JLBC Alternative to “PYD in Action” ball activity (5-10 min)

JLBC Alternative to “PYD in Action” ball activity (5-10 min)

Material: 10 pencils, strong rubber band

I want to do a brief activity to demonstrate some of the theoretical concepts we discussed.

Take a pencil and hold it up.

Just assume that this pencil is a young person right now attending high school (name youth). What type of pressures and challenges might this young person face?

Encourage the group to name several challenges – drugs, alcohol, violent/dangerous neighborhood, unprotected sex, abusive boyfriend or girlfriend, emotional stress

What might happen if this young person faces all these issues alone? Audience response

Snap the pencil in half. Right, they might snap and not be able to handle the stress. Now let’s assume that the young person has supportive adults in their life. Who could

that be?

Each time the group mentions an adult (parent, family member, coach, teacher, neighbor, religious leader, JLBC leader, a supervisor at work), take a pencil and add it to the first pencil, hold them up vertically and form a tight bunch. Put the rubber band around them.

Hold up the bunch of pencils. Do you think this young person will break easily given all the support they have?

Try to break the bunch. This is impossible to do. Try it out yourselves. Send the pencil bunch around.

Debrief.