Tapestry of Faith: Heeding the Call: A Program on Justicemaking for Junior High School Youth

Introduction

The sharing of joy, whether physical, emotional, psychic, or intellectual, forms a bridge between the sharers which can be the basis for understanding much of what is not shared between them, and lessens the threat of their difference. — Audre Lorde

In this workshop youth explore the importance of joy, laughter and play in healing and nurturing our world. Joy might seem like an odd quality to link to social justice work. However, if we realize how important it is to have joy in our lives we see that giving joy to others can be a motivating factor in justice work. Participants are introduced to Sarah Foster, a lifelong Unitarian Universalist who is also a professional clown. She has traveled to meet and greet the children of Haiti, Swaziland, and South Africa as an ambassador of joy, laughter and play. Through this workshop, youth will not only understand the necessity of joy and laughter, but increase their capacity to share joy with others.

Goals

This workshop will:

  • Identify joy as a quality needed to bring about a more just world
  • Explore the medical benefits of laughter
  • Create a mural of joyful experiences.

Learning Objectives

Participants will:

  • See joy as an important quality in justice making and imagine ways to feel more joyful and spread joy to others
  • Identify and appreciate what brings them personal joy
  • Identify humor as a tool for diffusing conflict and healing from trauma
  • Understand the importance of joy and laughter for children and youth around the world
  • Have fun!