth to choose someone who has worked to make the world a better place. It can be an activist in the congregation, the community, or in their own family. It could be a peer or someone they heard about on the news. Have a list of suggestions ready for youth who need them.
Participants will then contact the activist and ask for an interview. Interviews should take place in public and preferably with adult supervision. Consult your congregation's safety policy and the families of participants for guidelines. Conduct the interview by means of the alphabiography detailed in Alternate Activity 1. If the group wishes to post these alphabiographies at the church or in a newsletter article, get permission from the interviewee beforehand.
Convene the group after the interviews and follow-up with these questions:
LEADER REFLECTION AND PLANNING
Launching this series of workshops presents wonderful opportunities and challenges. How did youth respond to the structure of the workshop as you facilitated it? What would you like to do to prepare for the next workshop now that you have laid this foundation? Do you think youth understood how to use the Justicemakers Guide? Educating ourselves about issues is an important starting point in social justice work. Spend some time completing this sentence, "Today I learned... " What did you as co-leaders learn from the youth?
TAKING IT HOME
Who thinks of justice unless he knows injustice?
— Diane Glancy, Cherokee poet
In Today's Workshop...
We heard a story about the importance of being aware, both with what we are experiencing firsthand and with the root causes of what we are experiencing. We also discovered a way to imagine how we influence each other. We received a Justicemakers Guide to assist us in justice making in our daily lives.
Here are some ways you can share today's topic:
Awareness
Increase your spheres of influence
Justicemakers Guide
ALTERNATE ACTIVITY 1: ACTIVIST ALPHABIOGRAPHY (25 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Description of Activity
This activity encourages participants to reflect on their lives and the experiences that have made them aware of who they are and their social justice activity. This activity is based on "Alphabiography Project: Totally You (at www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/alphabiography-project-totally-937.html)" from the website Read Write Think (at www.readwritethink.org/). Used by permission.
Distribute paper and pencils.
Invite youth to name any biographies they have had to write in school (about Presidents, etc.). Explain that they will create an activist biography about their own lives—the people, places, things, and events that have shaped their awareness of themselves and the justice and injustice that exists in the world—that is, their social justice identity. Acknowledge that participants have not had many years yet to act against injustice. Still, they have had experiences—some of which come easily to mind and others that do not.
Ask participants to think about times they became aware of injustice. When were they in situations like the people in the story—where wrong was taking place? Did anyone point out the situation or urge them to help? Maybe they marched for peace, gave to a justice fundraiser, or gathered signatures to support legislation. They might have read about discrimination in history class or seen a movie about the experiences of a minority. Let participants take a moment to note these experiences on one side of their paper.
Let them know that this biography has a twist. It's an "alphabiography" so they will be writing about a person, place, thing, or event for as many letters of the alphabet as possible. Start with "A" and think of a person, place, thing or event that influenced how they think of social justice that begins with the letter "A." Example might include "Americans of Japanese descent were interred in camps during World War II" or "Amy Jones organized a demonstration at our congregation against the war in Iraq" or "Airport security screens men of Arab descent more often than men of European descent." Help youth find an answer to "A," then invite the group to continue on their own or working with friends. As they go through the alphabet, they should not feel they have to have an entry for every letter. Continue for fifteen minutes.
When fifteen minutes have passed, invite them to discuss what it feels like to write about oneself in this way. What kind of memories occurred during their writing? Were there many people and events that have shaped their views of social justice or do they need more?
ALTERNATE ACTIVITY 2: POINTS TO PONDER (20 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
Youth consider points of view—some may be different from their own and others they might share. They will indicate whether they agree, disagree or are unsure about the views.
Remind youth that part of being aware includes recognizing that there are many different ways of viewing a situation.
Read one point from Leader Resource 3, Do You Agree? and ask youth to move to a sign that best expresses their view. Ask for volunteers to explain why they stood where they did. After explanations, if youth want to change their positions, they may do so.
Continue the process with as many points as you choose.
Ask youth for general observations about the activity and how they felt sharing their opinions on the topics. Guide a whole-group discussion using some or all of the following questions:
ALTERNATE ACTIVITY 3: PERCEPTIONS MATTER (15 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
Youth question the power of perceptions.
Hand out index cards. Tell the group you are going to show them an image. Some of them may have seen it before; if they have, ask them to play along as if they had not. Pass Leader Resource 4, Vanity, around the group, instructing them to hold the image at arm's length, look at it quickly, pass it on, and write down on the index card what they saw. Collect all the cards and read them aloud. Tell participants that this is an optical illusion called "Vanity." If no one saw the skull, point it out to the group. Pass the image around again. How many youth saw the skull? How many saw the lady? How many youth saw both images? Discuss the title of the illusion and why it represents a woman at her vanity and a skull.
Ask participants what perceptions or first impressions have to do with awareness. Invite youth to share examples of a time they thought one thing was happening, but actually something else was taking place, or a time that they misjudged or "pre-judged" someone based upon first impression. If you have an example, share it with the group to start the conversation. Affirm that everyone does this and it does not make you a bad person. Our brains are wired to sometimes make snap judgments. It becomes a problem when we always make snap judgments or when our judgments are so engrained that we cannot change our minds, even when confronted with evidence to the contrary or an equally valid "truth." Note that the drawing is a lady at her vanity, but it is also a human skull.
HEEDING THE CALL: WORKSHOP 1:
STORY: BABIES IN THE RIVER
Once upon a time, there was a small village on the edge of a river. Life in the village was busy. There were people growing food and people teaching the children to make blankets and people making meals.
One day a villager took a break from harvesting food and noticed a baby floating down the river toward the village. She couldn't believe her eyes! She heard crying in the distance and looked downstream to see that two babies had already floated by the village. She looked around at the other villagers working nearby. "Does anyone else see that baby?" she asked.
One villager heard the woman, but continued working. "Yes!" yelled a man who had been making soup.
"Oh, this is terrible!" A woman who had been building a campfire shouted, "Look, there are even more upstream!" Indeed, there were three more babies coming around the bend.
"How long have these babies been floating by?" asked another villager. No one knew for sure, but some people thought they might have seen something in the river earlier. They were busy at the time and did not have time to investigate.
They quickly organized themselves to rescue the babies. Watchtowers were built on both sides of the shore and swimmers were coordinated to maintain shifts of rescue teams that maintained 24-hour surveillance of the river. Ziplines with baskets attached were stretched across the river to get even more babies to safety quickly.
The number of babies floating down the river only seemed to increase. The villagers built orphanages and they taught even more children to make blankets and they increased the amount of food they grew to keep the babies housed, warm and fed. Life in the village carried on.
Then one day at a meeting of the Village Council, a villager asked, "But where are all these babies coming from?"
"No one knows," said another villager. "But I say we organize a team to go upstream and find how who's throwing these babies in the river."
Not everyone was in agreement. "But we need people to help us pull the babies out of the river," said one villager. "That's right!" said another villager. "And who will be here to cook for them and look after them if a bunch of people go upstream?"
The Council chose to let the village decide. If you were a villager, what would your vote be? Do you send a team upstream?
HEEDING THE CALL: WORKSHOP 1:
HANDOUT 1: JUSTICEMAKERS GUIDE
Print out the handout for Option 1, where youth keep the guide on paper. If using Option 2, cut and paste to a CD.
Heeding the Call Justicemakers Guide (Word) (at www.uua.org/documents/tapestry/heeding_the_call_jmguide.doc)
HEEDING THE CALL: WORKSHOP 1:
HANDOUT 1: PAGE 2 JUSTICEMAKERS GUIDE
Print out the handout for Option 1, where youth keep the guide on paper. If using Option 2, cut and paste to a CD.
HEEDING THE CALL: WORKSHOP 1:
HANDOUT 1: PAGE 3 JUSTICEMAKERS GUIDE
Print out the handout for Option 1, where youth keep the guide on paper. If using Option 2, cut and paste to a CD.
HEEDING THE CALL: WORKSHOP 1:
HANDOUT 1: PAGE 4 JUSTICEMAKERS GUIDE
Print out the handout for Option 1, where youth keep the guide on paper. If using Option 2, cut and paste to a CD.
HEEDING THE CALL: WORKSHOP 1:
HANDOUT 1: PAGE 5 JUSTICEMAKERS GUIDE
Print out the handout for Option 1, where youth keep the guide on paper. If using Option 2, cut and paste to a CD.
HEEDING THE CALL: WORKSHOP 1:
HANDOUT 1: PAGE 6 JUSTICEMAKERS GUIDE
Print out the handout for Option 1, where youth keep the guide on paper. If using Option 2, cut and paste to a CD.
HEEDING THE CALL: WORKSHOP 1:
HANDOUT 1: PAGE 7 JUSTICEMAKERS GUIDE
Print out the handout for Option 1, where youth keep the guide on paper. If using Option 2, cut and paste to a CD.
HEEDING THE CALL: WORKSHOP 1:
HANDOUT 1: PAGE 8 JUSTICEMAKERS GUIDE
Print out the handout for Option 1, where youth keep the guide on paper. If using Option 2, cut and paste to a CD.
HEEDING THE CALL: WORKSHOP 1:
HANDOUT 1: PAGE 9 JUSTICEMAKERS GUIDE
Print out the handout for Option 1, where youth keep the guide on paper. If using Option 2, cut and paste to a CD.
HEEDING THE CALL: WORKSHOP 1:
LEADER RESOURCE 1: JUSTICE QUOTES
Who thinks of justice unless he knows injustice? — Diane Glancy, Cherokee poet
When a just cause reaches its flood-tide... whatever stands in the way must fall before its overwhelming power. — Carrie Chapman Catt, suffragette
Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. — Martin Luther King, Jr. (at www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/m/martinluth122559.html)
Charity is no substitute for justice withheld. — Saint Augustine (at www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/s/saintaugus148531.html)
Justice cannot be for one side alone, but must be for both. — Eleanor Roosevelt (at www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/e/eleanorroo109474.html)
Justice is what love sounds like when it speaks in public. — Michael Eric Dyson
Freedom and justice cannot be parceled out in pieces to suit political convenience. I don't believe you can stand for freedom for one group of people and deny it to others. — Coretta Scott King (at www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/c/corettasco401224.html)
If you want peace work for justice. — Pope Paul VI (at www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/p/popepaulvi159653.html)
The voice of the majority is no proof of justice. — Friedrich Schiller (at www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/f/friedrichs154953.html), German poet and philosopher
Justice is like the Kingdom of God—it is not without us as a fact, it is within us as a great yearning. — George Eliot (pen name for Mary Anne Evans), author
War will never yield but to the principles of universal justice and love. — William Ellery Channing Unitarian minister and author
HEEDING THE CALL: WORKSHOP 1:
LEADER RESOURCE 2: SPHERES DIAGRAM
From Teaching for Diversity and Social Justice: A Sourcebook by Maurianne Adams, Lee Anne Bell, Pat Griffin (New York: Routledge Press, 2007).
Copy the diagram on newsprint, but not the accompanying text. You will provide the text in the course of the activity.
The inner circle is the sphere of Self.
The next circle -- going out from the center circle - is the sphere of Close Family & Friends.
The next circle is the sphere of School & Congregational Life.
The outer circle is the sphere of Community.
Spheres of Influence
The Spectrum of Oppression:
Supporting Oppression
Confronting Oppression
Created by P. Griffin and B. Harra, 1982.
Becoming an Ally
What Is an Ally?
An ally is a member of the agent social group who takes a stand against social injustice directed at target groups (Whites who speak out against racism, men who are anti-sexist). An ally works to be an agent of social change rather than an agent of oppression. When a form of oppression has multiple target groups, as do racism, ableism, and heterosexism, target group members can be allies to other targeted social groups they are not part of (lesbians can be allies to bisexual people, African American people can be allies to Native Americans, blind people can be allies to people who use wheelchairs).
Characteristics of an Ally
HEEDING THE CALL: WORKSHOP 1:
LEADER RESOURCE 3: DO YOU AGREE?
Parents should carefully monitor how their children use the Internet.
School violence is a major problem in this country.
Bullying is a normal part of adolescent behavior.
Prejudiced people cannot be changed.
Jokes that focus on ethnicity, race, or sexual orientation reinforce prejudice.
Women have the same opportunities as men in the United States.
The media unfairly portrays gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people.
The United States needs to control immigration.
The United States is a classless society.
It is natural for people to compete for resources and there is nothing we can do to stop this competition.
HEEDING THE CALL: WORKSHOP 1:
LEADER RESOURCE 4: VANITY
By Charles Allan Gilbert, American Illustrator (1873 — 1929).
FIND OUT MORE
Social justice
The Alphabiography Activity was adapted from an activity by Read-Write-Think (at www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=937), a collaborative effort from the International Reading Association and the National Council of Teachers of English.
The Free Child Project (at www.freechild.org/index.htm)—an organization that provides tools and training to help young people engage in social action—has a long list of social justice organizations; It is not exhaustive, but it gives you a good idea of the organizations addressing different needs. The website also includes an online social justice resource for youth called Activist Learning.
Awareness
Blink, by sociologist Malcolm Gladwell (New York: Little Brown, 2005), is about how and why we pre-judge and what we can do about it.
Optical Illusions
See more optical illusions at teachnet.com (at www.teachnet.com/powertools/entertain/puzzles/001907illusions/illusion3.html).
Quote
The Internet Public Library has a short biography of poet Diane Glancy (at www.ipl.org/div/natam/bin/browse.pl/A35)