Build YourselfSample Teen Summer Programming Proposal

Abi Morgan

Theme: BuildingWhat does it mean to build something?

What are the different types of things you can build?

Are you the type of person who likes to build things by yourself, or would you rather build things as part of a team, or both?

BuildCommunitywealth Self-EsteemRobots connection to the pastA Magical World

YourselfSeed Bombs a showa movement RelationshipsA Resume storiesGames

Suggested TitlesWeek One (June 8) Building a Windmill, Changing a Community: The Boy Who Harnessed the WindWeek Two (June 15) ROBOTS!: Recycled Robots, House of Robots, Nick and Tesla’s Robot Army Rampage, Cinder Week Three (June 22) Building Relationships: Pay It Forward, You Were Here Week Four (June 29) Build a Garden: Alice in WonderlandWeek Five (July 6) Building Connections to the Past: Hamilton the Musical songbook, Hamilton (Chernow bio), Founding Brothers, Team of Rivals, any history bookWeek Six (July 13) Online Communities: Chain Mail, Fangirl, Ready Player OneWeek Seven (July 20) Building Wealth: I Will Teach You to be RichWeek Eight (July 27) Building a Show: Harry Potter and the Cursed ChildWeek Nine (August 3) Building a Movement: I am Malala, Hyperbole and a Half

Week 1: Building a Windmill Book: The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind

Discussion Questions:

1.If you could build one thing in your town, what would it be?

2.How would people benefit from it?

3.What would it take to build it?

Activities: Draw a model of your building/space, or build it out of legos. What would the inside be like?

Week 2: ROBOTSBook: any book about robots

Discussion Questions:

1.Are robots going to take over the world in your lifetime?

2.What are the pros and cons of using robots for labor?

3.If a robot has a sufficiently advanced intelligence, should it have rights?

Activity: Build a robot out of leftover craft supplies.

Week 3: Building RelationshipsBooks: You Were Here, Pay It Forward

Discussion Questions:

1.How do we judge the impact of our relationships with others?

2.Has there ever been a time when someone you weren’t close to said you inspired them in some way (good or bad?)

3.How can we show people we value them?

Activities: Spread Random Acts of Kindness - challenge yourself to come up with one small thing you can do to help another person in your life, then do it. Create a graffiti wall with your ideas

Week 4: Build a GardenBook: Alice in Wonderland

Discussion Questions:

1.Talk about your adventures gardening or raising house plants - how do you react when things go wrong, or not the way you expected it?

2.Alice finds herself in a chaotic world, yet she keeps her cool. How do you think you would react if the rules of the world changed overnight?

Activity: Make seed bombs with wildflowers and help keep bees alive!

Week 5: Building Connections to the PastBooks: Hamilton the Musical songbook, any history book

Discussion Questions:

1.How the does the modern language of the Hamilton soundtrack help you understand history? Are there parts you don’t understand?

2.What lyrics had the most meaning to you and why?

Activities:

Silhouette word art

Rewrite the lyrics to a famous song to describe the life of a different historical figure

Week 6: Online CommunitiesBooks: Ready Player One, Fangirl, Chain Mail

Discussion Questions:

1.What are the benefits to online social communities? What are the drawbacks?

2.Do you keep your online life separate from your real life? Why or why not?

3.How do you keep online communities safe spaces?

Activity: Come up with a hashtag to promote netiquette, or speak out against cyberbullying, or spread awareness against catfishing, etc.

Week 7: Build WealthBook: I Will Teach You to be Rich

Discussion Questions:

1.What do you feel like you know enough about personal finance?

2.What do you want to learn? How will you find out?

3.What are some tools we can use to keep track of our personal finances?

Activity: Resume writing workshop. Bring in your resume for polishing so you can score a great part-time job

Week 8: Building a ShowBook: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

Discussion Questions: 1.Why do Albus and Scorpius try to change the past? Do you think it

would be a good idea to try to change history?2.What can we infer about Harry’s efforts to rebuild the wizarding

world from this play? What did you think about the alternative universes presented in the play?

Activity Ideas: Reading from the script, we will perform a scene from the play, using improvised props

Writing Workshop: Create your own magical world. What are the rules of the world? Think about your neighborhood - is there any landmark that could be a portal to another world? What is that world like?

Week 9: Building a MovementBooks: I Am Malala, any other personal narrative that inspired you (my example: Hyperbole and a Half taught me a lot about experiencing depression)

Discussion Questions:

1.What was the most surprising thing you learned?

2.Why do you think personal narratives are so effective?

Activity: Make a poster promoting awareness about an issue that is important to you

Writing Workshop: Use a personal story to persuade your audience