Activity 2: Environmental Justice Tea Party
Part of Heeding the Call
Activity time: 25 minutes
Materials for Activity
- Handout 1, Questionnaire
- Leader Resource 1, Environmental Justice Tea Party Introduction and Roles
- Pens or pencils
- Cups, spoons and teapot
- A choice of herbal teas and honey
Preparation for Activity
- Cut apart the roles in Leader Resource 1, Environmental Justice Tea Party Introduction and Roles.
- Boil water and place in a teapot or another safe container.
Description of Activity
Youth explore the influence of imagination-and lack of imagination-with a real-world issue.
Discuss the state of the environment with participants. Ask them what they already know about global warming.
Say that in this activity, in the spirit of "make tea, not war," youth will play roles at a tea party. They will talk with each youth (also in their roles) as they answer the questions in Handout 1, Questionnaire. Distribute roles. Encourage youth to make tea.
Start the tea party by reading the introduction in Leader Resource 1. Ask everyone to introduce themselves, in the roles they have been given. After everyone has been introduced, give the group 15 minutes to mingle and work on their questionnaire.
Following the tea party, invite youth to gather in a circle and share their answers. Were there reoccurring themes? Discuss the creative collaborative actions youth wrote. Are they realistic? Would they work?