Activity: Our days
Knowing ourselves: Adolescents work in groups to create drawings that describe a typical day in their lives
Activity overview
Energy level: 2/5
Literacy level: 1/5
Complexity level: 2/5
Time: 30 minutes
Purpose: Practice working in groups and draw a typical day in participants’ lives.
Objectives
Adolescents will be able to:
- Express their thoughts and ideas through drawing.
Competency domains
- Identity and self-esteem
- Communication and expression
- Empathy and respect
Works well for
Circles where adolescents can sit together and work on activities as small groups, whether they are just getting to know each other, or already know each other well.
Phase
Knowing ourselves
Before
None needed
After
Keep adolescents’ drawings or descriptions of their days. Use them for further activities that can help adolescents to express their experiences through their own eyes, and to explore positive opportunities in their lives.
Preparation
- Write the following headings at the top of six pieces of chart paper:
6AM 9AM 12 noon 3PM 6PM 9PM - Place the six pieces of paper in different corners of the room. If possible, arrange them in a circle around the room to show the cycle of a day.
Activity steps
Step 1
Ask the participants to organize themselves into six small groups, each sitting next to one of the chart papers.
Step 2
Facilitator says: “Close your eyes. Imagine yourself at this hour of the day. Where are you? What are you doing? Who is with you? How do you feel? Open your eyes. In your group, take turns sharing your answers.”
Step 3
Facilitator says: “Now, use your paper to create a drawing of where you are, what you are doing, and how you feel at this time of the day.”
Step 4
Explain: Before drawing, participants should plan their drawings together in a group. They can discuss:
- Are you all together in the same place, or all in different places at this time of the day?
- Are boys and girls in the same places or in different places?
- Are you all in similar places or doing similar things, or is there some variety?
- In addition to showing what you do at this time of the day, how can you show what you feel?
Step 5
Facilitator says: “You can design your drawing however you like, but it is a good idea to leave a lot of space, because the other groups will be adding to your drawings.”
Step 6
Give each group 15 minutes to work on their drawing.
Step 7
After 15 minutes, ask each group to rotate to the next chart paper.
Step 8
Facilitator says: “Now, add yourselves to the drawing and show where you are, what you are doing and how you feel at this time of day.”
Step 9
Continue in this way until each group has had a chance to add to each drawing.
Step 10
Sharing and Take away:
Discuss:
- What are the times in the day when you enjoy what you are doing or have the most fun?
- What are the times when you don’t have fun or enjoy what you are doing?
- What are the times in the day when you learn? What do you learn?
- When are you alone? What is it like to be alone?
- When are you together with other people? What is it like to be with other people?
- What are some of the things that you do every day that make you feel proud?
- When you look at all of these together, is there anything you notice that is surprising or interesting? Something you didn’t realize before - about your own daily tasks, or someone else’s daily tasks?
Do and don't
Do
- Let adolescents use drawing or whatever way they choose to describe their day.
- Let adolescents show a variety of different activities that they or others adolescents may be engaged in.
- Take appropriate steps if you think that adolescents may be involved in activities that put them at risk (This may include talking alone one-on-one with adolescents to learn if they are describing their own behaviour or someone else’s).
Don't
- Scold adolescents if they describe activities or behaviours that you disapprove of (even those that may be dangerous or illegal).
- Tell adolescents what to draw, based on your own assumptions of what they should be doing.
- Push adolescents to share information about their own personal experiences if they don’t want to (Instead, ask them to describe a day in the life of a typical adolescent boy/girl or an adolescent boy/girl like them).
- Ask adolescents to draw a day in their life before a crisis that has affected them (unless they suggest this themselves).
Adaptation
If the adolescents do not use clocks, watches or numerical hours to mark time in their daily lives, use descriptive words such as early morning, familiar time markers such as before mid-morning prayer, or sun symbols.
You may also turn this into a Take away activity. Ask participants to draw the times or sun symbols on a piece of paper, and then during the week they can mark where they are at different times of the day and what they are doing. They can even add where and when they meet other people and who these people are. They can then share their activity tables at the opening review of the next session.
Environment
Indoor or outdoor space.
Supplies
- At least six large pieces of chart paper to mark the times of day, large enough for every group of adolescents to write on (or something else for them to draw on).
- At least one pen, pencil or marker for each adolescent.
Improvise
Use a collage or any other visual material instead of drawing to represent different moments in the day.
Ask adolescents to make drawings of typical days in different seasons.
- Create a short poem or a chant about each time of the day. Put them together to create a long poem, chant or song, describing the cycle of a full day.
- Create a drama or role play about a typical day in the life of an adolescent, using the activities of each moment in the day.
Continue
Adolescents can work on new drafts of their drawings, practice their drawing or other art skills, and exhibit their work.
Adolescents can refer to their drawings and explore:
- Their favourite moments in the day.
- The most challenging moments in their day.
- Moments when they make positive contributions (as a starting point for recognizing their value to their families and communities).
- Times during the day when they face challenges (as a starting point for exploring solutions).
- Times during the day when they have an opportunity to do other things they enjoy or find interesting (as a starting point for designing projects to take advantage of those moments).
If working with the same circle of adolescents for a long period of time, repeat the activity after a few weeks or months. Explore any changes in their daily routine, including those linked to their own development, and changes in their circumstances.
Highlights
Practice working in groups and draw a typical day in participants’ lives. Works well for circles where adolescents can sit together and work on activities as small groups, whether they are just getting to know each other, or already know each other well.
