| Session
Plan
Getting Started 5 Minutes
Begin by reviewing the themes and key activities for the first
two modules. Introduce the "Remember to Breathe!"
exercise by first demonstrating what you are going to ask them
to do. They may feel a Little silly and that is OK.
REMEMBER TO BREATH
Instructions: Talk for a few moments about the importance of
breathing. "This exercise will remind us that just like
plants need water and sunshine, and cars need gasoline to run,
and our bodies need food to grow and function, we need air to
feed oxygen to our blood. We need oxygen in our brains to think
clearly, and we need to think clearly to make quick decision
in emergencies. Often when we are scared or tense, we forget
to breathe as much as we should. So let's practice breathing.
Relax, no one will be watching you!"
Exercise: Ask every one to stand quietly. facing away from
others. Ask them to close their eyes, breath in slowly as they
raise their arms up in front of them and over their heads. Hold
for the count of five. Then quickly let the arms drop back down,
exhaling quickly as the arms come down. Do this three times.
Now open the eyes for about 15 seconds. Then repeat the exercise
2 or 3 times. When everyone is finished, invite group members
to sit down in their chairs. Ask them how they felt doing the
exercise.
Write on newsprint:
- When I am scared: Breathe in, breathe out, relax!
- When I am tense: Breathe in, breathe out, relax!
- When I am frustrated: Breathe in, breathe out, relax!
Explain that we need to learn ways to help us relax when we
are in stressful situations. This breathing exercise is one
way to relax. We will be talking about some others.
Emergency Response Information 5 minutes
If you gave out assignments during the last session asking
participants to make phone calls or write letters to disaster
response organizations, have those people make reports at this
time. All participants should add the new information to their
Emergency Response Information charts on page 9 of the Activity
Guide.
Bending, not Breaking: Coping with Stress 20
minutes
Begin this activity by reading aloud the Story of Elena Sandez
from page 15 of the Activity Guide (ELENA). Save the discussion
questions for later. Ask the group members to describe how they
think Elena is feeling. Write the feeling words that are mentioned
on newsprint. If participants need help in thinking of feeling
words, you might suggest: lost, depressed stressed, worried
lonely.
Ask a group member to read aloud BENDING, NOT BREAKING: WHAT
IS STRESS?, Activity Guide page 16, as the others follow along.
Explain that human beings are designed to be flexible, to grow,
to bend, to change. Say the following: "These objects (refer
to cardboard paper clip, coat hanger, twig, popsicle stick,
etc.) are designed to take a certain amount of pressure. Let's
see what too much pressure does to these things." Ask group
members each to pick up one item from the table and flex it
gently. Then ask them to continue flexing and bending until
the object no longer retains its original shape or until it
breaks into pieces.
Ask the following discussion questions:
- What happens when too much pressure or stress is applied
to the objects?
- What characteristics make an object better able to withstand
stress?
- How does prolonged stress or pressure affect human beings?
- What kinds of things create stress for you or your friends?
Write the responses to question #4 on newsprint.
Review the events of "Big Muddy:' the story from module
2, or read it again if there are new people in your group. Then
read "Elena" aloud one more time. Lead a discussion
of the story using the questions at the end of the story.
OPTIONAL ACTIVITIES
Stressors and Coping Responses
Turn to page 17 in the Activity Guide, Stressors and Coping
Responses for Teenagers. Ask group members to check all of the
stressors that Elena and the Sandez family have experienced
since the floods in the summer. Then, have the group members
check off coping responses that they think may be helpful to
Elena.
How Do I Respond to Stress?
Turn to page 20 of the Activity Guide, Personal Worksheet on
Stress. Have each person respond personally to the questions
on the worksheet. Then, in e-mail groups or 3 or 4 people, have
people share some of their responses. Remind people that this
information is personal and they should share only the response
they want to tell.
Journals
Write about an experience which caused you to feel stress,
or write about how you deal with stress.
Someone To Hear Me Listening Skills 18 minutes
Point to one person in the room. Ask if anyone can repeat the
very last thing that was said by that person. Repeat the question
two or three times, pointing to different people. Observe that
we often do not listen very care- fully to what the people around
us are saying.
Ask: What can help us to really hear what another person is
saying?
Their ideas may includes: Get in a quiet place, yet rid of
distractions, care about the person who is talking, stop worrying
about myself for a while, look at the other person, try to listen
and understand what the person is saying, etc. write their suggestions
on newsprint. If they don't have any ideas, proceed with the
activity.
ROLE PLAY: Invite two group members to pretend that they are
your parents or older siblings. You are going to try to get
their attention and tell them something and they are going to
be too busy or involved with something else to listen. After
two or three minutes of this, say "Cut!"
Ask: How does it feel to be ignored when you are trying to
say something?
Write these four words on newsprint or chalkboard: Facing, Focusing,
Feeling, Affirming
Have volunteers read aloud the four key parts to effective
listening described on page 22 of the Activity Guide, THE ART
OF LISTENING, as the others follow along.
Introduce the practice session by reminding students that everything
learn to do takes time and practice. Learning to listen to another
person takes practice, too.
Instructions: Each person will work with a partner. Each partner
takes a turn talking for three minutes about one of the topics
listed below while the other person listens carefully, using
the suggestions from THE ART OF LISTENING. Write the topics
on chalkboard or newsprint.
Topics
- Something you did that you are proud of
- Something you are worried about
- A mistake you have made
- An embarrassing moment
- plan you have for the future
After three minutes, trade roles. When the group reconvenes,
ask:
How did it feel to have someone listen carefully to what you
were saying?
Bible Study 10 minutes
Introduce the Bible study by explaining that Roman soldiers
used shields to protect themselves. If you can find a picture
of a Roman soldier in an Illustrator Bible, encyclopedia, or
history book, show what the shields looked like. Remind the
group that the shield offered protection against swords, rocks,
burning darts, and other dangerous weapons of the times. Ask:
What are some of the dangers that we fact in our lives today
against which we need protection?
Read aloud Ephesians 6:10-20. Write the following words on
the sprint or chalkboard:
- Truth
- Righteousness
- Gospel of peace
- Faith
- Salvation
- Spirit
- Word of God
- Prayer
Explain that these are the parts of the armor of God. Ask:
- How can these things protect us against the evils that we
may encounter in our lives?
- How can they provide help or protection in a disaster situation?
Closing 2 minutes
Sing "I'm Gonna Live So God Can Use Me". PC Hymnal
#369, or "rap" the words with clapping and foot tapping.
Or choose another hymn or prayer from the WORSHIP RESOURCES
section of the Activity Guide.
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