Activity: Silhouettes
Knowing ourselves: Adolescents describe ways that each member is valuable to the circle
Activity overview
Energy level: 3/5
Literacy level: 1/5
Complexity level: 2/5
Time: 30 to 45 minutes
Purpose: Adolescents bond with other participants and share positive ways circle members are important to each other.
Objectives
Adolescents will be able to:
- Share thoughts and opinions with others.
- Build trust.
Competency domains
- Identity and self-esteem
- Cooperation and teamwork
Works well for
Adolescents who know each other’s names and have had a chance to get to know each other; adolescents who are ready to share positive comments with each other in a respectful and supportive way.
Phase
Knowing ourselves
Before
Adolescents should have established group rules for working together in positive, respectful and supportive ways. It may help if they know how to do a gallery walk. (Use the Setting group goals activity and the Gallery walk tool for support).
After
Adolescents should keep the drawings of themselves and/or notes of the strengths they recognized in each other to use in future projects or goal setting activities.
Preparation
None needed.
Activity steps
Step 1
Explanation and discussion: Divide participants into groups of two. Distribute two large pieces of paper and two markers to each pair.
Step 2
Explain: Participants will place their pieces of paper on the ground. One adolescent in the pair should lie down on their back on the piece of paper. The other adolescent should trace the outline of their body onto the paper.
Step 3
Tell them to trade places, creating a silhouette of the other adolescent in the pair.
Step 4
Explain: Each adolescent should write their name at the top of their silhouette.
Step 5
Facilitator says: “First, let’s take a few minutes to draw ourselves. Try drawing on the inside of your silhouette. You can draw yourself as you look, or you can use your drawing to show other things, such as your feelings, talents or strengths.”
Step 6
Once the adolescents have finished their drawings they should place them on the ground.
Optional: Use the Gallery Walk tool for adolescents to place their drawings on the ground with space to walk around and look at each other’s drawings.
Step 7
Facilitator says: “Now, our job is to think of at least two ways that each person in our circle is important to the rest of us. All of us are valuable and important - because without everyone here we couldn’t have the circle we have. Even if you don’t know each other very well, you can still think of something positive you have noticed about each other that is helpful and valuable to the rest of us. For example, think about a time you saw someone do something that you admired or respected. Maybe you have noticed that someone is a good listener, says supportive things, or has a positive attitude. Try to think about positive things that are related to their personality, talents, and strengths, but not to the way that they look.”
Optional: Adolescents can use their group rules to set the guidelines for positive feedback to each other.
Step 8
Sharing and Take away: All the adolescents should walk around the space. On the outside of each other’s silhouettes they should write at least two ways that the person is valuable to the rest of the circle.
Step 9
Ask the adolescents to find and pick up their drawing, and then to go back to stand or sit with their pairs. They should spend a few minutes looking at what the other adolescents have written about them.
Step 10
Taking turns, each adolescent should hold up their silhouette drawing, while their partner reads aloud what is written about their strengths and value to the group.
Step 11
Explain:
- “We have a lot of very valuable people in our circle! What are some of the strengths our circle has?
- Does everyone in our circle have the same assets and strengths? How does it help us to have all of these different assets?
- Now I want you to stop and think quietly. How did it feel to hear about other people’s opinion of
your value to the circle? Take a moment and really think about the question.” (Give a few minutes for silent thought.) - “Did you hear anything that surprised you? Anything that you didn’t expect?”
Do and don't
Do
- Divide adolescents into pairs of the same gender to draw each other’s silhouettes. Ask adolescents to refer to their group rules for keeping comments positive, supportive and respectful.
- Observe and provide support as adolescents write positive comments on each other’s silhouette drawings.
- Encourage adolescents to think of different positive things to say about each other, and make sure that everyone receives a lot of positive comments from the others.
- Encourage adolescents to minimize comments about other’s assets, or to focus on aspects of appearance. (Positive examples: He has a creative sense of style. She has a kind smile. Negative examples: She is the prettiest girl in the room. He has beautiful eyes).
- Allow adolescents to keep their drawings, either by posting them in the activity space, or taking them home.
- Allow adolescents to embarrass each other by making too many comments about appearance. Even positive comments can create an uncomfortable environment, especially in mixed-gender circles.
Don't
- Adolescents who hear only positive things about their appearance may feel that their other strengths aren’t valued.
Adaptation
Culture and psychosocial wellbeing: Adolescents can present what they have learned about their own value and strengths, if it is helpful to their psychosocial wellbeing, and not too embarrassing.
Low literacy: Adolescents can use drawings or symbols to represent each other’s strengths.
Materials: If large chart paper is not available, use smaller pieces of drawing paper and draw small silhouettes. Adolescents can also use objects they find to create a collage or a sculpture, if no paper or markers are available.
Environment
Indoor or outdoor space with a dry, covered floor on which students can draw.
Supplies
- One large piece of chart paper for each adolescent
- At least one marker (or crayon) for each adolescent
Improvise
Adolescents can use other arts to create their self-portraits and to express the strengths they recognize in each other. For example, they can use paper or objects to make collages and sculptures.
Continue
Encourage adolescents to keep their drawings with each other’s positive comments. They can use these drawings as part of future goal setting activities, either for strengths they would like the group to focus on developing, or for strengths they themselves would like to develop.
Adolescents can repeat this activity and create new drawings of themselves and each other after several sessions. They can then compare their old and new drawings, to explore how they are recovering, learning, and making progress toward their goals.
Highlights
Adolescents bond with other participants and share positive ways circle members are important to each other. Works well for adolescents who know each other’s names and have had a chance to get to know each other; adolescents who are ready to share positive comments with each other in a respectful and supportive way.
