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Purpose

To identify sources of spiritual support, strengthen them, and find ways round blocks to sustainable activism.


Time: 90 minutes

Materials: Flipchart, marker pens


Preparation

Do the activity by yourself first.

Description

Explain the purpose of the activity.

Divide the group into pairs or 3s and explain the process:

  • individually recall an experience,
  • share with each other,
  • decide now who shares first and next.

Check this is clear.

Invite everyone to get comfortable and relax. Take a little time for this.

Then invite everyone to:

Think of a time when you’ve been really motivated, happy with what you’re doing.

Maybe it’s with your group/ campaign or not.

Gently guide the group into that memory. Invite them to recall

What was going on, were there people around or not? What were the sights, smells, sounds, feelings, thoughts, outside, the weather…

Check silently and visually that everyone is into their memory. Give them a little time to dwell in it.

Bring them gently back to now and invite them to

  • Tell your story in your pairs/3s, 5 minutes each
  • Identify common qualities – what made them such positive experiences?
  • Invite them to write up their common qualities. Decide who will report back.

Go round each pair/group looking at their write-ups. If necessary ask clarifying questions to pull out more learning: ‘why?’, ‘what does that mean?’

Now repeat the activity, this time about their negative experiences:

Think of time you feel worn out, unmotivated.

Guide them as before.

  • Share their stories
  • Identify common qualities – what made them such negative experiences?

Write up the common negative qualities

 

Debrief

Invite each pair/group to report back their positive + negative qualities

Compare all both sets of lists: what’s that telling us?

How can we weaken the negatives and strengthen the positives?

(list suggestions)

What can/will I do?

 

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