One isn't necessarily born with courage, but one is born with potential. Without courage, we cannot practice any other virtue with consistency. We can't be kind, true, merciful, generous, or honest. — Maya Angelou

This session introduces and encourages the virtue of courage, and defines it as the ability to stand up for what we believe is right despite our fears. It also relates to the sixth Unitarian Universalist Principle — the goal of world community with peace, liberty and justice for all — as it calls the children to find the courage to work toward this goal. An African folk tale introduces the children to a young woman who finds the courage to stand up to a hungry lion to save her cousin. The children will then be guided to remember times when they have found the courage to do something risky. Through a kinesthetic game the children will be introduced to assertiveness techniques to feel more empowered to express themselves when conscience calls. They will end by expressing, by drawing, a situation in which they would like to see themselves being more courageous. "Courage" will be added to the Moral Compass.

Goals

This session will:

• Give participants an opportunity to share acts of goodness that they have done (or witnessed)
• Provide a forum for children to hear peers share stories about courage and articulate their own
• Encourage participants to imagine themselves feeling more courageous in a situation that they are concerned about
• Help participants understand courage as an act of goodness
• Guide participants' understanding of the role of conscience and compassion in inspiring one to act with courage.
• Strengthen participants' connection to and sense of responsibility to their faith community.

Learning Objectives

Participants will:

• Participate in an adaptation of the Gems of Goodness exercise with an optional focus on courage
• Engage with a story in which a character takes a risk when compelled by conscience and compassion
• Practice feeling and acting more assertive and courageous
• Imagine and express themselves acting with courage, in a drawing to share with the group
• Experience co-operative clean-up and opening and closing rituals.