Purpose
To identify relationships between inner motivations, promptings and resources, and action for change.
Time: 45 minutes
Materials: Flipchart, pens, post-its, rucksack/bag (or big picture of a rucksack/bag)
Related tool: Spirituality, activism and me
Preparation
Print out a list of the three questions (below), with enough copies for one for each participant. Consider your own answers to them.
- How do I become aware of my inner prompting/ motivation to action? e.g. through spiritual practice, books, inspirational people, friends/ relationships, emotional response, (and where that comes from), through action, etc.
- How is that linked to action? What do I experience as initiating things – is there a cycle of inner prompting to outer action or outer events prompting inner reflection?
- How do I sustain my commitment? What keeps me doing this? What inner resources do I call upon?
Description
Explain the purpose of this activity and divide the group into smaller groups of 3-4. Say that you have 3 questions to consider and share.
Reflect in silence before first person shares (creative listening style).
1) What ways do I become aware of my inner prompting/ motivation to action? eg spiritual practice, being in nature, books, inspirational people, friends/ relationships, emotional response (and where that comes from), through action …
2) How is that linked to action? What do I experience as initiating things – is there a cycle of inner prompting to outer action or outer events prompting inner reflection?
3) How do I sustain my commitment? What keeps me doing this? What inner resources do I call upon?
Invite the group to look at common themes and list together on post-its “resources for the journey”
Feedback: Groups invited to read out their resources as they place them symbolically into a rucksack for their activist journey.
Debrief
In the whole group, look at what is in the rucksack.
Comment and analyse with the group, cluster into categories.
What is this saying to us?
What have we learned?
How will we use this knowledge on our activist journeys?
Reflect back and summarise what the group has said.
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