Activity: Personal interests self-assessment
Connecting: Adolescents will assess and discover their personal interests and skills
Activity overview
Energy level: 2/5
Literacy level: 4/5
Complexity level: 4/5
Time: 30 to 45 minutes
Purpose: Adolescents will assess their personal interests and skills through a self-assessment test.
Objectives
Adolescents will be able to:
- Identify their own interests.
- Recognize their skills and abilities.
- Explore how their interests, skills and abilities may help them to pursue their priorities and goals.
Competency domains
- Identity and self-esteem
- Hope for the future and goal setting
Works well for
Adolescents who are ready to learn more about their skills and interests and want to turn them into actions through research, projects, work and community involvement.
Phase
Connecting
Before
No advance activities are required.
After
Adolescents discuss how they want to use their skills to work together on a project, or when setting or reviewing group goals.
Preparation
Prepare a flipchart with the self-assessment chart (below) drawn on it.
Activity steps
Step 1
Facilitator says: “Have you ever thought about your personal interests and skills? Have you ever thought about where these interests and skills might lead you in life? In work?”
Step 2
Facilitator says: “Today we are going to take a self-assessment test.” Explain: The facilitator will read a question out loud to the group and adolescents will write down their answer on their assessment sheet.
Step 3
Read the following instructions and allow adolescents to write their responses after each instruction. Repeat sections if a participant is unclear or confused. If participants do not know an answer, move on to the next question.
- Please list all the activities that you do on a daily/weekly basis.
- Next to each activity that you listed, write down if you do it alone or with others.
- For each activity that you listed, write down if you like it - indicate if you like it very much, somewhat, or if you somewhat dislike or very much dislike it. Do this for each activity you listed.
- For each activity you listed, write down if you consider the activity very easy, somewhat easy, somewhat hard or very hard.
- Give a few minutes for adolescents to reflect on their answers. Encourage adolescents to think
about all of the activities they do, including chores, recreation time, socializing with others, studying, and anything else they do. - Facilitator says: “Now of the activities you listed, mark your three favourite ones.”
- Ask: What skills and knowledge have you gained from your daily and weekly activities?
Step 4
Sharing and Take away: Invite adolescents to share their answers if they want to.
Step 5
Discussion:
- What did you notice or learn as you did this activity?
- Which of the knowledge and skills that you have gained will be helpful to you in the future?
- How are the knowledge and skills that you have gained related to your own goals? Did you recognize any skills you would like to develop more, or things you would like to learn more about?
Assessment sheet:
| Favorites! | Activity | Do you do it alone or with others? | How do you feel about it? Like very much; like somewhat, somewhat dislike; very much dislike | Is it: very easy, somewhat easy, somewhat hard very hard? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skills and knowledge | |
|---|---|
Do and don't
Do
- Allow adolescents to talk with each other and share ideas as they work on their self-assessments.
- Encourage adolescents to recognize activities that they may not see as important or significant.
Don't
- Ask adolescents to share their responses with the group if they do not wish to do so.
- Scold adolescents if they say that they dislike certain activities, or lecture them about being responsible.
- Tell adolescents what to choose for their interests or activities.
Adaptation
Low-literacy adaptation: Start by asking adolescents to brainstorm a list of their daily and weekly activities, and write them down on a flipchart. Use a diagram or symbol if that will help them to remember the activities they listed. Then, read activities one by one and instead of asking participants to write down their answers to the assessment questions, ask them to stand up if their answer is called out. For example, say: “If you dislike washing dishes stand up.” Do this using the assessment questions given in the activity.
Environment
Indoor or outdoor space.
Supplies
- Flip chart
- Markers, pens or pencils for each adolescent
- Paper for each adolescent
Improvise
Use this activity to help adolescents better understand what they might be interested in for future work. Help adolescents brainstorm possible jobs available in the community or brainstorm new businesses that could be invented.
Continue
Adolescents can take the assessment again in a few months to see if interests and skills have changed or developed. Adolescents can use their lists of skills as they discuss resources they have to carry out a project. Adolescents can reflect on their skills as they discuss and review their group goals.
Highlights
Adolescents will assess their personal interests and skills through a self-assessment test. Works well for adolescents who are ready to learn more about their skills and interests and want to turn them into actions through research, projects, work and community involvement.
