Participants will:
- Discuss how individuals participate in running the group
- Experience ways of group debating and decision making
- Talk about listening and communicating
Participants will develop
- Understanding of leadership, planning, and running the group
- Debating, listening and communication skills
Materials
- Pens
- Large pieces of paper
- Chairs
Before you start
Prepare some pens and large pieces of paper. You may want to print out or write down the beginning story and some questions to refer to throughout the activity.
What to do
Tell the Pioneers the following story:
“You went on a Pioneer camp to a very remote part of Scotland. On your return to town/city/village where group is based you discover that civilisation as we know it has ended. A deadly virus was released and everyone over the age of 21 perished. Only the children are left. For now, you are stuck with the other Pioneers and you have no idea what to do. Your home town is filled with wild looting children. What are you going to do?”
The group now need to decide how to organise themselves for the following week. As a group try to think of some issues that will need to be addressed.
- Where will you live?
- How will you get food?
- Are there any siblings or friends you need to search for?
- How will you carry out this search?
- Do you want to stick together as a group?
- Will you invite others to join your group?
- How will your group be run?
- Will there be any rules about behaviour?
The debate about what to do next will be held according to the rules of Kiva, a Native American concept of tribal decision making:
- Chairs are arranged in two concentric circles with four chairs in the inside circle and the rest for everyone else on the outside.
- Pioneers wishing to begin sit in the inner circle and discuss one question, while those outside listen quietly.
- Every few minutes call time, at which the group alternates to give those wishing to come from the outside to the inside circle a chance to speak.
- After the time for discussion is over, everyone sits in the outside circle and each person identifies one important point from the discussion. Write these on a flip chart sheet.
- Then, everyone initials or ticks three important issues (of the ones listed on the flip chart). The ones ticked most often indicate the group’s priorities.
- Play with a few questions, until the group seems to be running out of steam.
Take time out to have a snack at this point or to play a short, fun, active game.
Take a look at the group’s priorities:
- How did the group enjoy this form of discussion?
- Did they feel that their opinions were heard? If not, why not?
- Are there other ways of listening to the whole group?
Explain the ‘Kiva’ is a structure, designed to let everyone have a say. Having full participation
from a group is partly about how the whole group is structured. Can the group think about ways in which Woodcraft Folk is structured so that they can participate? Are there ways that they can think of that would help them to participate more fully? What are they and could they be put into practice?