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

Faith In Action: Activists Interviews

Materials for Activity

  • 8.5 X 11 pieces of colorful poster board and tape
  • Lined paper and pens

Preparation for Activity

  • Read the description for Alternate Activity 1, Activist Alphabiography.

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:

  • Did you find out anything surprising?
  • Are there any common threads in the alphabiographies?
  • Was there anyone who said they were not shaped by anything, but had done all their work alone?
  • Are there any new insights you have about what factors shape our social justice identity?