Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Valentine theme for Group Work






"Be my Valentine"
Group work on a Valentine theme.


Hello beautiful human. I wonder how you are feeling right now. I wonder what things are on your mind? More than that, I wonder what emotional agenda you have? What comes into your mind during those few seconds before you drift off to sleep? I would love to know because it would help me to click words more relevant to your soul.

As a Youth Worker, I guess you ponder on the young humans who you work with. I guess you wonder and pray about how you can best be useful to them as they face adolescent ups and downs.

I guess you can do at least two things as you gather a group together. One is to input a story, a reflection, teaching,inspirational thoughts and more. Another method is to create a sharing situation where everyone can share thoughts, feelings, concerns, life puzzles, relationships including the one the have with the great one. Their Creator. The God they know, or want to know, or want to avoid - always unique for each individual.

Here is a group activity which will give everyone present an opportunity to share. That includes you! An opportunity for you to share living things including your living relationship with God.

This process outlined, always open for you to adapt and deliver in context. It will only come alive in a group interactive situation. Listening as well as sharing - and you are the facilitator!

1 Set the climate, food, drink, music, a game or two. Something to set the tone - a climate of trust.
2 Place a big piece of paper on the floor in the centre of the group. Draw a saucer sized circle in the centre and 5 or six other circles around it, each one larger to fill the paper. Give everyone three 'post its'. With some music playing, ask everyone to think for a few minutes before placing the 'post its' on the paper.
3 The exercise is. Place three post its i) close to the centre of the circle indicating your closest relationship, maybe using the words 'who you love most'. ii) the 'second post it' farther away from the centre indicating the next closest relationship. iii) Then the third similarly. (Alternatively - you could use the first one is a person from their home, another from school/college/work, and the third a friend.) Before you will be a map of key relationships experienced by the group.
Do this in silence ideally.
4 The sharing. You could start, yes yo the leader, to model the level of authenticity and openness - or ask someone you know who would be willing to be open. In a large group it would be good to use triads and feed back to larger group afterwards.
5 Question suggestions:: How difficult was it to decide on the person to chose and where to place them on the the circles? Was it easier to place someone in the centre or someone farther away? Share who the person is at the centre ? (Many questions can be asked here, you will know the sensitivity to use but remember that 'growth does not reside in a place called comfortable').
6 Hand out copies of Blob Romance or project onto a screen. Ask them to share in triads in response to these questions. i) Which of the pairs indicate the worst relationship and why? ii) Which do you consider is the best relationship and why? iii) If you are in a relationship at the moment - which best describes it? iv) Which could be God in relationship with you? v) Which relationship would you like to be in with God?
The interaction between large group/small group can be powerful. The listening can be. Humans will find themselves saying new things about their relationships and it will foster self discovery and self esteem.
This can be a powerful way for individuals, and a group, to connect with the reality of their relationship with God - and all that it can become.

Me, Pip Wilson?
Several Blobs describe my relationship with God. When I need comfort. When I am hurt. Need to be carried. A cuddle. Some flowers of Grace when I don't deserve them. But at the moment, I want God to shoot an arrow through my heart to help me to discover more about love .........

Pip Wilson
www.pipwilson.com