MODULE ONE: WHAT’S UP?

OVERVIEW:

This module is an introduction to the program and the materials that will be covered during the mentoring program. The purpose is to introduce participants to each other, establish group rapport, and inform participants of what to expect during the program.

OBJECTIVES:

Participants will create guidelines for the group. These guidelines will encourage an environment which supports respect and trust.
Participants will understand the definition of violence.
Participants will apply the definition of violence at the individual, community and societal

MATERIALS:

Introduction: Getting to Know You!

Chart Paper
Markers
Pens
Sign-In Sheet

Activity One: Pre-survey

Pre-surveys
Pens

Activity Two: Group Guidelines

Chart Paper
Markers

Activity Three: What’s a Mentor?

Chart Paper
Markers

Activity Four: Anything You Want!

Index Cards
Pens

Activity Five: What is Violence?

Laminated Information Cards

Closing

What is a Fotonovela? Handout
Group Process Notes

Have everyone sign in and provide their contact information. Contact information will be used to inform participants if meetings are canceled or rescheduled.

Introduce yourself, what you do professionally, and an interesting fact about yourself. Keep your introduction brief in order to spend a sufficient amount of time for the participants to share about themselves and their interests.

Ask the participants to share their name, where they go to school, and one interesting fact about themselves.

THE PURPOSE OF THIS ACTIVITY IS TO SURVEY THE PARTICIPANTS ON THEIR IDEAS AND NOTE IF THERE ARE ANY CHANGES OVER THE COURSE OF THE PROGRAMMING.

DISCUSSION:

Explain that there are two surveys for the program. One will be administered during the first session and one will be administered during the last session.

Remind students that:
The survey is important
The survey is voluntary
Their grade will not be affected by whether or not they complete the survey
There are no right or wrong answers.
Remind students NOT to put their name on the survey.
Explain that each participant will have a unique code to use when they fill out the
Their code is the day of the month they were born on, their middle initial, and their birth month.
Explain that students’ names will not be on the survey and that the survey is private. Note that while the surveys are not anonymous, there will be no identifying information shared with anyone.
The only people who will see the surveys are the survey reviewers at Martha’s House. They will only see the unique code. They will not see the students’ name.
Write an example on the chart paper or white board.

EXAMPLE: IF ERIK WAS BORN ON JULY 22nd AND HIS MIDDLE NAME IS HENRY, HIS CODE WOULD LOOK LIKE THIS: 22HJULY.

After participants have all written the personal code on their surveys, give them about 15 minutes to complete it.

THE PURPOSE OF THIS ACTIVITY IS TO ESTABLISH GUIDELINES FOR BEHAVIOR OF GROUP MEMBERS. DRAW FROM THE MENTOR’S TOOLBOX TO MANAGE THE ACTIVITY.

DISCUSSION:

Participants will be more likely to abide by guidelines if they help create them. This activity is to encourage their input into the group guidelines.

Write responses to the following questions:

What are some guidelines for our time together?
What ways would you like to communicate to each other?
What does respect look like?
Examples of being respectful include letting others speak, using appropriate tone, and agreeing to disagree.
Examples of being disrespectful include yelling, talking down to someone, and pretending you can’t hear someone when they are talking to you.

Explain non-verbal communication is communication without using words. Some people look down while they are listening. This is their non-verbal way of showing that they are focusing on what the other person is saying. Other people will look at the person speaking and nod their head.

Ask participants:

What are ways they use non-verbal communication when they are listening to another person?
What are some examples of how people use non-verbal communication?

At the end of the exercise ask the participants if they all agree to the guidelines and note they will be referred to throughout the program as an important reminder of the group’s agreements about communication.

Example Discussion:

Mentor: What are the guidelines we will have as a group? Participant: To let one person speak at a time.

Participant: To use appropriate language, no cursing. Mentor: What are examples of disrespectful behavior? Participant: Not listening when they speak.

Mentor: Can you explain this a little more?

Participant: Like if they are trying to speak and the person is there but it is obvious they aren’t listening.

Mentor: So what I hear you saying is, if someone is speaking it would be disrespectful to not pay attention and listen to what they are saying.

Participant: Yes.

Mentor: So in order to be respectful when someone speaks as a group we should all listen to what they are saying and pay attention right? Can we all agree on that?

Participants: Yes

ACTIVITY THREE:

THE PURPOSE OF THIS ACTIVITY IS TO EXPLAIN WHAT YOUR ROLE IS IN THE PROJECT DISCUSSION:

Explain that this mentoring program is a blueprint for other Florida communities and the lessons learned here will be used by other programs that promote healthy relationships and bystander intervention.
Explain your role. As a mentor your role is not like that of a traditional teacher. A traditional teacher uses book knowledge to teach. A mentor is a person who guides another person by building trust and modeling positive behaviors. An effective mentor understands that his or her role is to be dependable, engaged, authentic, and tuned in to the needs of the mentee.

Ask:

What characteristics they would like to see in a mentor?
What do they expect from their mentors?

This information will provide you with information about the participants’ expectations and needs.

ACTIVITY FOUR: ANYTHING YOU WANT! (5 MINUTES)

THE PURPOSE OF THIS ACTIVITY IS TO SERVE AS AN ICE-BREAKER AND HELP EVERYONE TO GET TO KNOW A LITTLE MORE ABOUT ONE ANOTHER.

DISCUSSION:

Introduce the activity, Anything You Want, by telling participants that they will be asked to share some information about themselves with the group.

INSTRUCTION:

First pass out three index cards and a pen to each participant.
Ask participants to label the cards one, two, and three.
On the first card they write what profession they would you like to do. It can be real or fictional.
On the second card write, any extra super ability they would like to have.
On the third card, write any material object (other than money) that they would like.
After you as the mentor have shared and explained, ask each participant do the same.

Samples:

One	Two	Three
Professional Athlete	The ability to read people’s minds	A house on the beach

ACTIVITY FIVE: WHAT IS VIOLENCE? (10 MINUTES)

THE PURPOSE OF THIS ACTIVITY IS TO DRAFT A COLLECTIVE DEFINITION AND BROAD DISCUSSION ABOUT VIOLENCE.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

Write the participants’ responses to this activity on a piece of chart paper or white board to be used as a reference point during later discussions. During this discussion there may be disclosures of violence happening in the home or between peers that may require a mandatory report. Ask the following questions:

What do you think of when you hear of the word “violence?”
What types of behaviors or attitudes would you consider to be violent?
What are examples of violent behavior? (Physical, emotional or verbal) Use the definitions below to guide the conversation.
How do you think someone who experienced violence may feel after a violent act has occurred?

If participants struggle here, provide them with a specific example of violence by asking them: “If you were walking home and someone jumped you and beat you up, how would you feel?”

LECTURE/RESPONSE TO DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

At the individual level, violence exists when one person with power attempts to exert their power or control over another person who does not have as much power in the relationship. Violence can be physical, verbal, sexual or emotional.

Use the below definitions to guide the discussion:

Physical violence is using one’s body or a weapon to hurt another person’s body. Examples include punching, kicking or biting.

Emotional violence is when one person hurts another person’s feelings through words or actions. An example is manipulation; getting someone to do behave in a way in which they don’t feel comfortable. Tom told Cara if she didn’t answer his calls right away, he was going to hurt himself.

Verbal violence is when someone uses their words to hurt another person. Examples include swearing or name calling.

Sexual violence is when one person forces another person to do something with their body that they are not comfortable with. An example would be touching someone in an area of their body you don’t have permission to touch.

Violence at the societal level is when a group of people with power attempt to exert their power or control over a group of people who may not have as much power in society. This may lead to the survivor(s) of the violence feeling helpless. However, violence is never the person who experienced the violence fault. Violence is a choice made by the abusive person.

Explain that for the purpose of discussions moving forward, the group will refer to Dr. Martin Luther King’s definition of violence as the group’s working definition. This definition will be explored by the group during many of the sessions. The following is the working definition of violence: “Violence is anything that denies human integrity and leads to hopelessness and helplessness.” – Dr. Martin Luther King

Summarize the group’s responses from the discussion questions and make connections between what they mentioned and the definition of violence provided. These themes and this definition will be referenced throughout the project.

Example Discussion:

Mentor: What do you think of when you think of the word “violence?” Participant: Fighting.

Mentor: (Writes fighting on the chart paper/board) Ok, is there anything else? Can you think of any form of violence that is not physical?

Participant: What do you mean?

Mentor: Well, how about emotional violence for example. (Writes an example of emotional violence on the chart paper/board)

Mentor: So we came up with a list of items that are violent. We have behaviors that are physically, mentally, and emotionally violent. Now what we want to do is explore what common characteristics they might share.

Participant: What do you mean?

Mentor: For example, who does all of the things we listed? Participant: People.

Mentor: That’s right, people all do these violent actions to one another and that is one common theme.

CLOSING: (5-10 MINUTES)

Explain to the group that during your time with together, participants will create a fotonovela/comic strip that will be distributed to youth in the community. These materials will be about preventing violence and promoting healthy relationships. Distribute the What is a Fotonovela? handout. Explain that fotonovelas are often in Spanish and sometimes English and explain a social issue or problem through pictures and stories.

PEAK AND PIT OF SESSION: (5 MINUTES)

As you are ending the session, ask participants, “What was the peak and the pit of the session?” Ask everyone to say what they thought the best part of the session was (peak) and what the worst part (pit) of it was.PEAK AND PIT OF SESSION: (5 MINUTES)

In the following sessions, solicit feedback about the Peak and Pit of the session you are completing. This will help to improve the program and make any necessary adjustments as it progresses.

Example Discussion:

Mentor: My peak today was meeting all of you, I enjoyed hearing about what extra, superability you would like to have.

My pit or low point of my day was when we talked about violence and all of the types of violence that happen. It frustrates me to think about so much violence in the world.

HANDOUTS AND ADDITIONAL MATERIALS: MODULE ONE

What is a Fotonovela? Handout: Side one

Side two

manuel-module-1-What-is-a-Fotonovela--Handout-Side-Two

USE THESE GROUP PROCESS NOTES FOR THE ENTIRE PROGRAM

Group Process Notes

Date: __,__, __ Time: _:_-_:_ AM/PM Session# __

Chobee Courage Mentoring Project

Mentor: ________________________ Location: ____________________

Was the session conducted as planned? (Circle one)

Conducted as planned Minor deviations Major deviations

Did you omit any objectives? (Circle one) Yes No

Objective omitted:

Obstacles/reasons for omitted objectives:

Which additional activities did you use in this session, if any?
Did participants raise unplanned issues (issues off today’s session topic)? (Circle one) Yes No

Issues raised:

How were issues discussed/processed in the group?
What activities/topics did the participants like best?
Additional comments (what worked, what didn’t work, observations, technical assistance needed, etc.)?

MODULE ONE: WHAT’S UP?

ADDITIONAL MODULES