Life Skills Journey 11-14 Facilitator Manual

Facilitator Manual

Ages 11-14

LIFE SKILLS JOURNEY - AGE 11-14 - FACILITATOR MANUAL This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommer-cial-NoDerivs 2.5 Canada License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/ca/. Printed in Canada.

Métis Settlements

Life Skills JourneyAges 11-14

Facilitator Manual

Principal Author: Fay Fletcher June Cardinal-Howse

Shelly Handel

Alicia HibbertDebbie Ladouceur Susan Ladouceur

Mandy MacRae Therese Salenieks

04 Table of Contents

Introduction to the Life Skills Journey Program 6

Day 1Materials 10Objectives 10Activity 1: Icebreakers 11Activity 2: Team Stuff 12Activity 3: Full Value Contract 12Activity 4: Warm Fuzzies 13Activity 5: Tie Dye T-shirts 14Activity 6: Wellness Fair Intro Session 14Activity 7: Communication Series 15

Day 2Materials 18Objectives 18Activity 1: Communication Review and Introduction to the Day 19Activity 2: Kinship Spider Web 19Activity 3: Guest(s) to Discuss Kinship and Community History 20Activity 4: Community Building Series 20Activity 5: Wellness Fair Work Session 23Activity 6: Giant Stick Figure 24

Day 3Materials 25Objectives 25Activity 1: Community and Kinship Review and Introduction to the Day 26Activity 2: Bullying Discussion and Role Play 27Activity 3: Let Me in the Circle 27Activity 4: Finding North Without a Compass 28Activity 5: Wellness Fair Work Session 29Activity 6: Fire Building 29Activity 7: Gang Awareness 31

Day 4 Materials 32Objectives 32Activity 1: Design and Implement a Photo-Voice Project 33

Day 5Materials 37Objectives 37Activity 1: Bullying and Gang Awareness Review and Introduction to the Day 37Activity 2: Wellness Fair Committee Meeting 38Activity 3: Grief and Loss Discussion and Canoe Release 38Activity 4A: Hopes & Dreams and the Solo 39 Activity 4B: Spirituality and the Solo 40Activity 5: The Amazing Race 42

0505Table of Contents

Day 6

Materials 45Objectives 45Activity 1: Grief & Loss and Hopes & Dreams / Spirituality Review and Introduction to the Day 46Activity 2: Addictions 46Activity 3: Wellness Fair Work Session 51Activity 4: Shelter Building- The Debris Hut 51

Day 7Materials 52Objectives 52Activity 1: Addictions Review and Introduction to the Day 52Activity 2: Anger Management Quiz and Discussion 53Activity 3: Blowing Off Steam and Traffic Jam 54Activity 4: “I Statements” for Conflict Resolution 55Activity 5: Wellness Fair Work Session 55Activity 6: Farm Visit 56

Day 8Materials 57Objectives 57Activity 1: Anger Management, Conflict Resolution, & Respectful Relationships 57Activity 2: Respectful Relationships 58Activity 3: Self-Esteem 60Activity 4: Wellness Fair Work Session 61

Day 9Materials 62Objectives 62Activity 1: Respectful Relationships and Self-Esteem Review 62Activity 2: Stress and Anxiety Discussion 63Activity 3: Wellness Fair 65

Day 10Materials 66Objectives 66Activity 1: Water Quality Testing 66Activity 2: Camp Wrap-up 67Activity 3: Water Fun Afternoon! 67

Resources Bingo 69

References & Acknowledgements 70

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What is this Program About?The Life Skills Journey program is a community-grounded life skills training program that focuses on substance abuse and bullying prevention. The program was developed by the Buffalo Lake advisory committee and University of Alberta partners.

This program teaches children about self esteem, communication, and respect for differences. The program also teaches children how to be positive community members and kin, how to say no to peer pressure, how to stand up to bullies, and how to deal with grief in a healthy way.

Peer Pressure

Peer pressure refers to the feelings of pressure that teens experience when they are encouraged or coerced by others to think or behave in a specific way. Peers play an important role in the social and emotional development of children and adolescents. Youth rely on their peers for social support, which is why peer pressure is an important factor in education - peers actually learn more when they learn from each other!

Peer pressure can come from a variety of places, including: friends, media, and yourself. Peer pressure can influence your sense of belonging, confidence, and self-esteem. Teens who experience more peer pressure are likely to consume more alcohol, drugs, and cigarettes and don’t do as well in school.

Peer pressure can be either positive or negative. Negative peer pressure is often dangerous, goes against school/parental rules, and personal values. Positive peer pressure is often overlooked - it refers to positive influence from someone to do what is right. Below are some examples of both positive and negative peer pressure:

Negative Peer Pressure

• Convincing someone to skip school

• Getting someone to vandalize with you

• Bullying

Positive Peer Pressure

• Helping someone with their studying

• Convincing someone to volunteer with you

• Making friends with someone and encouraging others to be nice to them

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Certain personality traits make some children and adolescents more vulnerable to peer pressure and risk taking. These traits include:

• Low self esteem

• Lack of personal interests

• Feeling isolated from peers and/or family

• Poor academic abilities or performance

• Fear of one’s peers

• Lack of strong ties to friends

• Close bond with a bully

Resiliency

For many children, transitions through early childhood towards the teenage years can be challenging and can involve participating in more risky behaviours, including failing at school, skipping school, substance abuse, violence, and negative peer involvement.

Resiliency is a strength that a child may have due to protective factors in his/her life.

Protective factors include:

• High self-esteem

• Spirituality

• Caring school environment

• Supportive adult relationships

There are three main areas that influence resiliency: personal attributes, family characteristics, and external support systems such as peers, school, and the community.

Resilience is the process of adapting well in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats, or even significant sources of stress. Resilience is not a trait that people either have or do not have. It involves behaviours, thoughts, and actions that can be learned and developed. Teens can overcome adversity and stress-related conditions to lead normal and productive lives into adulthood.

Kids develop positive character traits when they mimic the positive qualities of significant people in their lives. Children do not develop their personal qualities by being told how to think and act. Instead, they imitate the qualities of someone they value due to their desire to be liked - this is called social learning, meaning children learn through interacting with other people. As a facilitator, it is important to demonstrate positive qualities, known as core competencies, to the children.

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Core Competencies

The following list of strengths are the foundational attitudes, skills, and knowledge directly related to social capacity, well-being, and success:

• Adaptability (the ability to be flexible in changing situations)

• Social connectedness (having a social support network)

• Sense of agency (the idea that even children can make choices)

• Moral directedness (having an idea of one’s morals and values)

• Spiritual eagerness

• Passion (a strong interest in a hobby or cause)

• Strengths-based aptitude (looking at your strengths rather than your weaknesses)

• Persistence (an interest in seeing something through)

• Managing ambiguity (dealing with situations that aren’t black and white)

• Emotional connectedness (having someone you can talk to about your feelings)

What does this mean for the facilitator? Facilitators have key strengths within themselves that will bring out these competencies in children and youth. Facilitators:

• Are empathetic

• Communicate effectively and engage in active listening

• Understand the need to think and behave positively, even in hard circumstances

• Care in ways that youth feel special and appreciated

• Accept youth for who they are and help them to set realistic expectations and goals

• Help youth experience success by identifying and reinforcing their own strengths

• Help youth realize that mistakes are experiences from which to learn

• Support the development of responsibility, compassion, and a social conscience by providing youth with opportunities to contribute

• Teach youth to solve problems and make decisions

• Set boundaries and expectations in ways that promote self-discipline and self-worth

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Mindfulness

We have incorporated mindfulness activities for the children each day in this program. Mindfulness is the attention to and awareness of the present moment, observing thoughts, sensations, and feelings without judgment. It doesn’t sound very complicated at first – but take a moment to consider our busy lives. Have you ever arrived at work and been unable to recall any details about your drive? Have you ever left home and had to turn around because you weren’t sure if you locked the door or left the stove on? The last time you visited with a loved one, were you fully engaged and listening or do you forget the details of your conversation? These scenarios are common, and reflect the fact that we often proceed through our day on “auto-pilot” mode, going through the motions and not really paying attention to what we are doing. Our minds wander, and we think about the past or worry about the future rather than focusing on what is happening in the here and now. Mindfulness is a process that can teach us to notice and focus on the present moment.

Children also move through their days on auto-pilot. In some ways, they are more in-tune with the present than adults, as they feel emotions immediately, and have the tendency to react more quickly. However, they have little control over the structure of their day: they are told when to go to school, how to do their activities, and what to eat for lunch. This lack of control may lead to them going through their day without paying attention to what they are doing. When you ask a child for details about their previous day and they cannot remember, it is likely that they were not paying attention rather than that they actually have a poor memory.

The effects of mindfulness are currently being studied, but many believe mindfulness is a useful approach for stress reduction. It is considered useful in addressing general well-being and stress associated with medical conditions, anxiety, depression, body image, self-esteem, and disordered eating. This is because mindfulness allows people to think about their body, feelings, and mind in a non-judgemental way.

Mindfulness is now considered helpful in everyday life, and is suitable for all ages. There are a growing number of studies showing positive effects of using mindfulness in the classroom for children and adolescents, including increased ability to pay attention, greater compassion for peers, more compliant classroom behaviour, and increased social skills. All of these factors affect a child’s resilience in the face of adversity, judgement, and peer pressure.

The goal of the mindfulness exercises is not to turn you or the camp participants into an expert in mindfulness. Instead, they are intended to be a time in your day to set aside for quiet reflection and grounding. Mindfulness should not be mistaken for meditation, as it is not meant to achieve higher consciousness. The goal is simply to have an increased awareness of your body, mind, and feelings in the present moment, without judging these feelings or thoughts. It can be practised throughout the day and in a variety of activities.

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Day 11. Icebreakers

2. Team Stuff

3. Full Value Contract

4. Warm Fuzzies

5. Tie Dye T-shirts

6. Wellness Fair Introduction

7. Communication Series

• Blindfolded Forest Walk

• Broken Telephone

• Blind Art

• Shoe Retriever

Materials

• One blindfold for each camper

• One plain white t-shirt for each camper

• Blank paper

• BINGO cards

• Stickers

• Markers

• Pencil Crayons

• One envelope for each camper

• T-shirt dye

• One plastic bag for each camper

• Squirt bottles for dye

• Elastic bands

• Chart paper

• Stopwatch

Objectives:

1. For campers and facilitators to become familiar and comfortable with each other.

2. To establish camp rules and codes of conduct.

3. To introduce the Wellness Fair Project, create groups, and assign working committees.

4. Youth begin to understand the importance of effective verbal and non-verbal communication.

5. Youth practice communication techniques.

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Activity 1: Icebreakers (30 minutes)

Play these icebreakers with everyone!

We are going to play a few games as a big group so that we can get to know each other better. Throughout camp we will be doing fun new activities and learning together so it’s important that we start to feel comfortable with each other now.

Name-Tag

1. Have the group sit or stand in a circle.

2. Go around the circle and have each person say his or her name once; time how long it takes.

3. Tell the group their time and challenge them to go faster, but in the opposite direction.

4. Now, tell everyone that starting from person one, once they say their name, the people on either side must say their name and so forth around the circle; names will cross in the middle somewhere and get back to person one on both sides. Try this a few times, on the second try, make it a race.

Neighbours

1. Have the group sit in a circle with one person in the middle.

2. The person in the middle makes a statement that is true about them. For example. I have a pet guinea pig, or my favourite colour is green.

3. Any player sitting in the circle for whom the statement is also true must get up and switch spots with someone, while the person in the middle tries to steal a spot on the outside. The last one standing who has not found a new spot must become the new person in the middle.

4. Repeat for 10-15 rounds.

Find a Friend BINGO

1. Give each person a bingo card (found in the Resources section) and a line of stickers (~10).

2. Instruct campers that they must go around the room and meet new people. Each time they meet a person they can ask them questions in order to fill in criteria in the BINGO card (for example: find someone with 3 pet dogs, find someone who has been to the US). If the person they meet matches any criteria in the BINGO card then that person gives them a sticker. Each camper may not receive more than one sticker from any other player.

3. The first person to fill in two lines of their bingo card and yell BINGO wins.

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Activity 2: Team Stuff (15 minutes)

Create three equal groups of campers. Each group should have two facilitators assigned to it. These are the groups that will work together to learn life-skills content and complete projects throughout camp. Within each group come up with a team name, a team colour and a team cheer. Explain that these teams will be competing for points during camp.

Throughout camp there will be a points system. Points can be won for following camp rules, listening to your facilitators or doing something awesome. Breaking rules, being disrespectful and not listening to your facilitators can lose your team points.

Activity 3: Full Value Contract (20 minutes)

Do this activity within teams.

The full value contract is, “an agreement that everyone is committed to the physical and emotional safety of all group members and acts as a mechanism for discussing problems as they arise” (p. 28, Frank, 2004). The purpose of this activity is to have teams create a set of rules and pers onal camp goals that will guide behaviours throughout camp.

1. First split the campers into their teams and give each team a piece of chart paper and markers. They will follow the directions below to come up with a ‘fantasy camp’. The chart paper will represent each group’s idea of the perfect camp environment.

2. Have each team create approximately 10 ideas that everyone believes will make camp run smoothly (respect, listening, participation). Have them write down or draw a picture to represent each idea within the camp- these should go in the center of the chart paper.

3. Around the ideas write down things that will make it difficult for the group to stick to the ideas.

4. Have each team member write down a personal goal that they will work on in camp. For example if one camper is always talking too much they might draw a mouth saying that they will let others have a chance to speak.

Once the teams have completed their full value contract they can present them to each other and then discuss how to make the ideas in the fantasy camp work. At the end everyone may sign the villages. Hang contracts on the wall for the duration of camp.

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Discussion Questions (Allow time for response after each question):

• Was there agreement on the ideas you used for your ‘ fantasy camp’?

• What did you decide to exclude and why?

• Which ideas will take the most work for us to achieve?

• How do you think we can work as a group to achieve these goals?

• Should there be a penalty for not following one of these ideas? What should it be? (example- sing a verse of a song for everyone, write a warm fuzzy for everyone)

Activity 4: Warm Fuzzies (15 minutes)

Warm Fuzzies is an activity that will be completed throughout the course of camp. Warm Fuzzies allows campers to learn about the things that make their fellow campers special as well as the things that make them special.

Today each person will create (decorate) his or her own personal box or envelope that will be accessible to everyone throughout camp. Near the boxes there will always be pieces of paper and pens. At any time you may choose to write a note to someone that compliments him or her in some way. It can be a nice note about something that person did, or about the person in a more general way. Examples of things that could be written:

• I was impressed by your fire building skills

• You’re a great artist

• You made me laugh today

• I thought it was awesome when you_______

The goal of the note is to make the person feel all warm and fuzzy. At the end of camp each person takes their box/envelope home and can read all of their notes, helping to boost confidence.

Envelopes, paper and pens should be made available at a Warm Fuzzy Station for the duration of camp.

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Activity 5: Tie Dye T-shirts (25 minutes)

Tie dye t-shirts will be made to create a sense of camp identity and at the same time make everyone appreciate their own and others’ unique style. After the t-shirts are completed, at some point during the next day, campers will have an opportunity to further decorate their t-shirts with markers to capitalize on the ability to make t-shirts unique.

1. Soak the white t-shirts in warm water and soda ash for ten minutes (wear gloves).2. While waiting for t-shirt to soak in water, set up dye area by placing a plastic tablecloth on

the ground. At this time follow the directions on the dye package to prepare the dyes. 3. Wring out the soaked t-shirts thoroughly.4. Twist t-shirts in various patterns and apply elastic bands to create patterns that will

appear in the dye.5. Use the squeeze bottles of dye to decorate your shirt.6. Place the t-shirt in a plastic bag and tie it up tight-leave it in a warm place overnight.7. In the morning unwrap the t-shirts, remove the elastic bands and rinse them under cold

tap water until the water runs clear.8. Hang t-shirts outside to dry.9. Let campers take their t-shirt home at the end of the second day of camp. Inform them not

to wash them with their other clothing the first few times because the colours may run.

Activity 6: Wellness Fair Intro Session (25 minutes)

Throughout camp, various life skills modules will be taught. In order to be actively engaged in the learning and at the same time, to give back to the community, campers and facilitators will work together each day to plan a wellness fair to be held on the 9th day of camp. The Fair will involve

information booths and activities that relate to life skills modules. Parents, siblings and other community members will be invited and there will be raff le prizes and freebies for giveaway. Campers are responsible for making sure that the booths and activities get made.

From within the camp teams, smaller groups of 2-5 (or they can work individually if preferred) will choose a topic and then come up with a booth and/or an activity that relates to that topic; if an activity is chosen, it must be informative as well as fun! Daily work sessions will provide groups with an opportunity to package their booth or activity so that it creates an excellent experience for the guests. Groups may choose to work on two topics or be given an extra topic if the facilitators deem it necessary. (Inform campers of the above information, make groups and choose topics).

Each camp team will be given specific organizational duties (each team will be a different planning committee). Committees will be chosen based on points; where the first choice goes to the team with the most points.

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Activity 7: Communication Series (50 minutes)

Do the communication series within teams.

Throughout camp we will be working closely with each other and sharing information and experiences. Before we dive into the life skills content we

will play some games to practice communication so that we learn about how to send effective messages to people and how to receive messages in an open, respectful manner.

Blindfolded Forest Walk

Facilitators will observe as paired campers walk around the camp area doing a blindfolded walk. The first round (first partner blindfolded) should take approximately ten minutes. At the end of the first round of the walk, the other communication games should be played before partners switch roles.

1. Have each camper find a partner; it may be necessary to have one group of three.

2. One of the partners will have a blindfold tied around their head so that their eyes are covered.

3. With one facilitator leading the group, the non-blindfolded partner will guide their blindfolded partner.

4. Once everyone has reached the open space or returned to the starting point then blindfolds may come off. At this point the communication series of games will be played.

Variations could include following a path set by the facilitators, having a set starting point and destination, walking across a path of obstacles like pylons and chairs or a free-style walk.

Broken Telephone

1. Everyone sits in a circle.

2. One person thinks of a sentence or a phrase.

3. They whisper the sentence to the person beside them. The phrase is passed around the circle by whispering.

4. When the phrase gets to the last person in the circle, that person must stand up and say what they heard.

5. Repeat a few times.


• What is making it hard to pass the message along?

• Is there anything that is easy to hear?

• Is there anything that your fellow campers can do to improve the way that they pass the message to you?

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Blind Art Game

1. Campers get into groups of three. One person will be the describer and two the drawers. Each person in the group will have the chance to be a describer and a drawer. 2. The describer will draw a picture

and must give the drawers instructions so that, without ever seeing it, they can replicate the picture.

3. Compare pictures once the task is complete and then switch roles.


• Was this task difficult?

• What did it teach you about communication?

• What did the leader learn? What about the people who were listening? (probe: different interpretations?)

Shoe Retriever

1. Get back into the blindfold partners and have everyone stand in a large circle with their partner. 2. The person who guided their partner for the first half of the blindfolded walk will put on the blindfold. Their partner will then remove one of their

shoes and toss it into the middle of the circle. 3. On the count of go, signed partners try to guide their blindfolded partner to their shoe

and have them bring it back to them. Instruct campers to walk carefully to avoid collisions and falls.

4. Without having the blind partner remove their blindfold, complete the second half of the blindfolded forest walk, with partners switching roles. To make it more challenging, you can add rules such as the leader may not talk or the blindfolded person may not step on any rocks.


• How did it feel to let someone else be in control of where you were going?

• Did you trust your partner? What was it that made you trust/not trust your partner?

• How did your partner give you directions? Was their method effective? What might have worked better?

• Did you notice any improvements throughout the course of the walk?

• How did it compare to switch roles?

• What did you learn about communication?

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Communication Discussion

There are different ways to get our messages across to people and these are known as different forms of communication. What are some of the ways that we can communicate? (Allow time for response)

Possible responses

• With our words

• The tone of our voice

• Our facial expressions,

• Our body language

• Through texting or emails

Each person may have his or her own unique way of communicating, so sometimes it can be difficult to understand what someone is trying to say. To figure out what someone intends with their message, make sure to ask clarifying questions and seek confirmation. Active listening is what we should all strive for. What is active listening? (Allow time for responses)

Possible responses

• Ask questions

• Make eye contact

• Be focused on what a person is telling you

• Have open body language

• Do not engage in other tasks while in a conversation

• Respect what other people have to say

To summarize the discussions that we had about the communication games and to fill in a few points that we may have missed we will now look through the communication fact sheet together.

Facilitators read through the communication fact sheet with the group, elaborating on points and drawing examples from the games where appropriate.

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Day 21. Communication Review

2. Kinship- Spider Web Activity

3. Guest(s) to Discuss Kinship and Community History

4. Community Building Series

• Carrot Race

• Line-ups and Categories

• Helium Stick

• Group Circle Sit

• Human Knot

5. Wellness Fair Work Session- Goal Setting

6. Giant Stick Figure Drawing

Note: Remember to complete the tie dye t-shirts from Day 1.

Materials

• Six carrots

• T-shirt markers

• Pylons (as place-holders)

• Chart paper

• Blank paper

• Yarn

• Long stick/chopsticks taped together

Objectives:

1. To teach youth about what kinship is and how they are related to people, including the roles of different family members.

2. To teach youth about the different types of community and to introduce them to working together as a community to reach one goal.

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Activity 1: Communication Review & Introduction to the Day (5 minutes)

Questions (For team points - allow time for response after each question):

• What is communication?

• Who is involved in communication?

• What are some different ways that we communicate with each other?

• How can someone be a good communicator? Sender? Receiver?

Today we will be looking at kinship and community. Kinship is the relationships that we have through blood, common characteristics or a common origin. It looks different for different cultures. Knowing about kinship teaches us things like where our name comes from, whom we should treat with respect and whom we can marry.

A community is a group of people connected by a common goal or interest, so while your kinship network may be one of the communities you belong to, a community can be much broader, like the whole country, or much smaller like the debate team or all of us here at camp. Communities can give people a sense of belonging, a sense of identity and are linked to our livelihoods. That’s why learning about the communities you are a part of is important.

Activity 2: Kinship Spider Web (20 minutes)

The purpose of this game is to show how everyone at camp is connected through relationships. This activity should occur with the whole group.

1. Everyone sits down in a large circle.

2. One person starts out holding a ball of yarn. They take hold of the beginning of the thread of yarn and then throw the ball to someone in the circle who is somehow connected to them (brother, sister, cousin, cousin‘s cousin, etc.)

3. That person takes hold of the thread and in turn tosses the ball to someone that they are connected to.

4. The ball of yarn continues to be tossed around the circle until everyone is holding onto a piece of yarn.

5. Cut the yarn so that each person has a piece that they can tie around their wrist as a bracelet.

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• What did you think about this activity?

• What did you learn about your connection to people at camp?

• How does it feel to see all of the connections you have?

• How do you think this web compares to the web that would be created within the whole (settlement) community?

Activity 3: Guest(s) to Discuss Kinship and Community History (30-45 minutes)

This discussion should occur as a large group. Guests who were invited to come to camp during training

will discuss what kinship means in your community. They will also discuss the history of the community.

Alternatively, the community facilitators will share the story that they made during training about community history. Campers will also be invited to contribute any of their knowledge about community and kinship.

Note: If a camp at one place serves children from two settlements then guests and/or stories from each settlement should be incorporated.

Activity 4: Community Building Series (60-90 minutes)

The following series of games will get us working in our teams, build trust, and a sense of community. Carrot Race

1. Have everyone stand in a circle.

2. One person will be given a carrot to start the game. That person must put the carrot between their knees.

3. The carrot must get passed around the circle all the way back to the first person; no one may touch the carrot with anything other than his or her knees.

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4. Once the carrot makes its way back to the first person, break a piece off of the carrot and send it around the circle again. After the first time around the circle, eliminate players if they drop the carrot.

5. Continue to break pieces off the carrot as it makes its way around the circle until it is no longer possible to do so.

Line-ups and Categories

Have campers line up or get into groups according to the criteria that you provide. Examples of categories and line-ups that you can use: height, eye colour, date of birth, number of siblings, shoe size, hair length, favourite sport. To make the game more interesting include extra challenges such as no talking, or eyes must be closed at all times.


• What interesting things have we learned here?

• What is similar about our group? What are some of our differences? So what?

• How diverse is this group? What does diversity mean?

• How can we create an environment where we can learn about each other’s diverse experiences?

Helium Stick

1. Find a long and skinny stick or tape a bunch of chopsticks together until you have a long rod made of chopsticks.

2. Have the group stand in two lines facing each other with the rod in-between the groups.

3. Have the group put their hands at waist height with only the pointer finger of each hand extended and lay the rod across their fingers. (When first laying the stick on their fingers apply a downward pressure so that the stick will initially rise when the pressure is removed.)

4. Explain the rules: each person must constantly have their index fingers in contact with the rod. The stick has to rest on top of their fingers, no curling fingers around the rod.

5. Explain that the group has to work together to get the stick to the ground.


• Did everyone understand the rules?

• Was anyone trying to sabotage the game?

• Why did the stick rise at the beginning of the game?

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• How did everyone work to get it to the ground?

• What is important for keeping focused on this task?

Group Circle Sit

1. Have everyone stand in a circle.

2. Have everyone turn to the right so they are facing the back of the person in front of them (formerly beside them on the right).

3. Inform campers that they must all sit down on each other at the same time so that there is a continuous sitting circle, stay there for 5 seconds and then stand back up.


• Did you succeed in your task?

• Did everyone participate? Were there leaders and followers?

• Did anyone become frustrated?

• How did you solve the challenge?

• How can groups work effectively to solve problems?

Human Knot

1. Stand in a circle.

2. Have everyone close their eyes and hold their hands out in front of them.

3. Everyone moves forward and grabs hold of two other hands in the circle (make sure each person holds the hands of two other people).

4. Have everyone open their eyes and instruct them that they must untangle the knot they made and form a circle with everyone still holding hands. If there are multiple groups then they can race to become untangled.


• How is this game different from the last?

• How much trust is necessary?

• What kind of decision-making was used to make this work?

• How did you communicate?

• Was there a leader? Who took the initiative? Was it more than one person?

• Was it the ‘rule of loud’? Did everyone feel included?

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Activity 5: Wellness Fair Work Session (Goal Setting; 30-45 minutes)

Do this activity in your camp teams. Spend time talking in a circle about goals and allow campers the opportunity to talk about some of the goals that they might have set in their lives. Use a flipchart to keep track of camper ideas, to explain what SMART goals are and to set a Wellness Fair

related SMART goal.

Goals are things that we want to accomplish. We set goals to have a target for that accomplishment. They can be described as short term or long-term goals.

• Can anyone tell me the difference between short term and long-term goals? • What are some examples of a short-term goal you might have had? How about a long

term-goal? • Did you accomplish your goals, why do you think that you met your goal or not?

• How did you go about accomplishing those goals?

We’re going to learn about SMART goals now. SMART is an acronym used to help people set a goal as well as a tool that tells you when you have met the goal. We’ll go through what the acronym means and then set a goal all together.

S- specific: the goal is very clear, it tells you who, what where and why. For example my goal for today could be to drink more water than I normally do because I am usually dehydrated and have a headache by the end of the day.

M- measurable: this is how you will demonstrate when you have reached your goal. I could measure my goal in two ways-one could be how many bottles of water I want to drink, which would be at least 2 and the other would be whether or not I get a headache at the end of the day.

A-attainable: is the goal something that you will be able to meet in the timeline that you set for yourself. Do you have the skills and/or resources to accomplish your goal? What are kinds of actions will you take? For the water goal, it would be very easy to accomplish. I have a water bottle at camp and I have access to drinking water. My action to accomplish could be to keep my water bottle with me when transitioning between activity locations.

R-relevant: how is the goal related to your life or well being? Make sure to choose a goal that is important to you or else you will not be likely to put the effort into seeing the goal through. For example my health and feeling good is important to me so I am likely to put effort into the goal.

T-time-bound: your goal must have a ‘due date’ or else you won’t be motivated to see your goal through and it might drag on forever. For the water goal, it is very specific, by lunchtime I will have had one bottle of water and then by the time all of the campers get onto the bus to go home, I will have finished my second bottle of water.

Now that you know what a smart goal is and have heard an example we are going to create a SMART goal together. This will be a goal that we can accomplish as a group and will be related to our Wellness Fair work, but can be related to any aspect, like a booth, an activity or our behavior at the fair.

Give campers time and guidance as they create their own SMART goals for their Wellness Fair projects.

Activity 6: Giant Stick Figure

Play this game with the whole group!

This game is going to get all of us here at camp working together. We’re going to use our bodies to make a stick figure and then we’re going to make that stick figure complete some simple tasks.

1. Have the whole group form a stick person using a series of circles and lines to make a stick figure (if someone was looking down from above they would see all of the campers as one image)

2. Once the stick person is completed have the group move so that the stick person is following commands:

• Your head is itchy, scratch your head

• There’s a ball at your feet, kick it

• Your shoe is undone, tie it up

• Your nose is running, wipe it

• You dropped something, bend down to pick it up

• You need exercise, do a jumping jack

We have learned about kinship and community today, and we have worked on strengthening our camp community. Let’s take a few minutes to summarize what we have learned and relate it to the kinship and community fact sheets.

Review Fact sheets with campers and relate them to the discussions and activities that happened at camp.

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Day 31. Community and Kinship Review

2. Bullying Discussion and Role Play

3. Let Me in the Circle

4. Finding North Without a Compass

5. Wellness Fair Work Session

6. Fire-Building

7. Gang Awareness

Materials

• Knives

• Fire pans

• String

• Bucket of water

• Stick

• Two small rocks

• Matches

• Marshmallows

Objectives

1. To teach youth about the different types of bullying, how to avoid bullying, and who to go to when being bullied.

2. To inform youth about different types of gangs, and the signs and consequences of gang involvement.

Activity 1: Community and Kinship Review (5 minutes)


• What is kinship?

• Give me an example of three communities.

• Tell me something about this community.

• Tell me something about one of your kin.

Today we will be talking about bullying and gang awareness. Bullying is something that always seems to happen, no matter how old you are or where you are, but that certainly doesn’t make it right. We are going to talk about, and maybe learn something new about bullying.

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Activity 2: Bullying Discussion and Role Play (25-30 minutes)

The discussion portion about bullying should occur in a large group setting with camp teams splitting off to work on their role play scenarios before returning to the large group to present.

• Can anyone tell me about bullying? What does it look like?

Bullying is causing intentional harm, be it physical or emotional to someone. It can be hitting someone, calling the names, spreading a rumor, excluding someone or even attacking them online or through text messages.

Allow time for responses after each question:

• Who is involved in bullying?

• Who gets hurt?

• How many of you have ever been bullied?

• How many of you have been a bully?

There are different players involved in bullying scenarios. The bully is a person who causes the harm, and their victim is the person who gets bullied. If there is someone who witnesses an act of bullying they may be a bystander or an upstander. A bystander sees bullying and does nothing; an upstander sees bullying and does something about it. The thing to remember is that bullies are often sad and lonely or victims of bullying themselves.

• What can we do as individuals when we see bullying? What can we do as a group?

You should always tell an adult about bullying situations that you observe or are a part of. Stopping bullying from happening requires community commitment.

We are going to do some role-playing right now.

Each team should be given a few scenarios:

• John is always the last one picked for the soccer team and two of his team-mates are making fun of him.

• Sally farted in gym class and now all the girls are spreading rumors about her.

• Jim is being picked on by a larger student in the playground, being pushed physically.

• Frank is having trouble answering questions in math class and three of his classmates are making fun of him.

• Claire got pushed off of the playground and is crying. Her friends saw, and are laughing at her.

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• A group of students are sending mean test messages about you. People are starting to talk about you behind your back and believing the lies being spread bout you.

• An older student at school keeps hitting and kicking Caydon when they think that no one is looking.

• One of the kids at camp keeps taking toys from Jess every time that she is playing with them.

• The kids in class are making racist comments to a new student from Brazil, and making fun of his accent and English skills.

You will all have about ten minutes to read your scenarios and figure out how you are going to present them to the group.

Give the teams ten minutes to practice.

As these scenarios are presented, each time someone from the audience sees bullying they should jump up and yell “BULLY.” The acting will freeze and then the audience member will have to enter into the scene as an upstander.

Activity 3: Let Me in the Circle (10 minutes)

This game will make campers aware of how being left out and bullied can make people feel. This game can be played with the whole camp group.

1. To begin, all campers except for two-four (depending on group size) make a circle with their backs to the middle of the circle.

2. The people that are not part of the circle must roam around the outside of the circle trying to get inside. Instruct campers to play safe and to not harm a fellow camp member

3. Once a person on the outside of the circle makes it into the circle, have them switch spots with one of the players in the link that they broke through to get into the circle


• How does it feel to be left out in this game?

• How does it feel to leave your teammates out?

• What about in real life- on the yard at school, how does it feel then?

• Should we exclude people like this in real life? Why or why not?

After discussing Let Me in the Circle, read through the bullying fact sheets. This can be done in a large group or within camp teams.

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Activity 4: Finding North Without a Compass (15 minutes)

We are going to learn how to find north without a compass. We’ll do this so that if you ever lose your way, you know how to find it again.

1. Find a stick and place it upright in the ground, make sure that you can see a shadow cast by the stick. Make sure that the ground you have placed the stick on is flat and debris-free.

2. Take a rock and place the rock at the end of the shadow cast by the stick.

3. Wait ten to fifteen minutes and then place another rock at the end of the new shadow cast by the stick.

4. In the space between the two rocks draw a line, this line will represent an East-West directional line.

5. If you stand so that the first mark (West) is on your left and the second mark (East) is on your right then you should be facing North.

Photo Source: Anonymous. (2014). How to find true north without a compass. Available at: http://www.wikihow.com/Find-True-North-Without-a-Compass

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Activity 5: Wellness Fair Work Session

Have groups meet to begin an outline of their Wellness Fair booth and start to plan out their activity/game. A list of all required equipment/materials needed by each group should be completed and submitted to the camp administrator by the end of the day. The camp administrator will inform the groups if equipment requests can or cannot be met.

Activity 6: Fire Building (90 minutes)

The purpose of this activity is to build a sense of accomplishment and competency in campers as part of developing positive self-esteem. Groups of two to three will practice building fires together. After a practice session,

time the teams to see who can burn through a piece of string the fastest. Then have a larger fire ready to go at which the campers and facilitators can sit around to discuss gang awareness and make smores.

Note: Make sure that camper fact-sheets are brought outside with the campers.

Basic Knowledge

• Fire needs three things: oxygen, fuel and heat/a spark

• Fuel exists at three levels: tinder, kindling and logs. Tinder is the smallest unit of fuel. Wood shavings, birch bark, matchstick twigs and dry grass are examples. Kindling is slightly larger pieces of wood, i.e. small sticks and twigs. Logs are the largest type of fuel and include larger sticks and branches

Photo Source: Anonymous (N.D.) All about campfires and firestarting. Available at: http://www.campfiredude.com/campfire-lays.shtml

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Site Selection

Before beginning to build your fire an appropriate site must be selected with the goal of leaving as little of an environmental impact as possible.

• Choose a site on a durable surface (rock, compacted soil) or create your own fire base out of green logs

• Choose a site that is protected from the wind, look for natural features such as rocks or logs that can provide this protection

• Choose a site with open air above- do not choose a site where branches from trees are hanging over the fire spot

• Clear away debris from the area around the fire so that stray sparks do not ignite dry materials on the ground (also store fuel away from the fire)

Fire Structures

Arrange the tinder, kindling and logs into one of these structures

Teepee

1. Place tinder down on whatever site you have chosen to build your fire

2. Use kindling to form a teepee above the tinder; place more tinder on the downwind side of the fire, leave an opening in the upwind side so that you can light the fire.

3. Lean smaller log pieces on the outside of the structure

Log Cabin

1. Lay pieces of kindling down in a square shape, so that the edges of the pieces of wood overlap

2. Lay pieces of kindling in a square on top of your first layer, building the structure up to be like a cabin without the roof (try to leave space on the upwind side for lighting the fire)

3. Put tinder inside the cabin

4. Lay kindling across the top of the cabin to form a roof



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Lean-to

1. Place a long piece of kindling into the ground at an angle.

2. Place your tinder under the piece of kindling

3. Lean smaller pieces of kindling against the first piece, leave the upwind end open

Lighting the Fire

Generally speaking, ignite your fire by lighting it under the tinder and light from upwind so that the wind will blow the flames into the fire.

Putting the Fire Out

Always use water to put the fire out. Piling dirt or sand on top of the fire can leave burning embers, which can smolder for some time and cause forest fires if they ignite underground roots.

Activity 7: Gang Awareness (15 to 20 minutes)

• What is a gang?

A gang is a group of people who take part in illegal activity. People join gangs for different reasons, but really, they won’t find what they are looking for.

They might be looking for a sense of belonging, protection, money, excitement, prestige and family. People who do not have a sense of belonging are at the greatest risk for joining a gang. We’re now going to listen to a story about a person who has been in a gang.

Read through the gang awareness fact sheet and discuss any questions that the campers might have. Then read one or two personal accounts or listen to one or two recordings of personal accounts of ex-gang members (gathered during facilitator training) to highlight the destructiveness of that life.

Alternatively, a guest may come in at this time to share their story of being in a gang.

Note: During the training period stories were researched and recorded OR a reformed gang member contacted to present their story to the campers.


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Day 41. Design and Implement a Photo-Voice Project

Materials

• Cameras- Digital cameras or Fujifilm Instax Mini cameras- 1 per team of approx. 5 children

• Memory cards (1 per digital camera)

• Fujifilm Instax Mini Film, if using Fujifilm cameras (1 roll per camper- 1 roll produces 20 photos)

• If using digital cameras, printer & photo paper, or develop photos at Walmart

• Bristol board, 1 per child

• Child friendly magazines

• Scisssors, glue & tape

• Markers, pencil crayons & crayons

Objectives

1. To encourage youth to capture stories and feelings creatively through the use of photographs, captions and voice.

2. For youth to learn the basics of camera use and composition to capture experiences.

3. To provide youth an opportunity to share and discuss their experiences with others in a supportive environment.

Activity 1: Design and Implement a Photo-Voice Project

A picture may be worth a 1000 words, but getting those pictures to tell a story can be a bit tricky. A photo-voice project uses pictures, captions and your voice to tell a story about real life. These stories can be about life skills such as:

• The history of your community

• Your family

• Your conversations

• How friends treat other friends

• Gangs

• Stress and anxiety

• Drugs and addiction

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• Hopes & Dreams / Spirituality

• Grief and loss

• Your feelings

Can you think of why it can be useful to tell a story using pictures? (Allow time for responses)

Possible responses:

• To share thoughts and ideas about life in your community

• To be an author and creator of your own stories

• To have fun and be creative with other camp members

Today, each of you will create your own photo-voice project where you can share your thoughts and ideas about life in your community. Building a photo-voice allows you to tell your story creatively, while having fun and working together. Each of you will have the opportunity to take and print photographs, assemble them together on a bristol board with captions and magazine clippings, and share a few spoken words about your story.

Now let’s go through a few ways for you to start thinking about your photo-voice project and how you want it to come together to tell your unique story. Here are a few different ways to think about telling your story. Most importantly, it’s up to you to decide what story you want to tell!

Allow time for response after each question:

• Do you want your photos to have a beginning, middle and end?

• Who is telling your story? Is it from your point of view or a narrator’s?

• What emotion do you want your photo-voice to have? (Happy, sad, hopeful, funny, etc)

• Are there any questions you’re trying to ask the reader or do you just want to tell a story?

Before we break into our teams to take photos, let’s talk about how to use the camera and some tips for taking your photographs.

The first thing we’ ll talk about is holding the camera and how to take a photograph. It’s important to hold the camera with both hands and to keep the camera straight and still when you take a photo. This will help prevent blurry photos. The viewfinder is here and it allows you to see your subject. To take a photo you press the shutter button here.

Take time to show campers how to hold the camera, where the viewfinder is, how to take a photo by pressing the shutter button, and any other functions and settings such as flash and zoom.

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Go through these tips with the campers to help them think about visual composition as they take photographs:

• Orientation: Holding your camera in different angles can change the way the photo looks. Shooting a photo horizontally will give a wider range side-to-side, and taking the photo vertically will give a longer range up-down for the photo.

• Perspective: Approaching a target from different angles can change the way the photo looks. You can shoot from a ‘bird’s eye view’ or ‘high to low angle’ by standing on something or looking down from your camera. You can shoot from a ‘worm’s eye view’ or ‘low to high angle’ by lying on the ground and looking up from your camera. You can also shoot a subject straight on or at eye level by shooting direct from your sight line.

• Different Distances: Approaching a target from different distances can change the way the photo looks. Shoot from close up to make your subject look big, from far away to make your subject look small, or from middle distance to make your target normal size.

• Flash (optional): In dark areas you can use the flash option to brighten the photo. As a general rule, photos taken inside may need flash whereas most photos taken outside don’t require flash.

• Focus of the Picture: What is the scenery? Do you have a moving subject? A single subject, or group of subjects?

• Background: What is behind your subject? Are there any distractions or objects that deter from your subject? Scan the foreground and background before taking your picture and adjust your camera if necessary. Keep in mind when shooting outside that it is usually best to stand with the sun behind you or to the side of you. This will help you get even exposure over your subject, rather than a very bright background and dark subject in the foreground.

• Rule of Thirds: Imagine there is a grid of 4 intersecting lines over the image in your viewfinder, dividing your image into nine equal-sized parts. Place your subject or focus at points where the lines intersect. For example, rather than photographing your subject in the middle of the frame, try placing the focus (ie- the bee’s head) in a third of your frame to the left or right. This will help create a visually interesting picture.

Photo Source: Darren Rowse. (n.d). Rule of Thirds. Retrieved March 16, 2015, from http://digital-photography-school.com/rule-of-thirds/

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• Colour: Colours in your photographs help create mood and evoke emotion. Warm colours like red, orange and yellow are energetic and vibrant. Cool colours like purple and blues are calming.

Now we are going to break into our teams, and each team will share one camera. Each of you will have time to take 10-20 photos to give you enough variety when it’s time to build your photo-voice on bristol board. Remember to be respectful of others if they do not wish to have their photo taken.

Allow 1.5 hours for groups to take photographs. Stay as a team, but feel free to move locations depending on where campers want to go. Each camper will need 10-20 photos to build their photo-voice. At the end of the 1.5 hours, reconvene at the community hall or recreation centre where camp is held.

Now that we are finished taking photographs, you are going to start building your photo-voice. Each of you will have one bristol board to display your photos how ever you like. You can also use magazine clippings, captions, and the craft supplies to tell your story.

Here are a few suggestions to help build your photo-voice:

• What does the background of your photo-voice look like? Do you want to keep it blank or is it another place to be creative about your theme?

• Try creating some areas with a couple images or a collage, and some areas with a single picture.

• Try arranging images that are similar and ones that are different or contrasting. Which matches have a stronger meaning to you? How do the matches change the mood of your photo-voice?

• How you cut or crop your images changes the focus of that picture. What do you want to be the focus of your image?

• Try varying the size and shape of pictures or the placement of the text in your story.

• The colours you use can have different meanings, but so can the font, the size and style of your text. Try different ones, and be creative to set the tone of your photo-voice.

• Are there any images, drawings or things you want to add in addition to the photos you took?

Allow 45 minutes for campers to build their photo-voice. After they are complete, gather in your teams and encourage campers to share their photo-voice within the group (a few minutes for each camper). Remind campers to demonstrate respectful behaviour to each other by listening quietly when someone is sharing and to be open-minded to the ideas of others.

Photo Source: Amiry, M. (2015, February 2). Choosing Items to Complement Furniture. (Web log comment). Retrieved March 26, 2015 from http://belfurniture.blogspot.ca/

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After campers have shared their projects, ask the following discussion questions and allow time for response after each question:

• What did you learn while making your photo-voice?

• What did you like most about taking photographs?

• Did you face any challenges taking photographs? If so, what were they?

• Did you face any challenges building your photo-voice? If so, what were they?

• Is there anything you would do differently next time?

• Did you enjoy telling a story through photographs? Why or why not?

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Day 51. Bullying and Gang Awareness Review


3. Grief and Loss Discussion and Canoe Release

4. Hopes & Dreams / Spirituality and the Solo

5. Amazing Race

Materials

• One whistle per camper

• Pencil crayons and markers

• Amazing Race materials (suggestions found in Amazing Race guidelines below)

• Chart paper

• White biodegradable paper

Objectives

1. To teach youth what grief is, the normality of losing someone, and that grieving is a positive reaction to have after losing something or someone.

2. To encourage the campers to find something to believe in and to encourage the children to be proud of whom or what they might believe in.

Activity 1: Bullying and Gang Awareness Review (5 minutes)

1. Questions (For team points - allow time for response after each question):

• Give two examples of what bullying could look like.

• What is the difference between a bystander and an upstander?

• In a group of three, act out someone being a bully, a victim and an upstander.

• Why might someone join a gang?

• What are some of the consequences of joining a gang?

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Activity 2: Wellness Fair Committee Meeting

Camp teams will gather in the guise of a committee to work on Wellness Fair logistical details associated with their planning committee. Decisions about the Fair and committee updates will be presented to everyone at the end of the work session. Advertisements should be appearing around the

community by the end of the day.

Activity 3: Grief and Loss Discussion and Canoe Release (45 -60 minutes)

As a large group, sit in a circle to discuss grief and loss.


• What is loss? Would anyone like to share a story about someone or something that they have lost?

Loss is exactly what it sounds like. You lose something that may or may not be valuable to you. It could be a person, they may die or move away from you, a pet, a sports game or a favourite toy.


• How do you think it feels to experience loss?

• What is grief?

People will experience grief differently and there is no one way or right way to do it. Some people might cry, get angry, feel lonely or scared, or even find themselves laughing. Laughing is okay and so is crying; it doesn’t mean that you are weak. For emotional well-being you should let yourself feel grief and be supportive and respectful of other peoples grief. Support can be a hug an expression of sympathy or just listening. Today we are going to do an activity to demonstrate how we can confront our grief and then let it go.

Go through the grief and loss fact sheets with the campers. Then do the canoe release activity. Explain to the campers that if they would like then they can write a message or draw a picture to someone on the paper that they will make into a canoe. Then the canoe will be sent down the river, or burned in a fire, depending on the camp’s environmental resources. (Video link: http://www.pedagonet.com/videos/canoe.htm)

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Step-by-step Directions:

1. Fold a piece of paper in half, from top to bottom.

2. Fold the right corner into the middle of the paper.

3. Fold the left corner into the middle of the paper.

4. Fold up one part of the bottom of the paper.

5. Flip the paper over and turn in both ends of the paper.

6. Fold down the triangle.

7. Fold the bottom of the paper over the triangle point.

8. Insert thumbs into the open canoe!

9. Have them write or draw a message on their canoes to someone, something, or a pet they have lost.

Go outside to a nearby river or body of water and release all of the canoes, have the campers think about sending their message. Take a photo of the canoes as they drift away. Activity 4 was developed with two paths to meet a variety of community needs and values: 4A Hopes & Dreams and 4B Spirituality. Choose only ONE of these activities that best suit your community and your program’s goals. They are developed to be standalone options.

Activity 4A: Hopes & Dreams and the Solo (40 minutes)

Have this discussion in camp teams: Today, we will talk about hopes and dreams. Part of having hopes and dreams is about knowing what you value. Personal values can include the qualities

you expect to have in a friend, the things you want the most in your life, and the way you feel you should interact with other people. Some common values include: respect, responsibility, understanding, effort, and caring.

• What values have you been taught?

• Is this a value from your family? Your role models or heroes?

• What are some values that are common in the community?

Our values give us guidance in life. Knowing your values helps build a foundation for developing goals and achieving your hopes and dreams. Let’s first talk about what hopes and dreams are. Raise your hand when you are ready to share. What is a hope or a dream? Can you think of an example of a hope or dream you had today? Can you think about a hope or dream you have for this week? This year? For the future?

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Facilitators should share examples of their hopes and dreams with campers to show that regardless of age all people have hopes. This will also make the youth feel comfortable and inspire them to share.

We are going to do a solo activity and while we do I would encourage everyone to think about your own hopes and dreams.

The solo is a very simple activity that allows individuals to spend time alone in nature. Each camper will experience a 30-minute solo. They will be instructed to think about the things that they see, smell, hear and feel while they are on their own. They may reflect on their hopes and dreams. Otherwise they may let their minds wander.

1. Each facilitator will be assigned an equal number of campers .

2. All facilitators will walk into the woods in a different direction. Each facilitator will assign a muster point before they enter the woods .

3. Facilitators will help spread the campers out so that they are not able to see one another. Once campers are distributed, the 30-minute solo begins. At the end of the 30-minutes the councilors will blow a whistle and campers will return to their muster point.

Safety note: All campers should be given a whistle in case of an emergency.

Set up a sharing circle and go around the circle asking everyone to share something that makes them happy; then invite campers to share their personal values; finally, have campers share one hope or dream. Sharing circles allow one person to speak at a time and until they have finished speaking.

Activity 4B: Spirituality and the Solo (40 minutes)

Have this discussion in camp teams:

Spirituality develops deep within us - it can give us inner peace, and it can be present in all parts of our lives. Your beliefs and values are part of your spirituality.

People in the community may have very different beliefs.

• Some may believe that when you accept Christ into your life you go through a major life change that happens through prayer and healing.

• Some may pray to God for forgiveness and speak to God through a Priest.

• Some may believe that by lighting sweetgrass, your prayers are taken up to the Creator.

Every time we do a mindfulness exercise, it is like doing a spirituality exercise because spirituality is about “living in the present”, being mindful of your interactions with people, animals, the environment, your community, and most importantly being true to yourself.

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Now, let’s watch a short video where people will tell us about their spirituality and their beliefs.

See the Camp Administrator’s Handbook for a link to this video resource.

What do you think about what the speakers in the video have said about spirituality?

Part of having hopes and dreams is about knowing what you value. Personal values can include the qualities you expect to have in a friend, the things you want the most in your life, and the way you feel you should interact with other people. Some common values include: respect, responsibility, understanding, effort, and caring.

• What values have you been taught?

• Is this a value from your family? Your role models or heroes?

• What are some values that are common in the community?

Our values give us guidance in life. Knowing your values helps build a foundation for developing goals and achieving your hopes and dreams. Let’s first talk about what hopes and dreams are. Raise your hand when you are ready to share. What is a hope or a dream? Can you think of an example of a hope or dream you had today? Can you think about a hope or dream you have for this week? This year? For the future?

Facilitators should share examples of their hopes and dreams with campers to show that regardless of age all people have hopes. This will also make the youth feel comfortable and inspire them to share.

The solo is a very simple activity that allows individuals to spend time alone in nature. Each camper will experience a 30-minute solo. They will be instructed to think about the things that they see, smell, hear and feel while they are on their own. They may reflect on their spirituality - their beliefs and values, or their hopes and dreams. Otherwise they may let their minds wander.

1. Each facilitator will be assigned an equal number of campers.

2. All facilitators will walk into the woods in a different direction. Each facilitator will assign a muster point before they enter the woods.

3. Facilitators will help spread the campers out so that they are not able to see one another. Once campers are distributed, the 30-minute solo begins. At the end of the 30-minutes the councilors will blow a whistle and campers will return to their muster point.

Safety note: All campers should be given a whistle in case of an emergency.

Set up a sharing circle and go around asking everyone to share something that makes them happy; then invite campers to share their personal values/beliefs. Sharing circles allow one person to speak at a time and until they have finished speaking.

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Activity 5: The Amazing Race (120 minutes)

The Amazing Race is a fun activity that may be used to provide campers with information for their health fair and provide challenges that will require problem solving skills, communication skills etc.

Teams of 4-7 will work together to complete challenges. One facilitator must be assigned to each group; this is for safety reasons and to ensure that the challenges are completed. This activity will require planning in advance for it to work. Ideally you will have the same number of teams, as there are challenges in the race (or more challenges than teams). This way teams can all start at a different challenge to avoid having all of the teams at the same challenge at the same time.

Before the day of the race, challenges should be designed and any necessary set-up should be completed. Challenges can be anything and should be different based on the resources of the game area. Some challenge ideas are described at the end of the Amazing Race guidelines.

On the day of the race the game will start by giving a direction card to each group (team facilitators responsible for direction cards and challenge cards). This card should direct them to their first challenge (each group going to a different challenge). These directions can be exact, such as, go behind the community center to find your first challenge or could require groups to solve a riddle or unscramble letters to get their directions: og hbndei hte mumticyon rceetn (go behind the community center).

Once they reach the challenge site they will be given the challenge card by their facilitator and must complete the challenge. Once the challenge is complete they will be given the direction card to their next challenge, and so forth and so forth until each group has completed all of the challenges. The Amazing Race can be designed to last the whole day or just a couple of hours, depending on the number and difficulty level of challenges.

What the facilitator says, goes. Facilitators can add or subtract time from challenge times if they feel that a camper has not followed the rules or if they have done an extremely excellent job.

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Challenge Ideas:

1. Soap Game: Have a bucket of water (one for each group) and a bar of soap beside that bucket. Challenge groups to shrink the bar of soap as much as possible in 10 minutes. At the end of the game, compare each group’s soap to determine a winner for that challenge.

2. Tarp Maze: The objective is for your team to make it through the maze. Team members attempt to go through the maze one at a time (make a single file line). There is only one way to get through the maze and only your facilitator knows what the sequence is. When you hear a “engh” you have taken a wrong turn in the maze and must go to the end of the line. No talking! Try to remember what your teammates have done right before you go. (Timed- team who completes the maze the fastest wins this challenge).

3. Scavenger Hunt: Make teams find people or things. Choose a theme. It could be a Nature Scavenger hunt- find items on the list (smell a flower in blossom-describe it, hug a pine tree etc.) or an A-Z hunt- find an item that starts with each letter of the alphabet. No interrupting other teams and DO NOT ENTER OTHER SETTLEMENT BUILDINGS. (Teams with the most items on the list wins this challenge). Use the following list if you need ideas:

• Something you consider treasure• A pretty rock• A stick that is longer than one of

your teammates• A stick that is shorter than your

finger• Make a word using your bodies,

all team-mates must be involved• Find a pinecone• A fuzzy thing• The colour red in nature• A pine needle• Make a human pyramid with all

players• Make a freestanding pine needle

pyramid• A dog carrying pants• A frog or toad• A butterfly• A black ant

• A picture of a bird• A picture of someone who

doesn’t know that they are being photographed (a creeper photo)

• A team superhero photo• A team selfie• Make a picture with rocks and

sticks• A team picture with your flag• A video of your team doing your

team cheer• A lamp that is on• A person sitting on stairs • A hut in the woods (do not go in)• A hockey stick in the grass• A person washing their hands• Someone wearing blue shoes• Someone eating• Someone driving a truck• Someone wearing sunglasses

4. Spider Web: Tie ropes in a spider web like pattern between two trees. Make sure there are various sized holes located at different heights. Teams must get from one side of the web to the other by sending team members through the holes. No two people may go through the same hole and no touching the web or the challenge must be started over. (Timed- team who completes the maze the fastest wins this challenge).

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5. Warm Fuzzies: Write a warm fuzzy for each of your teammates.6. Water Pong: Throw the ping-pong balls into the cups until you score exactly ten points. If

you go over ten then you have to start again. (Make a single file line, each player gets one throw at a time and then must go to the back of the line.) (The team that can get to ten the most time in ten minutes).

7. Pantyhose Banana Feeding: One player must put a panty hose (sheer) over their head; it must cover their mouth. Their teammates must then feed them a banana through the panty hose.

8. Relay Race: Complete an obstacle course relay race one at a time (finish course, run back to team and tag next teammate) until each team-member has finished it.

9. Clinic: Visit the local family center or health unit and talk to someone who works there about a health issue, either physical or mental. Collect pamphlets and come up with a skit about the topic that you must present to your facilitator.

Clues:

The following is an example of the clues that can be handed out to teams during the Amazing Race. These clues lead them to their challenge sites. Note: remove the name of the game from the clues.

• Grid game: Lines and patterns you will find, outside the kitchen, on the side.• Relay Race: To get through this-teamwork is a must. So run super fast and kick-up

some dust. This challenge begins where young children play.• Warm fuzzies: You’re going to feel warm and fuzzy about this one, flattering

compliments are so much fun.• Spider web: These creepy crawlies are never more than ten feet away, spinning webs is

what they do all day. • Skit: Listen up everyone, it’s time to get your act on! Produce a healthy skit, it won’t

take too long! Go find your task where actors belong.• Water pong: Ping pong ball, water in the up. Rack-up some points and add ‘em up!

• Soap: Make the soap disappear, as you get clean, you can’t do it alone, so do it as a team. Unscramble the words to find the location of this task. hrewe het ahicrs ear rdesot

• Scavenger hunt: Gather all of the things on your list, look to and fro, gather as much as you can before you go.

• Clinic: A little health awareness can go a long way. Needles and Band-Aids are used here every day.

More extensive examples and guidelines can be found at one of the sites below:

• http://ratnavathy.wordpress.com/2012/11/28/our-very-own-amazing-race-2012-a-lesson-plan/

• http://apples4bookworms.blogspot.ca/2012/10/amazing-race-combined-mutual-activity.html

A sample amazing race with challenges and route options is provided in the resources section.

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Day 61. Grief & Loss and Hopes & Dreams / Spirituality Review

2. Addictions

3. Smoking

4. Drugs

5. Alcohol Discussion and Guest Visit


7. Shelter Building

Materials

• Drunk goggles

• Chart paper

• A forest

• Tape

• Markers

• 6 nuts and bolts

• 60 large straws

• 60 coffee stir straws

• 6 pairs of mittens

• 6 dark sunglasss

Objectives

1. To teach the campers the facts and myths about smoking, the effects that smoking has on you and some reasons why people choose to smoke.

2. To teach the campers about how drugs harm your body, the danger of drugs, and how to refuse drugs.

3. To teach the children about what alcohol is, the effects of alcohol, how to say no to alcohol, and why young people try alcohol.

4. To teach the children about the risks and effects of gambling, the different types of gambling, and some reasons why people might partake in it

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Activity 1: Grief & Loss and Hopes & Dreams / Spirituality Review (5 minutes)


• What is loss?

• How do people deal with loss?

• What does grief look like?

• Is there a wrong way to grieve?

• If you talked about Hopes & Dreams yesterday: do you think about your values? Can you share one hope or dream?

• If you talked about Spirituality yesterday: what is spirituality? How would you describe your spirituality?

Today we are going to talk about setting goals, and we are then going to set some goals for ourselves to get the wellness fair completed. As well, we are going to be having a guest from the RCMP come to camp to talk to us about drinking and its consequences.

Activity 2: Addictions Discussion (60-75 minutes)

An addiction is a behaviour or use of some substance or activity that is out of control. It is often associated with craving the use of something, not having control over how much you might use or using despite the negative consequences that might be associated with use or overuse.

Aside from the loss of control, harmful consequences are also associated with addictions.

• What might some harmful consequences of addictions be? (Allow time for response after each question).

Possible responses:

• Injuries while under the influence of the addiction

• Feelings of anxiety, irritability or depression

• Trouble thinking clearly

• Problems with relationships

• Spending money on substances rather than on food, rent or other essentials

• Legal problems related to substance use

• Loss of hope, feelings of emptiness

• Destroyed relationships

• Abuse

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Some of the most common addictions are related to alcohol, drugs, smoking and gambling, so we will talk a bit about those now. One thing to note is that there is no one reason behind addictions and there is no one way to approach addictions; however a holistic approach that focuses on mind body and spirit will be the most effective approach.

Gambling

Gambling is risking money or something of value on an uncertain outcome. Gambling can lead to financial and personal loss.

• Why do you think that people gamble? (Allow time for response)

Possible Responses:

• An unhealthy coping technique

• The rush and excitement that it can provide

• Occasional wins

• The belief that a big win is imminent

The excitement of gambling is often attractive to people. It provides a rush, just as drinking, smoking and drugs do-which we’ ll talk about next. But that rush can be achieved through positive means as well. Healthy rushes can come from things that we are passionate about.

• What would your healthy rush be? (Allow time for response)

Smoking Discussion and Straw Activity

Do this activity in a large group or in camp teams.

• What do you know about smoking? How do you feel about it? Why do you feel that way? (Allow time for response after each question).

We’re going to do an activity now, and at the end I’ ll ask you why you think we did it. First off, I want everyone to grab one of the big straws and a post-it. Now everyone put the straw in your mouth and breathe only through the straw for thirty seconds. I’ ll time it and tell you when to stop.

Now everyone write down a word on their post it to describe how that felt and put that word on the blue Bristol board.

Grab the smaller straw and another post-it. Now I’ ll time you for thirty seconds breathing through this straw and I’ ll tell you when to stop. Now write down how that felt on your post it and put the post-it on the red Bristol board.

Everyone take a look at the blue and then the red Bristol board and tell me some of the things that people wrote about breathing through the different straws.

• What do you think breathing through the different straws represented? (Allow time for responses)

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Breathing through the large straw was to represent the way that breathing would feel if you were a smoker. For some people it has a large effect on their breathing right away and for others, their breathing doesn’t change much when they start smoking, or at least they don’t notice it at rest. If you went for a run with the straw, then you would notice!

Breathing through the small straw represented breathing with COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), which can occur as a result of smoking. It shouldn’t have been an easy experience for anyone, and if it was then you were probably breathing through your nose too!

During the following discussion, record the questions and answers to those questions on chart paper.

• What do you know about what’s in cigarettes? (Allow time for responses)

Possible Responses:

• There are 4000 chemicals

• One of these chemicals is nicotine, which is highly addictive

• 50 known cancer-causing agents in cigarettes

• With all of those chemicals what are some of the things that might happen as a result of smoking? (Allow time for responses after this question)

Possible responses

• You may develop asthma or another breathing problem

• You’ll have bad breath

• Teeth and mouth problems as well as yellow nails

• Your clothes might smell

• You might develop cancer

• You might be putting someone else at risk for health problems related to second hand smoking

• You will spend a lot of money because smoking is expensive

• Being physically active becomes more difficult

• So why do people smoke then? (Allow time for responses after this question)

Possible responses:

• Because they think it’s cool

• Peer pressure

• Because they think it will help them stay skinny

• To rebel

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The good news about this is that the effects of smoking are reversible and preventable! Health care professionals can help people quit if they need it, and most people will need that help to quit.

After completing the smoking discussion, review the smoking fact sheet with campers.

Drug Discussion and Threading the Nut Onto the Bolt Activity

It’s time to talk about drugs. I might surprise you when I say that drugs aren’t necessarily bad. Doctors prescribe people drugs all the time to help with depression, infections, pain, and other things; and those drugs can help people. While these drugs are legal, they can definitely be abused if taken when they’re not necessary or prescribed.

Then there are illegal drugs, like marijuana, cocaine, ecstasy and heroine. Drugs can be classified as depressants, meaning that they slow down your body or inhibit normal functioning or stimulants meaning that they speed up the systems working in your body. All of these drugs can be harmful, especially when children and youth, whose bodies are still developing, use them. Some of the immediate effects of drugs include: delayed response times, slurred speech, sluggish movements, anxiety, hallucinations, and rapid heartbeat. In the longer term, drugs can cause memory loss, disturbed thoughts, paranoia, sleep difficulties and anxiety.

• Why do you think people use drugs? (Allow time for responses)

Possible Responses:

• To escape their lives

• To fit in

• Peer pressure

• To stay awake longer

None of these reasons behind taking drugs will lead you to better mental or physical health. Having a positive self-esteem and confidence in who you are will give you the strength to resist drugs. Later this week we’ ll talk about self-esteem and how you can build it up and learn to appreciate yourself.

We’ll take a bit of a break from this heavy talk to do a little activity. Now this activity might be amazingly fun but it’s meant to mimic some of the effects that drugs might have on your body, specifically your motor skills.

Threading the Nut Onto the Bolt

1. Divide your camp team into two even groups.2. Have each group sit in a separate line, but beside each other. Tell each team that they are

competing against each other in a timed race.3. Give the first person in each line a bolt with a nut screwed all the way onto it. On the

count of three each person must unscrew the nut off the bolt and then screw the nut all the way back onto the bolt. Before passing it to the next person who must who must do the same, until the nut and bolt make it all the way to the end of the line. The first team to complete the task wins the round.

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4. Repeat the task, but pass along a pair of mittens with the nut and bolt and make each person wear the mittens as they complete the task.

5. If time permits repeat again with the lights off and adding a pair of dark sunglasses to the task.

This activity was to mimic the way that a normally easy task like threading a nut onto a bolt can become difficult when under the inf luence of drugs. Now just imagine if your thoughts were as confused and unreliable as your hands were during that task.

• What could some of the consequences of doing everyday tasks under the inf luence of drugs be? (Allow time for responses to this question)

Possible responses:

• Hurt yourself or someone else

• Make decisions that you normally wouldn’t

After finishing the drugs discussion, read through the drugs fact sheet with the campers.

RCMP Guest and Alcohol Discussion.

During training and camp planning, the RCMP should have been contacted and scheduled to be a guest presenter at camp. They will do a presentation to the campers and bring drunk goggles for the campers to wear.

Prior to the arrival of the RCMP, tape lines should be put on the floor in various patterns that the campers must walk when they are wearing the goggles. A camper or campers may be engaged in creating the lines.

After the RCMP has left camp, be sure to go through the alcohol fact sheet and discuss various ways that the campers could work within the community to encourage responsible alcohol use. Make SURE to include the following in your discussion.

Alcohol should only be consumed by adults and in moderation. As teenagers you are still growing and developing and drinking can have a profound negative effect on that development. Youth may drink because they think it is cool, they are curious, they feel peer pressure or want to rebel. There are other ways to accomplish these things like through sports teams and developing other hobbies. Youth who drink are more likely to develop alcohol dependence as adults.

People who abuse alcohol may drink too much or engage in dangerous activities such as drinking and driving. There is no excuse for drinking and driving; it can always be prevented through planning ahead. There are professionals who you can talk to if you are concerned about yourself or someone else, like a nurse, school counselor, or kids help phone.

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Activity 3: Wellness Fair Work Session (45 minutes)

Groups will meet to create a draft of their booth. Once the draft is approved by a facilitator, groups may begin to work on the final copy of their booth, creating any materials that they will need for the Fair.

Activity 4: Shelter Building - The Debris Hut (75 minutes)

We are going to learn how to build a shelter in the woods. We’ll be building a debris hut shelter. The debris hut shelter is an easy shelter to build that shouldn’t require any non-forest materials. Let’s go add another survival piece to our skill-set!

1. First find a good spot for your shelter. Look for a location that is NOT a low spot and is away from dead trees. You also might want to find a spot where there is a lot of forest floor debris handy.

2. Next look for a long branch that is taller than you with your arms above your head. This is the ridgepole.

3. Place the ridgepole with one edge on the ground and the other on top of a sturdy base, like a fork in a tree, on a stump or rock (about hip height at the tall end).

4. Next lean branches against the ridgepole at an angle so that they create a tent-like structure. (see picture below) This ribbing effect will allow you to add debris to the top of the shelter and supports the ridgepole. Make sure that the ribbing is wide enough apart (at the base) so that your body can fit inside. Check to make sure you can fit once the ribbing is placed.

5. Then place thinner branches across the ribbing so that debris will not fall through the branches.

6. Add dry debris from the forest floor (grass, pine needles, leaves) against your supports until the debris is about one meter thick.

7. Place branches against the outside of the debris to keep it in place in case of wind or rain. Make sure to place debris on the ground inside the shelter as well to keep you warm at night by preventing loss of heat from your body into the ground. As well, have a pile of debris beside the door so that you can close yourself in at night and to ensure optimal trapping of warm air.

Photo Source: Gunion, L. (2010). How to build a survival Shelter. Availble at: http://www.natureskills.com/survival/primitive-shelter/

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Day 71. Addictions Review and Introduction to the Day

2. Anger Management Quiz and Discussion

3. Blowing Off Steam and Traffic Jam

4. “I Statements” for Conflict Resolution


6. Farm Visit• Appropriate Interactions with Animals

• Hunting Guest

• Find the Facilitator Game

Materials

• A bus

• A farm

• Health fair materials

• Tape

• 6 plastic bags

• 6 paper cups

• Bagged lunches

Objectives

1. To teach the campers the difference between anger and rage, techniques to manage their anger, and help them to understand that anger is a normal emotion.

2. To teach the children how to interact and care for pets with respect.

Activity 1: Addictions Review


• How can alcohol be consumed responsibly?

• Why do youth drink?

• What are some of the consequences of abusing alcohol?

• What is an addiction?

• What can people do to get help with addictions?

Today we are going to talk about anger and conf lict resolution and respectful relationships. We’ll also spend a nice chunk of time finishing up our wellness fair and photo-voice projects and then take a picnic lunch and go have a farm visit in the afternoon.

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Activity 2: Anger Management Quiz and Discussion (10 minutes)

This activity and discussion should be done within camp teams.

We are going to discuss anger management now. Anger is a perfectly normal emotion. We all get angry several times a day and that looks different for

everyone. I am going to read a series of statements. If one of the statements is true for you, hold up one finger, but leave your hand in your lap.

• Do you feel angry when you encounter an inconvenience, something annoys you or gets in the way of what you are doing?

• Does getting angry cause you to be aggressive or violent, for example yelling, hitting, shoving or planning revenge?

• Do you hold onto your anger beyond the event that caused that anger?

• Have you ever gotten really mad and thought that something simple, which maybe wouldn’t bother you normally, is a major issue?

• Do you do destructive things to deal with your anger: drinking, drugs, hazardous activities, self-harm, fighting?

If you raised your finger to any of those statements, then you have experienced anger that is out of control. It is important to recognize anger, and recognize when anger gets out of control so that we can manage it properly.

• What are some things that you might do to manage your anger?

Write the camper responses down on chart paper. Possible responses:

• Mindful breathing

• Counting to ten

• Discussing your problems with someone

• Exercise, exercise and more exercise

• Leaving the situation that is causing anger

• Take a few minutes before responding

• Know your triggers

• Manage time wisely

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Activity 3: Blowing Off Steam and Traffic Jam (40 minutes)

Do this activity in camp teams.

We are going to play a couple of games that are designed to make you a little bit angry. So let’s see how you all handle it!

Blowing Off Steam

1. Divide your team into smaller groups of 6-8 people and have each group sit around a table, players can move around the table throughout the game but start off evenly spread around the table.

2. Place a paper cup at one end of the table and tape a grocery bag at the other end of the table.

3. On the count of three have the group attempt to blow the paper cup from one end of the table into the grocery bag using only the power of their breath, no hands!

4. Repeat several times to improve technique and speed.

Traffic Jam

1. Make a line of place-holders (pylons, rocks, sticks etc.) that is 9-17 places long (one more than you have in the group).

2. Make two teams, A and B. Team members should stand on the placeholders, with one person behind the other and with teams facing each other and with an extra placeholder in between the teams.

3. Have the teams switch spots so that all members of team A are in team B’s former spot and vice versa. The following rules must be followed: no moving backwards, you can only move forward to an empty space, only one person may move at a time, no jumping over team-mates, one person per place-holder. If any of the rules are broken the game starts over.

Discussion Questions (Allow time for responses after each question):

• Did you get frustrated playing these games? Why?

• How did you overcome your feelings of frustration?

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Activity 4: “I Statements” for Conflict Resolution (15 minutes)


When we become angry or get hurt or just have a problem that is bothering us, one way to address the conf lict is by using “I statements” to express ourselves. “I statements” can be used to express any emotion, but you will find them particularly helpful to express difficult emotions like anger.

With “I Statements”, we start by expressing our feelings and then connect them with a behavior or action that caused the feeling. For example: I feel really angry when you ignore what I have to say.

Then we describe how we might like behavior or actions to look in the future. For example: I would feel better if you engage in active listening when I’m sharing my thoughts with you so that I know you are not ignoring me.

While this is a good way to discuss conf lict resolution, you may need to spend more time solving conf licts and can do so using the five steps of conf lict resolution. These are the steps that we have been following throughout camp when facilitators have been required to step in to help solve problems, I statements are used in step two. The five steps are:

1. Calm down

2. Discuss the situation

3. Think of solutions

4. Decide on a solution

5. Act on your solution

You may have noticed that the wellness corner throughout camp has displayed these steps. Let’s practice this now, and then later we will also use these steps when conf licts arise.

Give campers time to practice using “I statements” with a friend.


Groups will continue to work of their booth and finalize details related to activities. By the end of the day, all posters and materials should be near finished if not complete. Activities should be set, equipment confirmed and ready to go.

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Activity 6: Farm Visit (2-4 hours)

The whole group will take a field trip to a nearby farm that has calm animals (good around children) on site (this should have been arranged during training). A bagged lunch will be brought by each camper so that upon arrival at the camp, the group can have a picnic lunch. During the picnic

lunch, campers will be told the rules that they have to follow in order to make the trip fun and enjoyable. These should be basic rules that the host has regarding handling of animals and boundaries that campers must stay within.

A guest will present on hunting practices and respect for animals during the visit. After that a discussion about what a respectful relationship with animals might look like will occur followed by a grooming demonstration and free time to interact with the animals. After approximately half an hour of free time, facilitators should start a game of find the facilitator.

Find the facilitator

1. Have all the facilitators and campers gather in one spot to explain the rules. Once the rules are explained have all of the campers put their heads on the ground so that they cannot see what is happening around them.

2. Have all facilitators (except one who will oversee the game) go and find a hiding spot.

3. Let the campers go and try to find all of the facilitators. The goal is to find the facilitators as fast as possible. The game is played as every camper for themselves.

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Day 81. Anger Management, Conflict Resolution, & Respectful Relationships Review

2. Respectful Relationships Discussion

3. Self-Esteem


Materials

• Roll of paper

• Paint

• Paint brushes

• Wellness fair supplies

Objectives

1. To teach youth about high and low self-esteem, why self-esteem is important, and ways to boost their self-esteem.

2. To teach youth how to interact in and care for their relationships.

Activity 1: Anger Management, Conflict Resolution and Respectful Relationships Review (5 minutes)

Discussion questions for team points (allow time for responses after each question):

• What are some signs that your anger might be out of control?

• What are some things that we can do to deal with our anger?

• How many steps are there for conf lict resolution?

• What are they?

• Give me an example of an “I statement”.

Today we are going to discuss relationships and self-esteem. We’ll do some activities around these topics and then set up our tables and try to get ourselves all ready for the Wellness Fair and make sure our Photo Voice projects are done.

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Activity 2: Respectful Relationships (35 minutes)

Do this activity in a large group.

Yesterday we visited a farm to learn about how we should treat animals. Let’s discuss relationships with other people now!

Allow time for response after each question. Record answers on flip-chart paper:

• What do you think makes a relationship respectful?

• What type of qualities do the people in respectful relationships have?

• How do people in respectful relationships treat each other?

• What are some of the behaviours that might be seen in a respectful relationship?

Possible responses:

• Kindness

• Caring

• Love

• Friendship

• Respect

• Both people in the relationship are comfortable with the relationship

• Boundaries are respected

• There is trust in the relationship

• Both parties feel good about themselves in the relationship

• There is compromise and an equal give and take

• Good communication occurs

• There is no fear

• It’s easy to be yourself in the relationship

• It’s fun to do things with your friend and also without them

A healthy relationship requires respect, trust, communication, safety, boundaries, fairness, honesty and a willingness to work on it. Relationships are never perfect and require constant care and work, but that’s what makes them so valuable too.

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In groups of 3-4 we are going to create public announcement posters that we will display at the Wellness Fair. These posters are meant to show what a respectful relationship looks like. You can use words, pictures or a combination to showcase a respectful relationship and it can be any relationship: a romantic relationship, friends, siblings, cousins, parents and their children, teachers and their students or whatever else you want. Before we begin we will brief ly discuss media messages to help give you insight into making your posters.

Media are things that deliver messages to you. Media can inf luence your decisions because it inf luences how you think of yourself, how you should behave and how you should think.

The types of media are:

• Print media: T-shirts, books, magazines, billboards, newspapers, and junk mail.

• Electronic media: TV, radio, music, videos

• Often these entertain you and promote products at the same time

• New media: Computers, internet, computer games

• This is where we get most of our information about the world

Often media messages present glamorous images. They play on a person’s desire to be popular, cool, accepted, or fun. These messages usually ignore any risks involved with the product or behavior they are trying to sell you. They don’t mention any of the bad sides of an idea, image, or product. They make products and behaviors appear normal (part of everyday life), glamourous (popular, attractive, mature, or fun), or they show you a role model. Sometimes media tells us how we should act, for example by creating stereotypes about how men and women should act- these messages are false.

When we look at advertisements, there are some key things we want to think about:

• Who makes money from the message? Does an alcohol company make money if they get you to buy their beer? Does this mean they want to get you to buy their beer?

• Who is the message for? Are they trying to get teens to buy their product?

• What is NOT being said, and why? Do you think a beer company talks about binge drinking and drinking and driving in their advertisements?

Keep this information in mind as you create your advertisements.

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Activity 3: Self-Esteem (60 min)


Self-esteem is what you think of yourself and your worth. A person with a high self-esteem feels very positively about himself or herself. A person with low

self-esteem feels unhappy about himself or herself.

Self-image is the way you look at yourself—it is what you believe other people think about you. You can have a self-image as someone who likes basketball.

How we see ourselves is going to have a huge impact on how others see us and before we can expect others to love and respect us we need to love and respect ourselves. It’s normal to feel down on ourselves every once in a while, that’s okay, but being able to pick ourselves back up and maintain that positive self-image is what makes us strong.

Having a positive self-image and self-esteem is very important for mental health. As well, it inf luences our habits and can lead to successes. Negative self-esteem can lead to bad decisions and can thus hurt us. In this camp we have done activities to build our skill-sets, talked about history, our connections to others and worked on our ability to resolve conf licts and set goals. All of these things can together help us create a positive self-identity.

• What do you think are some things that can help us to build up positive self-esteem? (Allow time for response after each question)

Possible responses:

• Smiling

• Setting SMART goals

• Eating healthy

• Exercise

• Learning new skills

• Finding things that we are good at

• Getting a compliment

• Giving a compliment

• Spending time with positive influences

We are going to do an art activity- a self-portrait to put down on paper who we are. Each person is going to get a large piece of paper and have a friend trace his or her shoulders, neck and head on the paper. Then you can paint or draw or use magazine cutouts to decorate your portrait. Use words or images to explain who you are, what you like, what’s important to you, what you are good at and why other people like you.

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Groups will complete any unfinished booths and materials for the Fair. Each group will create a schedule for the fair which ensures that there will always be someone responsible for manning their activity/booth and that each group member will take a turn manning the booth/activity. Committees will meet to finish any last minute planning details. By the end

of the day, set-up of the booths and activities should be completed as much as possible.

You may also wish to use this time as an opportunity for campers to finish any incomplete Photo-Voice projects.

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Day 91. Respectful Relationships and Self-Esteem Review

2. Stress and Anxiety

3. Family Lunch

4. Wellness Fair

5. Wellness Fair Cleanup

Materials

• Balloons

• Markers

• Wellness Fair posters/supplies

Objectives

1. To teach the campers what stress and anxiety are, the causes of it, how to relieve it, and the differences between stress and unhealthy anxiety.

2. To run a safe and successful Wellness Fair.

3. To create opportunities for campers to share their camp experiences and learning with parents and the wider community.

Activity 1: Respectful Relationships and Self-Esteem Review

Discussion questions for team points (allow time for response after each question):

• What is the difference between self-esteem and self-image?

• What are some things that we can do to boost out self-esteem?

• What are three qualities of a respectful relationship?

• How do respectful relationships develop?

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Activity 2: Stress and Anxiety Discussion (30 minutes)

Let’s talk specifically about stress now. Stress is your body’s response to anything that disrupts your normal life and routine.

• So what does that mean? What is your body’s response? (Allow time for responses)

Possible responses:

• Crying or being upset

• Increased heart rate and breathing rate

• Feeling nervous or otherwise anxious

• Being more careful about what we do

• Falling apart

• Feeling sick, upset stomach

• Trouble sleeping

• Headaches

• Tense muscles

Today we are going to have friends and family join us to visit the wellness fair that we have been working on throughout camp.

• How do you feel about everyone seeing the work that you have done? Excited, nervous, stressed out? (Allow time for responses)

We are going to take a bit of time now to focus on the stress that you might be feeling about the fair or stresses that you might feel in your everyday life. We’ll start with an activity to show you how stress might happen.

1. Hand out a balloon to every camper and instruct them to blow up the balloon.

2. Have each person write down something that they have to get done for the fair or in their everyday life.

3. Have all campers give their balloon to a facilitator and stand in a circle.

4. Instruct the campers that you will be tossing balloons into the circle to represent things that they have to deal with in their everyday lives and tell them that they can’t drop the ‘ball’ (balloon) on these things (the balloons can’t hit the ground). To make more challenging add more balloons (announcing the task each time) and add limitations such as player must keep one hand behind their back at all times.

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Discussion Questions (allow time for responses after each question):

• What did you think about that game?

• Did it resemble your lives in any way? How?

• What might this tell you about juggling duties? (It helps to have help, don’t take on too many tasks at once).

Now let’s take a step back and think about the game we just played and some of the things that you wrote on your balloons.

• What are some things that might cause someone to feel stresses? (Allow time for responses).

Possible responses:

• Life changes, moving

• Work/school

• Homework

• Relationship difficulties

• Financial problems

• Being busy

• Family: divorce, death

• Pessimism

• Low self-esteem

• Unrealistic expectations

• Lack of assertiveness

• Take a minute alone to think. Is stress a bad thing and why or why not? Now take a minute and share your thoughts with one other person. Does anyone want to share what you just discussed with your partner? (Allow time for responses)

Stress is not, in fact, a good thing or a bad thing. It is a natural part of being human and can be neutral, negative or positive. For example, I might feel stressed out about a big test that is going to count as half of my grade. So I can take that stress and channel it into good studying practices, which would help me with the test, making the stress positive OR I could freak out, think of nothing but how worried I am, not study and as a result do poorly on the test; that would be an example of stress being negative.

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• Can anyone think of another example of stress being positive? (Allow time for responses).

• What’s important is how we respond to our stress and how we manage it. What do you do when you feel stressed? What do you think are positive things that you could do? (Allow time for responses).

Some examples could include:

• Give yourself enough time to finish tasks

• Exercise!

• Get lots of sleep and eat well

• Discuss your problems with someone you can trust

• Take a time-out when stress hits you

• Breathe deeply (mindfulness!)

• Ask for help

We are almost finished our discussion, but before we go practice using exercise as a method to manage stress, let’s talk about anxiety.

Anxiety is a mental health disorder that will look different for each person who experiences it. It can be related to stress but they do not necessarily occur together; being stressed does not mean that you will develop anxiety but generally when you have anxiety you feel stressed out. Anxiety can sound a lot like stress. When you have anxiety you often: feel nervous, worry a lot, have trouble concentrating, have social issues, feel panic, are worried about losing control, experience rapid heartbeat, nausea and dizziness, sweating, chest pain and headaches, muscle weaknesses and trouble sleeping. If you have anxiety and it starts to disrupt your quality of life then you should seek help from a mental health professional.

• Often, the same strategies that are used for managing stress can be used for anxiety. To recap, what are those strategies? (Allow time for responses).

Go outside and play an active game to burn off any nervous/excess energy before the Wellness Fair.

Activity 3: Wellness Fair

Any finishing touches to Wellness Fair setup must be made. Guests will attend to enjoy the fair and view photo voice projects; campers will take charge of their guests’ experiences by being the leadersof the Wellness Fair. At the end of the Fair, all campers will assist in cleanup.

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Day 101. Water Quality Testing

2. Camp Wrap Up Activities

3. Water Fun Afternoon!

Materials

• AWQA water quality testing kits

• Water balloons

• Plastic bags for take-homes

• Buckets

• Other water afternoon equipment

• Plastic garbage bags

Objectives

1. To learn about environmental protection through water quality testing.

2. To summarize module learning and take home camp projects.

3. To close the camp experience with a fun afternoon.

Activity 1: Water Quality Testing (60 minutes)

The purpose of the water quality testing activity is to make students aware of the environment around them and instill a sense of responsibility for environmental action. This activity should occur in small groups of 3-5 to ensure that all campers have experience doing the testing.

Water quality changes due to inputs from natural and human causes and it is the responsibility of everyone to protect. One way to protect water, a most valuable resource is to take community level actions to safeguard water. All types of water monitoring are important to highlight changes over time, discover the impact of activities around the water, and help us learn about how our water systems work. If youth/members in a community test various water sources on a regular basis they will become aware of the things that impact water quality in their community and may then become ambassadors for water protection.

Physical, chemical and biological parameters of water can be tested. Physical measures could include temperature, colour, suspended solids and turbidity. Examples of chemical measures include pH, dissolved oxygen, chlorine levels and phosphorous levels, while biological measures could include tests for bacteria and counts of aquatic plants and animals.

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Each water quality testing kit will be different; small kits that measure 4-8 parameters would be appropriate for this camp. Kits can be purchased online and will include instructions for measuring and explanations of the water quality parameters. The AWQA test kit is recommended (http://alms.ca/test-kits/) as it provides all material necessary to complete water quality testing as well as thorough instructions and further background information.

Activity 2: Camp Wrap Up

On the last day of camp ensure that all artwork, warm-fuzzies, or other creations from camp are gathered and sent home with campers. Use time during camp to have each camper put their work, water bottle, and any camp gifts in a plastic grocery bag for take home. Certificates of completion can also be handed out at this time.

Activity 3: Water Fun Afternoon!

Play a series of games, or do activities that are water-based. Choose a variety of games from the list below. Material requirements will change based on the games chosen, so take that into consideration. Preparation is required for some of these activities so choose games in advance of water fun afternoon. Rotating teams through activities is an option that can be used to ensure that everyone can try the activities, some activities should be played with large groups or with teams competing against each other; organize order and make choices accordingly.

If possible, invite the fire department to camp, asking them to bring a truck filled with water to spray campers with.

Water Balloon Piñatas

Tie water balloons up as if they are piñatas. Consider tying them off of a tree or under monkey bars. Have campers take turns trying to hit the balloon(s) while they are blindfolded.

Water Balloon Tag

Played like a normal game of tag. The difference is that the person who is ‘IT’ must throw a water balloon at another player to get them out. One facilitator should be the designated water balloon keeper and hand out new balloons as necessary.

Water Relay

1. Create as many teams as necessary. Have each team stand in a line with the first person in front of a bucket filled with water and a sponge.

2. On the count of go, the first person from each team must take their sponge, run to a jar set up a distance away from their bucket and wring the water from their sponge into the jar

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3. The first person then returns to their team and passes off the sponge to the next person to go. The first team to fill up their jar wins the challenge. Game can be repeated multiple times.

Ice Cube Melt

1. Instruct teams that they will be given an ice cube (or many depending on the size of the teams) and as a team; using only their hands, they must melt the ice cube.

2. Give each team an ice cube at the same time, the first team to melt their ice cube wins.

Frozen T-shirt

1. Freeze a t-shirt for each team before the water afternoon (get the t-shirt wet, roll it up, stick it in a bag and place it in the freezer).

2. Give each team the t-shirt in a bag. Have teams race to unwrap and put the t-shirt on one of their players.

Water Balloon Relay

1. Create as many teams as necessary. Each team will be given a bucket of water balloons (one or two per player).

2. Create a start and finish line and have teams line-up in a single file on the start line.

3. On the count of go the first person puts a water balloon between their legs and must make it to the finish line without dropping or popping the balloon. If they do then they go back to their team, high five the next person in line and go to the back of the line. If they make it, they must pop their balloon once they cross the finish line.

4. Each team will continue the game until all water balloons are gone, the team with the most popped balloon over the finish line wins.

Wet Fashion Show

Give teams a bucket filled with water and a couple of old newspapers. Set a time limit (15-20 minutes) for teams to create an outfit using their water and newspaper. One person from each team will be the person on whom the outfit is made, the others are the designers.

Water Balloon Dodgeball

Played like normal dodgeball but each player gets five water-balloons and tries to hit players on the other team with their balloons. The last player standing who has not been hit by a balloon wins.

T-shirt Relay Race

In teams have a relay race where the objective is to put on a wet t-shirt, run to a designated point, pop a balloon and run back to your team to hand off the wet t-shirt to the next person.

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Resources

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AcknowledgementsFUNDERS

• Program Development, Implementation, and Evaluation: Alberta Health Services

CONTRIBUTORS

• Photo-Voice Project: Rebecca Fairburn, Matthew Ho, Saira John and Marielle Terttart

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