by Jay Thomas | Tue, Jul, 2014 | Youth Resources
Moral Dilemma Scenario In Europe, a woman was near death from cancer. One drug might save her, a form of radium that a druggist in the same town had recently discovered. The druggist was charging $2,000, ten times what the drug cost him to make. The sick woman’s husband, Heinz, went to everyone he knew to borrow the money, but he could only get together about half of what it cost. He told the druggist that his wife was dying and asked him to sell it cheaper or let him to sell it cheaper or let him pay later. But the druggist said, “No.” The husband got desperate and broke into the man’s store to steal the drug for his wife. Should the husband have done that? Why? After the reading, the first step involves identifying and clarifying the dilemma. To do this the participants must clarify their own notions of justice. This also might be the first opportunity for many young people to think about issues, which they have heard but not really thought about. The second step involves reading the first part of the first question to the participants. “Should Heinz steal the drug?” The young people are asked to form three groups according to their answers: Those who think Heinz should steal the drug, those who think he should not, and those who cannot decide. Grouping helps young people feel comfortable since it is easier to develop a sense of trust and cooperation in small groups. There can be more than one group within each group according to the number of students in the room. Next,...
by Jay Thomas | Tue, Jul, 2014 | Youth Resources
This is a simple check list that could be used for a group photo treasure hunt. We used it with our boys’ group. Many of them had recently been displaced from their homes by the housing department and it was a good way to explore some of their feelings and emotions associated with the move. It’s also a fun activity that allows you do something a bit different and get out of your group meeting room for 30-40 mins. Each of the photos should be agreed upon by the group. If there is a disagreement, take a photo of each thing and discuss it after the hunt. A photo of a human pyramid A photo of something green A photo of something living A photo of something blue A photo of something old A photo of something new Something that you think is positive Something that you this is negative Something that you think is hopeful Something that you this is useful Something that you think is dangerous Something that you think is exciting Something that you think is scary A photo of history A photo of the...
by Jay Thomas | Thu, May, 2014 | School Resources, Youth Resources
The Raft Session This session is used to facilitate communication, to increase team-building skills and to bring out to the forefront people’s attitudes and values Give one worksheet to each participant and get them to read the instructions. They have to decide who they would take on the raft and why. Once they have completed the task bring the participants together in groups of 3 or 4 and as a group they decide who the survivors are. In all likelihood this will require the young people to discuss and negotiate. The group all have to be in agreement. It may be helpful to tease out the labels the young people focus on in their decision making. Do they see the positive or negative label e.g the doctor who is also a drug addict. What assumptions are made about each of the people? How do the young people determine each person on the shipwrecks worth? Will anyone not on the boat be affect by the decisions? ****** The Raft A ship is wrecked in the middle of the ocean, thousands of miles from land. There are no immediate chances of rescue. 15 people are still alive and they manage to make a raft; because of the lack of time and equipment, the raft is only big enough to support 9 survivors. You have to decide which 6 of those listed you have to dispose of, you are not one of the survivors, and no one is allowed to hang onto the raft. A crippled boy, paralysed since birth. The boy cannot use his hands, must be fed by others because he...
by Jay Thomas | Tue, Apr, 2014 | Youth Resources
What Would Scottish independence look like? Young people draw their responses What would Scotland look like if they stayed part of the union? Young people draw their responses A to Z Split participants into two groups and have each group the letters A to Z down the side of a large sheet of paper. Give the groups 5 minutes to write down words connected to the theme of Scottish Independence for each letter of the alphabet. Poster Writing This activity works best if participants are sitting down around a table. Once participants have completed their AtoZ each young person chooses a word or phrase that they like most and then they write a sentence or statement about the word on a separate sheet of plain paper. Encourage participants to keep it short and positive. Then everyone passes their sheet of paper to the person on their left hand side who add their own comments to the words/theme. The sheets of paper continue to be passed around the group until the sheets are covered in comments. Participants can add anything they want to the sheets of paper essentially building up a conversation between ideas and thoughts. Once this is completed participants choose their favourite words and phrases by circling the texts they like with different coloured pens. For each participants sheet select the most commonly circled phrase or collection of words. These are then used as the basis of discussion surrounding the theme of Scottish Independence and what young people want to say about a particular aspect e.g about Scotland keeping or losing the pound, or 16+ getting the chance...
