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CONTENTSTABLE OF
Foreword
Introduction
Schools
Beach High
Groves High
Savannah High
Synthesis
Opportunities
Gatorball Academy
Conclusion
Our Team
Thank You
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64
80
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Groups make change
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FOREWORD1.Do we best understand community action by reading
about it in a book? In this case, yes.
What you’re reading is the result of ten weeks of
collective effort, capturing the unique constraints and
opportunities that emerge from direct collaboration
between designers, students, teachers and educators
at educational institutions, local nonprofits, and
community members at large
Our shared goal was to conduct the first higher-
education pilot of frog’s Collective Action Toolkit
(CAT) in Savannah. The CAT was created for leaders
who want to bring together groups to solve problems
in their community, while gaining valuable skills and
knowledge along the way. The CAT encourages
problem solving as a form of skill development, with
activities that draw on participants’ strengths and
perspectives. It’s available for use by anyone free at
www.frogdesign.com/cat.
While frog had initially piloted and refined activities
from the toolkit with girls living in extreme poverty in
sub-Saharan African and Bangladesh, this pilot would
serve as an opportunity to understand how to deploy
the toolkit in ways that would encourage student-led
learning as part of equitable community partnerships.
Eight graduate students in Scott Boylston’s “Sustainable
Design Practices” class used the CAT as a set of tools
for working with local high-school students, as well
as facilitating their own project work. 42 students
and 3 teachers at Savannah, Beach, and Groves high
schools took part in CAT activities over a series of
weeks, moving from identifying community issues
they were passionate about solving to coming up with
potential solutions. Gator Rivers and Debra Hasan
from Gatorball Academy worked with the above
constituents, co-creating strategies to encourage their
organization’s growth alongside the community.
Together, these collaborators have generated
strong insights and best practices about how the
design process can be used for skill development in
education, where the communication of ideas can
serve as a vehicle to teach inquiry, leadership, and
problem-solving for anyone.
It’s our hope that you can use what follows to
accelerate your efforts to do the same.
David Sherwin
Principal Designer, frog
Co-author, Collective Action Toolkit
DMGT 740SUSTAINABLE PRACTICES IN DESIGN
W. 1 W. 2 W. 3 W. 4 W. 5 W. 6 W. 7 W. 8 W. 9 W. 10
WINTER QUARTER AT SCAD | 2013
TUES, JAN 8 THURS, MAR 14
GATEWAY 1frog PrincipalDesigners leavesSavannah
GATEWAY 2Early research givesway to CATimmersion
PRONG 1
PRONG 2
PARTNERS
GATEWAY 3Synthesis of CAT findings,early research + forward directionof Gatorball
ERIN SANDERSSCAD Visit
DAVIDSHERWINSCAD Visit
DAVIDSHERWINSCAD Visit
GATEWAY 4Transition CAT Teams
FROG FRIENDS
GATORBALL ACADEMY
FIELD OF PLAYNate, Marina, Katie, Alex
FIELD OF PRACTICECarol, Naz, Robynn, Eric
GROVES HIGH
BEACH HIGH
SAV HIGH
CLASS ONE/GROVES | THURS. JAN 24
CLASS ONE/BEACH | WEDS. JAN 23 Professor visit/GROVES | TUES. JAN 22
CLASS ONE/SAV. HIGH | MON. JAN 28
Marina, Eric
Nate, Naz, Alex
Katie, Carol, Robynn
Research/GBA
Research/secondary
Design Development
P P P P P
P P PP
ORIGINSIn response to SCAD’s Design Ethos DO-ference, frog proposes a piloting of their Community Action Toolkit (CAT) within the Waters Avenue community. Gatorball Academy, a non-profit organization that has both served the Waters Avenue Commu-nity and participated in the Design Ethos DO-ference, facilitates access to classes in three Savannah high schools for a Sustainable Practices class taught at SCAD.
PRONG 2 OBJECTIVE: Enhance information flows that improve the efficacyof Gatorball Academy.
PRONG 1 OBJECTIVE: Through participatory design, train high school students toleverage the power of group action as a tool for creating positive change in theircommunity, with an eye toward long-range skill building and collaboration.
PROCESSNine graduate students delve into a complex process of weaving two ‘participatory design’ actions together. First, we facilitate students in three Savannah High Schools through the application of CAT (PRONG 1). Then, through design management tools and processes, we provide insights into the barriers to growth for the small yet ambi-tious non-profit organization Gatorball Academy (PRONG 2).
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INTRODUCTION2.Let’s talk about honest communication. Let’s talk
about how things that affect our lives the most are
sometimes things we want to talk about the least. Let’s
talk about how personal empowerment rarely comes
with big, dramatic splashes, but instead usually sneaks
up on us in the most unexpected ways, and through
the most unlikely individuals. Let’s talk about the power
of sharing with people we learn to trust…not blindly
trust, but trust enough to open up enough in order
to let something unexpected happen. Let’s talk about
how we become who we are by doing.
But let’s also talk about realistic expectations. Let’s
talk about how a life doesn’t usually change in any
one, glorious burst, but instead changes in the many
individual moments of being. Let’s talk about how the
small, quiet choices that we all make can either slowly
build up or slowly break down other things in our lives.
Let’s talk about how living a life we desire is always
defined by moment, after moment, after moment of
trying…and finding others to help us keep believing.
For the last ten weeks, students from 3 of Savannah’s
public high schools and a graduate class at the
Savannah College of Art and Design have been
learning to trust not only one another, but the notion
that creative discussions which remain upbeat yet
sincere can nurture a sense of common purpose. The
journey that’s represented in this book emerged from
experiences between individuals who met during the
build-up to Design Ethos 2012, SCAD’s conference
on design and social innovation. The conversations
have continued since then, leading to a next point
which this book explores, where Savannah high school
students have taken ownership of their own future by
considering the futures of others around them.
The journey began with many questions. Could
designers new to social innovation facilitate the
emergence of leadership skills in a group of high
school students? Could frog’s Community Action
Toolkit be successfully adapted to the limited time
frame that a high school classroom operates under?
What insights could be gleaned by working with more
than one class? What modifications, abridgements and
supplements to the CAT might be necessary? Could
the application of the tool under these conditions
provide actionable insights to a youth leadership
organization? Could these insights benefit the strategic
direction of such an organization?
These questions have been posed, as have many
others. And while we don’t have all of the answers,
neither have we run out of time. Individuals new to
the conversation since the beginning of this academic
quarter are now conduits for further conversations.
More questions will arise; more insights discovered.
Let’s continue the conversation. Let’s talk.
Prof. Scott Boylston
Savannah College of Art and Design
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SCHOOLSOn the website of the Savannah-Chatham County Public School System, we find
their official mission and vision.
Mission: To ignite a passion for learning and teaching at high levels.
Vision: From school to the world: All students prepared for productive futures.
The three SCCPSS high schools, Beach, Groves, and Savannah High, demonstrated
these values and more during the six-week collaboration with graduate students at
the Savannah Collage of Art and Design. During this period, three SCAD students
facilitated a sophomore through senior year marketing class at Beach, two facilitated
a class at Groves, and three students worked with a larger group of volunteer
students at Savannah High. The following section will describe, in detail, the unique
paths each group navigated using the Collective Action Toolkit as their compass.
3.
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11Beach High School
Three designers walked into Beach High School hoping we would be working
with bright young minds ripe for exploring a new way of thinking. We were not
disappointed. Not only did the students break new ground but we, as designers
of varied backgrounds and skill sets, deeply enjoyed growing our new found
facilitation techniques with Frog’s Collective Action Toolkit.
The following pages document our time with eleven sophomore, junior, and
senior marketing students. We started with a simple question:
“What change do you want to see in your community?”
Facilitators: Naz Mirzaie, Alex Pappalardo, Nathan Sundberg
Ms. Wilson
Marketing Class, M, W 9:15-10:10 am
students # 11
It’s a Great Day to be a Beach Bulldog!
Skill Share Define Your Problem Ripple Effect Setting an Agenda Jam Session
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Class 1 1-23-13
The students were really excited about working with us!
Find True North
The space is challenging!
Ms. Wilson is really interested and likes to help.
Class 4 2-4-13Class 3 1-30-13 Class 6 2-11-13Class 5 2-6-13Class 2 1-28-13
Two Activities
The space is a big challenge for our work.
They are more comfortable with sharing than we thought.
Having the teacher helped.
Heavy facilitation is helpful!
Time frame
We have to narrow down our steps and adapt the activity based on time and content.
They want to help the whole world!
They do not like to do homework, even when the teacher asks them.
Small group discussions are more productive than in larger groups.
It is hard for them to choose between two interesting topics.
They are deeply connected to both topics.
They really trust us!
The class tends to follow the ideas of a dominant student
The interests and skills of each student.
School lunch, commercials, and pizza are among the most favorite topics.
Second chances,
Lowering violence, and Better security at the school are our new topics.
Violence and fitness are two topics.
They wrote down all their questions about the topics.
Main questions (challenges) for their selected topics
They chose their initial solutions and the people they need to ask for help.
The majority wants to work on violence because they believe it is engaged in their daily life.
They have talked about the topic outside of class time.
We want to respond to their trust. Share all the work they have done till now with them. As homework, ask them to engage with others out of class.
We need excitement and action in the class.
We will focus on idea generation.
Consider two or one topic for the class?
Ask individual opinions
Determine main goal
Separate friends, Create the required trust, have Individual Conversations
Approach problems from different angles, Help them to think more in-depth
Selecting the problem they would like to work on!
Our approach ranges from individual concerns to collective concerns
What do you want to know?
invented activities modified activities
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ge
Interview 101 Stroyboarding Divide and Conquer Light, Camera, Action!Practice &
Presentation
The majority of the class forgot their homework. So, after a quick conversation we chose:
Because two of students were absent, we divided them in two groups instead of three. So, we just covered two activities of violence week.
Individual activities better enable students to express themselves.
We Saw, We Heard
Class 7 2-13-13 Class 10 2-25-13Class 9 2-22-13Class 13 3-6-13
Class 11 2-27-13Class 8 2-20-13
They were really interested in interviewing techniques.
They shared personal stories.
To be quick on our feet.
A back up plan is essential.
Work with what we have.
Do not depend on students doing their homework.
They are not interested or are not familiar with planning details!
They were surprised by the amount of the work they need to do!
They definitely have a leader.
They decided on the person they want to interview and formulated questions. They learned that it is OK to not have an instant opinion
“Tell me more.”
They planned every day of their violence week.
They are planning to talk to the principal.
baking and t-shirts activities have been planned in detail.
We need to find a way for writing a proposal in the class.
We need to practice the presentation for the principal.
We will help them to be more realistic about the details of violence week. Explain that we will start on planning one day and go from there. (small steps toward a big target)
Ask them to analyze other people thoughts and perspectives
First paragraph of violence week proposal, the consolidated storyboard, and delegation of all the responsibilities for each student based on day
We need to finish the proposal.
They need to practice presenting their responsibilities for the principal, so lights, camera, action will be a good choice.
We had to work in the computer classroom, so did not have a chance to post all previous papers on the wall.
5 students were absent, so we had to spend time re-delegating responsibilities for each day!
Lights, camera, action and its focus on conflict, character, concept, and conclusion was really helpful for them to wrap their minds around their responsibilities. This activity, in these situations, is more productive than divide and conquer.
Review what we have done and practice with them to present their parts.
Show them how much they have accomplished!
Class #13 could be named the class of surprises and memorable achievements!
The students thoroughly and deeply have been engaged with the class!
All the students had made a serious connection to the topic. They presented their parts enthusiastically, shared personal insights and gave impressive reasons to the principal for their activities
Class 12 3-5-13
The principals was deeply impressed by the work and process the students have been following and approved their “Violence Free Week” proposal. Students will continue to work on the week in their marketing class with Ms. Wilson. The “ Violence Free Week” will happen in April!
We will visit the school next week to give them individual hand outs and a poster of the class process.
Second paragraph of proposal, individual responsibilities a have been assigned and they have begun designing their contribution to the presentation.
Storyboarding II
INTRODUCTION DESIGN FROG & NIKE FOUNDATION SKILL SHARE HOMEWORK
Our first class featured Gator Rivers and Debra Hasan from Gatorball Academy
as guests. After a short introduction of the guests to the students, we took a
couple of minutes to share information about the CAT and the connections
between the CAT, and design in general, to students’ lives. We started with this
question:
“What comes to your mind when you think of design?”
We explained the nature of problem solving in design and then introduced frog
and the Nike foundation. The students became really excited after watching the
Nike “Girl Effect” movie. We asked them to individually write down their skills,
likes, and a descriptive doodle of their personality. After making sure that every
student was ready, they shared their papers first in small groups and then for
the whole class.
Introductions
Skill share
SKILL SHARE
As a group, each member shares uniqueskills and then decide about the skills they might need for reaching to their goals.
Class 1 1-23-13 Class 4 2-4-13Class 3 1-30-13 Class 6 2-11-13Class 5 2-6-13Class 2 1-28-13
fold along line
frog collective action toolkit www.frogdesign.com/CAT
BUILD ACTIVITY 1
skill shareEncourage your group members to share their unique
skills—and determine what skills they may need to
reach their goals.
time
45 min. with a team of
5 people
roles
Participants, 1 facilitator,
1 recorder
materials
Printer-size paper (8.5” x 11”),
pens, camera
optional: stickers, photos,
markers, colored paper
where to next?
Try another Build Activity like ‘Rings of Connection‘
to determine who your group members might know
who have desired skills.
Rings of Connection
BUILD ACTIVITY 1
Hand out two sheets of paper per group
member. On the first sheet, have each
person write:
• The name they’d like the other group
members to call them
• The skills and talents they have and
believe are relevant
• One recent accomplishment
1
On the second sheet of paper, ask each
person to create something that expresses
who they are and what they like. For exam-
ple, they could create a drawing or a collage.
But group members don’t have to use the
paper. They could also make a skit, a dance,
sing a song about themselves, and so forth.
2
Ask each group member to share their
first page and whatever they made on the
second page. Take notes about what they
share, and consider taking pictures as
they present so everyone in the group has
a record of who each person is for future
group members.
3
4 Once everybody has shared, ask people
to put up their two sheets of paper on the
wall. Lead a discussion with the group and
capture on a large piece of paper:
• The types of skills your team has a lot of
• The skills your team still needs
Keep this visible where you meet, so group
members are reminded of these skills.
BUILD: Skill Share
BUILD: Skill Share
BUILD: Skill Share
BUILD: Skill Share
BUILD: Skill Share
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Class 7 2-13-13 Class 10 2-25-13Class 9 2-22-13 Class 11 2-27-13Class 8 2-20-13
Skill share papers
Class 13 3-6-13
Class 12 3-5-13
The class divided into groups of three and talked about the problems they
wanted to work on. Each group then agreed on their favorite topic and
created a skit to present it to the class.
Group 1: What college I am going to? ****
Group 2: Commercial: food does not come out the way you see it on TV. **
Group 3: Pizza does not look as good as it does in the picture *****
Afterwards, all the problems were posted on the wall, and students voted for
their favorite ones by putting a star next to it.
A Slice of Life DEFINE YOUR PROBLEM
The group will divide into smaller groups. The smaller groups will decide a problem they want to solve and its related questions to be answered. Then they will play a skit to present it to the whole group. Finally the group will be agreed on the project they want to address.
Class 2 1-28-13
fold along line
frog collective action toolkit www.frogdesign.com/CAT
CLARIFY ACTIVITY 2
define your problemDefine the problem your group wants to tackle and
establish key questions to answer along the way.
time45 min. for a team of
3 people, add 5 mins.
each additional team
rolesParticipants, 1 recorder,
1 facilitator
materialsPrinter-size paper (8.5”
x 11”) or larger, pens
Optional: camera, markers
where to next?
Try another Clarify activity like ‘Ripple Effect’ to see
what impact you’d like to have with this project.
Ripple Effect
CLARIFY ACTIVITY 2
Divide your group into teams of three
people. Hand each team a piece of paper
and ask them to write the most important
problem their group is trying to solve, plus
one to three key questions the team needs
to answer to tackle this issue.
1
Give each team 10 minutes to make a skit
that illustrates their problem. Teams can
use whatever props they can find where
they meet.
2
Have each team perform their skit. After
each performance, have the audience
guess the problem they tried to illustrate.
Ask each team to read aloud and post
their problem and question sheet.
3
After every team has gone, ask everyone
to put a star next to the problem they feel
is most important. Discuss the problems
that received the most stars and come
to an agreement on the problem and key
questions the project needs to address.
4
CLARIFY: De�ne Your Problem
CLARIFY: De�ne Your Problem
CLARIFY: De�ne Your Problem
CLARIFY: De�ne Your Problem
CLARIFY: De�ne Your Problem
NAME GAME DEFINE YOUR PROBLEM INTERVIEWS
Group 1(Haily, Deandre, Warren)
Group 2(Aaliyah, Mikeia, De Avery)
Group 3(Joseph, Alexis, Dante)
Pizza Hut does not deliver ***
My hair be done
Determining life on other planets **
What college I am going to ****
Body odor **** Cancer
Organizing ** Jacket zipper broke
Reminders Why we are so high *
Air-condition Why is cigs legal but weed not ****
Commercial: food does not come out the way you
see on TV. **
Pizza does not look good like in picture *****
School uniform colors
Why school is so long *
Why school is so long *
Blocks classes Why 5 days school but 2 days of weekend? **
School lunches ****
Why is Subway advertising a $5 long when it costs
$ 6.05? *
Class 4 2-4-13Class 3 1-30-13 Class 6 2-11-13Class 5 2-6-13Class 1 1-23-13
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Define your problem- Practicing skits
Class 7 2-13-13 Class 10 2-25-13Class 9 2-22-13 Class 11 2-27-13Class 8 2-20-13
The space with all the computers is really
challenging. The students can easily be
distracted from the activities. They feel too
comfortable in their spots and with their
friends. We need to separate them from
this space.
They do not think that much about
“serious” issues and perhaps don’t yet
realize the potential for their project!
Class 13 3-6-13
Class 12 3-5-13
Mind map activity for “Going to College”
The class started with a presentation about CAT and how it can be helpful to
the class. It was followed up with a group created mind map about “What
college I am going to ****” (as a follow up of their previous session- define
your problem). Then, the group moved to a new room with a more traditional
space to work on the ripple effect activity. As a group, the students came up
with a topic they would like to tackle and developed a diagram of project
impacts in different levels.
Making Connections RIPPLE EFFECT
The group decide about the impacts they would like to have on their close friends, families, community or even the world.
Class 4 2-4-13Class 3 1-30-13 Class 6 2-11-13Class 5 2-6-13
PRESENTATION MINDMAPPING (RECAP PREVIOUS ACTIVITIES) RIPPLE EFFECT HOMEWORK
fold along line
frog collective action toolkit www.frogdesign.com/CAT
CLARIFY ACTIVITY 1
ripple effectDecide what kind of impact you want your group to
have—from improving the lives of individuals in your
community to changing your country or the world.
time30 min. for a team of
3 people, add 5 mins.
each additional team
rolesParticipants, 1 recorder,
1 facilitator
materialsPrinter-size paper
(8.5” x 11”) or larger, pens
Optional: camera, markers
where to next?
Try another Clarify activity like ‘Define Your Problem’
to better understand the problem you want to solve.
Define Your Problem
CLARIFY ACTIVITY 1
Divide your group into teams of three
people. Hand each team a piece of paper
and ask them to write a question they’re
trying to work through at the top. Then
draw a circle in the center of the page that
contains the names of the group members.
1
Have each team write around the first
circle the effect they’d like to have on close
friends or family. Draw a larger circle around
these names and label it ‘individuals’.
2
Write the effects the team would like
to have on their community around the
individuals circle. Draw a larger circle
around these newly added affects and label
it ‘community.’ Continue the exercise for
the effects the team wants to have on their
country, nation, and world.
3
Ask everybody to post their Ripple Effects
on the wall and talk about their similarities
and differences. Choose a circle to focus
on and the effects you’d like to see. Write
these on a clean sheet of paper with when
you’d like to see this happen. Put this sheet
on the wall so the team can use it later.
4
CLARIFY: Ripple E�ect
CLARIFY: Ripple E�ect
CLARIFY: Ripple E�ect
CLARIFY: Ripple E�ect
CLARIFY: Ripple E�ect
The groups are working on their ripple effect diagrams. Students presented their work to the class
Class 1 1-23-13 Class 2 1-28-13
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PRESENTATION MINDMAPPING (RECAP PREVIOUS ACTIVITIES) RIPPLE EFFECT HOMEWORK
Class 7 2-13-13 Class 10 2-25-13Class 9 2-22-13 Class 11 2-27-13Class 8 2-20-13
Ripple effect- The first circle represents the participating students.
Class 13 3-6-13
Class 12 3-5-13
SECOND CHANCES
Direct effect
Community
Outside community
MikeiaDeuntrice
JerodeAlex
Ricky
People in our neighborhood
Daddy
Aunt tenesha
Opportunities to get jobs
Churches to thank God for
another chance
Moral boost
Hope
People who believe in you
Better community
Better economy
LOWERING VIOLENCE
AaliyahDante
Deandre
Warren
FatherGrand-mother
Future daughter and
son
Boyfriend Girlfriend
Niece/nephew
Cousin
Direct effect
Community
Aunties
Brother & Sister
Mother
Pastor
Teachers
Principle(Mr.Muhommad,
(Mogwood, & Milton)
Neighbors(used to
be a polic & Mrs. Smart)
(Mrs. Young
Mrs. Curtis
Mr.
Simmons)
CanPark
CHVP
CBV
TVP
West SAVEast SAV
HVP
Hell hale
Governor
President
Judge
City council
B.O.E.
Commissioner
Mayor
People in
prison
Outside community
BETTER SECURITY AT THE SCHOOL
AlexisHailey
Joseph
Direct effect
Community
The stu-dents will
have better
behavior around the community
and the school.
It will create less stress and
worry in people.
The
school
security
will affect
the other
schools
The schools
in Savan-
nah will have
hope and
faith in the se-curity.
It will also keep the neighborhood safe for
the people.
CitySchool
Community
(School
alumni)
Neigh-bours
School neighborhood
Cousins
Teach-ers
Princi-ple
Sematha & Robert Myles
Sisi, Ivana,
Grandparents on both sides
School companions
Friends
Aunts
Uncles
God family Sisters & brothers
Outside community
Homework presentation (Ripple effect of lowering violence ) Sharing ideas with group in a circle
The class began with a presentation of their ripple effect activity homework.
It led to a very insightful discussion in class and the final topic that group
selected. In previous classes, we had heard that pizza delivery was an issue for
the community, but in this class we discovered the reason: deliveries are often
robbed, so restaurants no longer deliver to certain areas of Savannah. The
discussion continued into the true north activity. Each member stood in the
middle of a circle and picked one of the topics that had been posted on the
wall and shared her/his reasons.
Honing In FIND TRUE NORTH
The group stands in a circle and each member talks about the goals she wants to achieve. Then the group will decide the most favorite goals among all the members.
Class 4 2-4-13
HOMEWORK FIND TRUE NORTH WHAT DO YOU WANT TO KNOW?
What do you need to know?
Class 4 2-4-13
THE DISCUSSED TOPICS
• Fitness
• Lowering violence
• Second chance
• Better security at the school
Class 1 1-23-13 Class 3 1-30-13 Class 6 2-11-13Class 2 1-28-13 Class 5 2-6-13
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Class 7 2-13-13 Class 10 2-25-13Class 9 2-22-13 Class 11 2-27-13Class 8 2-20-13
What Do We Need to Know?
WHAT DO YOU WANT TO KNOW?
Group members try get a better grasp of the topic by quick brainstorming about all the questions they need to answer.
The questions from “What do you want to know” activity
Fitness and Violence had been selected as the true north topics, then the class
was divided into two groups, each tackling one of the topics. They were asked
to write down questions about all the unclear aspects of the topic.
?? ?
Class 13 3-6-13
Class 12 3-5-13
We should ask more questions
and go in depth about their ideas,
such as:
“Why do you think like this?
Tell more about it!”
What seems like surface level
topics to us may actually go
much deeper and be much more
complex.
“You can’t take the hood out of people.”
“I do not want to get fat like my mon and aunt!”
We gave the students the list of the questions they had created in the previous
sessions and asked them to individually choose the two most important
challenges they need to begin. The results were the following four:
Understandingthe Issues
SETTING AN AGENDA
The group discussed and decided the main challenges they want to work on and the required steps to take for these challenges.
Class 5 2-6-13
VOTING FOR YOUR FAVOURITE QUESTIONS SETTING AGENDA
fold along line
frog collective action toolkit www.frogdesign.com/CAT
PLAN ACTIVITY 1
setting an agendaIdentify the most pressing challenges your team
needs to tackle, then agree on the steps you should
take to address them.
time40 min.
rolesParticipants, 1 recorder
materialsPrinter-size paper (8.5” x 11”)
or larger, pens
optional: camera, markers, Post-Its
where to next?
Try another Plan activity like ‘Divide & Conquer’ to
split up some of these tasks up between people.
Divide & Conquer
PLAN: Set an Agenda
PLAN ACTIVITY 1
Post one sheet of paper on the wall
and have everybody gather around it.
At the top of the sheet of paper, write the
following question: “What challenges are
we trying to solve right now so we can
accomplish our overall goal?” Have the
group members write answers to this
question underneath it on sticky notes.
1
Take each Post-It note and put it in the
center of a new sheet of paper. Answer the
following questions for that challenge:
• Why is this challenge important to solve?
• Who needs to be involved to solve it?
• When do we want to resolve it?
• What hurdles stand in our way?
• How can we remove those hurdles?
2
Take a step back and look at everyone’s
answers as a group. Ask these questions:
• Which challenges do you need to address
most urgently?
• What patterns or themes are visible
across all of these challenges?
• Do you see ways to resolve multiple
challenges with similar efforts?
3
From your group discussion, write down
the action items your team should take
on next to address the challenges you’ve
identified as most urgent.
4
Don’t forget to fill out a Learning Card when
you transition to another activity area.
When you’re done in this activity area: Try moving to Seek New Understanding
activities to determine who to talk to next,
or Imagine More Ideas to come up with
more solutions.
PLAN: Set an Agenda
PLAN: Set an AgendaPLAN: Set an Agenda
PLAN: Set an Agenda
• Why do people bring violence to schools?
• What it is the reason for violence?
• Why do people do not exercise?
• Why does the school not have a class that helps people get in shape?
Afterwards, the class was divided into two groups and picked two of the main
challenges to work with further.
Setting an agenda- The class is working in two groups on violence and fitness topics.
The time frame part of the
activities are hard for student to
understand and work with!
They are not aware of the impacts
they could have! Opening up the
discussions to detail planning is
really helpful!
“We only have McDonald’s in our neighborhood, so we don’t have healthy options”
Class 1 1-23-13 Class 3 1-30-13 Class 6 2-11-13Class 2 1-28-13 Class 4 2-4-13
22
23
Class 7 2-13-13 Class 10 2-25-13Class 9 2-22-13 Class 11 2-27-13Class 8 2-20-13
Why is this challenge
important to solve?
Who needs to be involved to
solve it?
When do we want to resolve
it?
What hurdles stand in our
way?
How can we remove those
hurdles?
What are our Challenges?
WHAT IS THE REASON FOR VIOLENCE?
WHY DO PEOPLE BRING VIOLENCE TO SCHOOLS?
So that we can bring the violence to an end.
The city of Savannah, Church people, Police, People who want to see others change, Teachers, Parents, Instigators,
Gangs, and younger peers.
Movies, and TV shows, Games, Make videos, Encourage people, Do interview
with teachers and students
WHY DO PEOPLE NOT EXERCISE?
Because people can be healthy and in shape, fight with obesity, it
will help everyone
Because people can be healthy and in shape, fight with obesity, it
will help everyone
Nutrition teacher, School store
Lower self-steam, more technology, jobs, games, busy life, depressed,
time, kids, lazy
It is mandatory, kids have to participate in gym, students just go there and sit
there to escape classes.
Nutritionist
Kids K-12 (Park), anti depressions, stop using technology, no
electricity, schedule, baby sitter
4th block people who pass go and help people who fails study for test, healthy
food from school store, Zumba
VIOLENCE FITNESS
Class 13 3-6-13
Class 12 3-5-13
* The students decided to change their topic from “Why does the school not have a class that helps people get in shape?” to the above question.
WHY DO STUDENTS NOT USE THE EXERCISE CLASSES AT
SCHOOL?*
We started the class with a discussion about the necessity of working on one
topic due to the time limitations. Each student was asked to select between the
two final topics and shared his/her reasons with the class. Lowering violence
was a unanimous topic among the 11 students. They explained the topic is
important for them as it is an inescapable part of their daily lives.
Opportunities JAM SESSION
The group create ideas without any limitation and collectively sort them based on easy to difficult range.
Class 1 1-23-13 Class 3 1-30-13 Class 6 2-11-13Class 2 1-28-13
SELECT FINAL TOPIC FOR ALL THE CLASS (LOWERING VIOLENCE) JAM SESSION
fold along line
frog collective action toolkit www.frogdesign.com/CAT
IMAGINE ACTIVITY 1
jam sessionCreate as many ideas as possible with your group,
exploring a range of different solutions and building
on each other’s ideas in a supportive manner.
IMAGINE: Jam Session
time
45 min.
roles
Participants, 1 facilitator
materials
Printer-size paper (8.5” x 11”)
or larger and smaller
sheets, pens
optional: camera, markers
where to next?
Try another Imagine activity like ‘Grow an Idea’
to bring one of these starred concepts into another
round of ideation.
Grow an Idea
IMAGINE ACTIVITY 1
IMAGINE: Jam Session
IMAGINE: Jam Session
IMAGINE: Jam Session
IMAGINE: Jam Session
Look at all of your group’s ideas that you’ve
captured to date. Identify a topic the team
would like to explore. A good topic will be
directly related to your goal, and will inspire
your group to immediately generate ideas.
1
Have the activity facilitator put a piece of
paper on the wall and draw a large arrow
on it. On one end of the arrow, write “Easy.”
On the other end, write “Impossible.”
2
3
4
Divide group into two teams. For 20–25
minutes, ask each team to write or sketch
ideas related to the topic on individual
pieces of paper. Create a range of ideas
that are possible, impossible and anything
in between. Be sure to give each idea a title.
When both teams are done, share the title
and a one-sentence description of each
idea with the group. Have the presenter to
pin the idea where it belongs on the Easy
to Impossible arrow. When everyone has
presented, ask them to put a star next to
the idea they’re most excited about. Ideas
with the most stars can be pursued.
When you’re done: Try out some Make
Something Real activities to bring your
ideas to life!
Don’t forget to fill out a Learning Card when
you transition to another activity area.
“So many people are being killed everyday!”
“I want to make sure my kid has a chance to walk freely in her neighborhood!”
Jam Session- The class is posting their ideas and discussing about their possibilities.
Jam Session- So proud of their achievements
Class 4 2-4-13 Class 5 2-6-13
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25
Class 7 2-13-13 Class 10 2-25-13Class 9 2-22-13 Class 11 2-27-13Class 8 2-20-13
BLOCK PARTY
FUNDRAISER
DRESS DOWN
FOR VIOLENCE
EASY IMPOSSIBLE
PLAY
COMMUNITY
SERVICE
COMMERCIALS
CHURCH AFFAIRS
ASSEMBLIES OF FORMER GANGS OR VICTIMS OF VIOLENCE
COMMUNITY
GATHERING
CAMPAIGN
FOR VIOLENCE
DOWNTOWNSURVEY ON VIOLENCE
PUBLIC
SPEAKING
DESIGN T-SHIRTS
VIOLENCE WEBSITE
SCHOOL
EVENT-
FUND-
RAISER
SPEAK-
ERS IN
SCHOOL GUNS FOR
MONEY-PARK
EVENT
COOK OUT
TV SHOWS
BETTER
VERSION OF
2ND
AMENDMENT
VIOLENCE WEEK
BEYOND
SCARED
STRAIGHT
JUVIES OR
STUDENTS
GOING DOWN
WRONG PATH
NATIONAL
HUG DAY
PUBLIC SPANKING
FOR CRIMINAL
AND SUSPECTS
MORE POLICE
ENFORCEMENT
**
****
*
** *
**
**
** *
*
***
*
*
**
*
*
** ***
*
***
**
*
**
**
**
***
*** *
* * *** **
***
***
*
**
*
*
**
*
**
*
**
*
Class 13 3-6-13
Class 12 3-5-13
VIOLENCE
Students brainstorming interview questions
INTERVIEWING 101
Now that the students had cohered around a topic, we challenged them to
reach out beyond the classroom. The students brainstormed individuals within
their homes and/or larger community who they could interview to search
for insights and experiences that may help them better understand the issues
involved. They also wrote down potential questions for their interviewees.
After brainstorming, they broke off into pairs to role play and offer each
other feedback. Finally, the class came back together as a group to help each
individual further refine their interviewing technique. We gave out disposable
cameras at the end of class, and asked the students to document their
interviews over the weekend and to report to the rest of the class the following
Monday.
Reaching Outward
Class 1 1-24-13 Class 4 2-4-13Class 3 1-30-13 Class 6 2-11-13Class 5 2-6-13Class 2 1-28-13
INTERVIEWING 101
Plan an interview from start to finish, then go into your community and talk with people about issues that matter to them.
fold along line
frog collective action toolkit www.frogdesign.com/CAT
SEEK ACTIVITY 2
interviewing 101Plan an interview from start to finish, then go into
your community and talk with people about issues
that matter to them.
time 1 hr. for a group of 10
rolesParticipants, 1 facilitator,
1 recorder
materialsPrinter-size paper (8.5” x 11”)
or larger, pens
optional: camera, markers
where to next?
Try another Seek activity like ‘We Saw, We Heard’
to share what you discovered in your interviews.
We Saw, We Heard
SEEK ACTIVITY 2
Ask your individual group members to write
a list of people that struggle with issues
related to the goal you want to achieve.
Write down:
• Why you would want to talk with them
• What you would learn by talking to them
• Where you would want to meet with them
1
Divide your entire group into pairs. Ask the
people in each pair to read out loud each
list and select one of the people they would
like to interview. Ask the pair to write down
at least five questions they’d like to ask
that person at their interview. Encourage
each team to ask follow-up questions like
“Why?” to provide suprising insight.
2
Each pair will roleplay the interview. The
teammate who is being asked questions
will provide feedback about whether
the questions make sense and suggest
additional questions to ask. The pair will
update the interview questions accordingly.
3
Bring the entire group back together. Ask
each pair to roleplay their interview again,
soliciting feedback from the whole group.
Then task group members to do their
interviews when they leave the group meet-
ing, encouraging them to take good notes
at each interview to share with the rest of
the group.
4
Don’t forget to fill out a Learning Card when
you transition to another activity area.
When you’re done in this activity area: Try moving to Imagine More Ideas to
act on something in your interviews that
inspired a potential solution.
SEEK: Interviewing 101
SEEK: Interviewing 101
SEEK: Interviewing 101
SEEK: Interviewing 101
SEEK: Interviewing 101
Class 1 1-23-13
Students roleplaying interviews Students roleplaying interviews
26
27
Students role play their future interviews to get feedback from the class.
Class 7 2-13-13 Class 10 2-25-13Class 9 2-20-13 Class 11 2-27-13Class 8 2-18-13
Students role playing interviews for the class Students role playing interviews for the class
Interviewing 101 was an activity in which most of
the students seemed to benefit from one-on-one
attention. Once they better understood that the
activity was designed simply to search for new
information, whatever that may be, they were able
to dive into the task.
Facilitation Needs
We saw the students struggling to determine the
best questions for the interviews so we had a
mini-lesson on interviewing best practices.
On the white board in the front of the class, we
wrote:
Stay away from yes or no questions- It’s better
to ask, “yes, and...” or “Why?”
Ask “Tell me more.”
Class 13 3-6-13
Class 12 3-5-13
Excerpt from one of the teams storyboards
HOMEWORK REVIEW STORYBOARDING
We ventured into the Make It Real activity section during our eighth session
at Beach. Unfortunately, only a couple of students had completed the
homework so we could not continue with our planned activity, We Saw, We
Heard. Instead, we went ahead with our backup activity, Storyboarding.
We started by gaining consensus about one of the most popular ideas from
the Jam Session with which to move forward during our short time together.
Almost unanimously, they chose to pursue the idea of Violence Week. Since
both groups from class five had mentioned that at some point they wanted
to speak to the principal, Mr. Muhammad, about their ideas, we framed the
activity as a tool for creating a tangible plan to present.
Drawing Ideas
Class 1 1-24-13 Class 4 2-4-13Class 3 1-30-13 Class 6 2-11-13Class 5 2-6-13Class 2 1-28-13
STORYBOARDING 101
Create a visual story, much like a comic strip, that explains how an idea would impact people in your community over time.
Class 1 1-23-13
Students present their storyboards Students present their storyboards
fold along line
frog collective action toolkit www.frogdesign.com/CAT
MAKE ACTIVITY 1
storyboarding 101Create a visual story, much like a comic strip, that
explains how an idea would impact people in your
community over time.
time
45 min. for a group of 5
roles
Participants, 1 facilitator
materials
Printer-size paper (8.5” x 11”)
or larger, pens
optional: camera, markers,
collage materials, e.g. photos,
magazines, colored paper,
stickers
where to next?
Try another Make activity, like ‘Write a Blurb,’
to shape the story you just drew into clear, crisp
statements you can share.
Write a Blurb
MAKE: Storyboarding 101
MAKE ACTIVITY 1
Divide your group into teams of one to
three people. Ask each group to select an
idea from a previous activity to storyboard.
They should discuss how to tell this idea in
a story to another person:
• Who are the main characters?
• What specific challenge is being solved?
• What steps do they go through?
1
2
Have the team illustrate each frame:
• First frame: Introduce the characters
• Second frame: Create a scene that shows
the problem where it happens
• Third frame: Show a close-up of one of
the characters using your idea
• Final frame: What happens after the
character uses it?
3
Have each group share their storyboards
and pin them up on the wall. Have a
discussion about what works about each
storyboard and what potentially is missing
that could expressed in a different way.
4
Post a large piece of paper for each team.
Have each group draw four storyboard
frames (squares) on the paper. They
should write a few words below each frame
to describe what should happen in the
scene they are about to draw or collage
from images in magazines. Follow the
outline included in Step 3.
Don’t forget to fill out a Learning Card when
you transition to another activity area.
When you’re done in this activity area:
Try moving to the Plan for Action activity
area to plan how and when you could
realize your idea for the community.
MAKE: Storyboarding 101
MAKE: Storyboarding 101
MAKE: Storyboarding 101
MAKE: Storyboarding 101
28
29
Storyboards for possible frameworks for Violence Week
Class 10 2-25-13Class 9 2-20-13 Class 11 2-27-13Class 8 2-18-13Class 7 2-13-13Class 13 3-6-13
Class 12 3-5-13
Students practicing presenting their storyboard
PEP TALK SCHEDULE REMINDER DIVIDE AND CONQUER RIPPLE EFFECT
To help the students start to think about the details of a very large and
ambitious project, we divided them into two teams and asked them each to
pick one activity from the whole of Violence Week to plan in detail. We urged
them to answer the big questions: Who, What, Where, When, Why and How.
Having these six questions written large on the board helped the students
maintain momentum throughout the somewhat unfamiliar and challenging
activity. They were also asked to delegate responsibilities for each part of the
days events.
At the end of class, each team practiced presenting their day (t-shirt or bake
sale) while Naz asked questions in the role of Mr. Muhammad .
Plan Refinement
Class 1 1-24-13 Class 4 2-4-13Class 3 1-30-13 Class 6 2-11-13Class 5 2-6-13Class 2 1-28-13
DIVIDE AND CONQUER
Split your group into smaller teams that can plan and execute specific action items.
Class 1 1-23-13
fold along line
frog collective action toolkit www.frogdesign.com/CAT
PLAN ACTIVITY 2
divide and conquerSplit your group into smaller teams that can plan and
execute specific action items.
time
1 hr.
roles
Participants, 1 facilitator,
multiple recorders
materials
Printer-size paper (8.5” x 11”)
or larger, pens
optional: camera, markers
where to next?
Try another Plan activity like ‘Set the Pace’ to
establish your future meeting schedules.
.
Set the Pace
PLAN: Divide and Conquer
PLAN ACTIVITY 2
1
Have someone from your team write these
task names on separate sheets of paper.
These will be different committees to take
care of a specific responsibilities for your
group. Ask people to write their initials
with the name of the committee they
want to join.
2
Split your group into their specific com-
mittees. Have them go to different parts of
the room and meet with their committee.
Ask the committee members to write
down the responsibilities, challenges and
goals they should tackle. If there is only
one person in a committee, they should
join another group.
3
Have each committee write down specific
tasks to help them reach their group’s
goals. Prioritize the activity list as a com-
mittee, taking at least 15 minutes to write
action items based on their top five to ten
priority tasks. Have team members initial
which action items they’ll take on. Then
have each team post and share their plan.
4
Gather your group around a sheet of
paper. Ask everyone to write on the sheet
every activity they’re doing right now to
help the group reach their shared goal.
Have the group look at all the activities
and identify which are similar and can be
grouped together. Give these similar tasks
a name. Keep it simple, like ‘recruiting.’
Don’t forget to fill out a Learning Card when
you transition to another activity area.
When you’re done in this activity area:
Try moving to Seek New Understanding
activities to determine who to talk to next,
or Imagine More Ideas to come up with
more solutions.
PLAN: Divide and Conquer
PLAN: Divide and Conquer
PLAN: Divide and Conquer
PLAN: Divide and Conquer
Students practicing presenting their storyboard
30
31
Class 7 2-13-13 Class 10 2-25-13Class 9 2-20-13 Class 11 2-27-13Class 8 2-18-13Class 13 3-6-13
Class 12 3-5-13
Existing ideas for violence week
• Opening Assembly (Intro)
• Games
• Selling food
• Bake sale
• Play
• T-shirt station
• Pep rally/ music
• Lunchroom/ cookout
• Donations
• Public speaking
muffinscookies/ brownies
Doughnutscupcakes/cake
ice creamlemon squares
T-Shirts
To spread the word to everyone about stopping violence.
Hopefully, have the community and school support about stopping violence.
School courtyard
Go to Mr. Bonnell for t-shirt designs to print off press on.
Have the kids wear the t-shirts on Friday at the cookout!
Violence Education.We can put paper on these items,
stating facts.
We can get stuff from Sam’s.
We use the money from the bake sale to get the shirts.
Donations can come from our parents, the church, organiza-
tions, and teachers
During lunch hour
School courtyard
Thursday on 4th block and on lunch
FundraiserFundraiser
T-SHIRT SALEBAKE SALE
Item for sale?
Why?
When?
Where?
How?
A student writing a draft of the proposal
WRITE PROPOSAL CONSOLIDATE PREVIOUS STORYBOARDS PRESENTATION PRACTICE S
The students began by individually writing on post-its reasons why they want
to do Violence Week and how it will benefit participants. Then one student
volunteer, using the post-its for material, wrote the first half of the proposal for
the principal. Concurrently, using ideas generated from the two storyboards
from last session, the rest of the class created one comprehensive storyboard
outlining five days of activities for Violence Week.
At the end of class, each team presented their ideas both for feedback and as
practice for the upcoming presentation to Mr. Muhammad.
Proposal Creation PROPOSAL IDEATION AND MODIFIED STORYBOARDING
The group is split into two to plan different aspects of their presentation .
Students consolidating ideas and delegating responsibilities
fold along line
frog collective action toolkit www.frogdesign.com/CAT
MAKE ACTIVITY 1
storyboarding 101Create a visual story, much like a comic strip, that
explains how an idea would impact people in your
community over time.
time
45 min. for a group of 5
roles
Participants, 1 facilitator
materials
Printer-size paper (8.5” x 11”)
or larger, pens
optional: camera, markers,
collage materials, e.g. photos,
magazines, colored paper,
stickers
where to next?
Try another Make activity, like ‘Write a Blurb,’
to shape the story you just drew into clear, crisp
statements you can share.
Write a Blurb
MAKE: Storyboarding 101
MAKE ACTIVITY 1
Divide your group into teams of one to
three people. Ask each group to select an
idea from a previous activity to storyboard.
They should discuss how to tell this idea in
a story to another person:
• Who are the main characters?
• What specific challenge is being solved?
• What steps do they go through?
1
2
Have the team illustrate each frame:
• First frame: Introduce the characters
• Second frame: Create a scene that shows
the problem where it happens
• Third frame: Show a close-up of one of
the characters using your idea
• Final frame: What happens after the
character uses it?
3
Have each group share their storyboards
and pin them up on the wall. Have a
discussion about what works about each
storyboard and what potentially is missing
that could expressed in a different way.
4
Post a large piece of paper for each team.
Have each group draw four storyboard
frames (squares) on the paper. They
should write a few words below each frame
to describe what should happen in the
scene they are about to draw or collage
from images in magazines. Follow the
outline included in Step 3.
Don’t forget to fill out a Learning Card when
you transition to another activity area.
When you’re done in this activity area:
Try moving to the Plan for Action activity
area to plan how and when you could
realize your idea for the community.
MAKE: Storyboarding 101
MAKE: Storyboarding 101
MAKE: Storyboarding 101
MAKE: Storyboarding 101
fold along line
frog collective action toolkit www.frogdesign.com/CAT
MAKE ACTIVITY 3
write a blurbCraft a simple story that explains to other people
why your group’s idea is relevant, then practice sharing
it with others.
time1 hr. for a group of 5
rolesParticipants, 1 facilitator,
1 recorder
materialsPrinter-size paper (8.5” x 11”)
or larger, pens
optional: camera, markers
where to next?
Try another Make activity like ‘It’s Like, It’s Not Like’
to help other people understand your group’s idea.
It’s Like, It’s Not Like
MAKE: Write a Blurb
MAKE ACTIVITY 3
Split your entire group into teams of three
people or less. Have each team select an
idea they want to work with. Multiple teams
can work on the same idea or different
ideas at the same time. (Note: This activity
can also be done by individuals rather than
teams, depending on how many people are
in your group.)
1
2
3
Ask each team to share their story. Then
have each team post their written story on
the wall. Gather the entire group around
each written story and talk about the ele-
ments of each story that stood out and the
qualities of a strong story. Have one of your
group members write down what worked
and what could be improved in each story.
4
Over 10 minutes, ask each team think
through and discuss:
• What the idea is
• Who the idea is for
• How it will change the community
• Why it will help the community
• When it will happen
• Where it will be used
Have each team write a one-sentence
description about why the idea is great.
Then each team should spend 20 minutes
writing a paragraph telling the story of
the idea. Experiment with the tone of your
story by pretending to be journalists, the
town preacher, your city’s mayor, and so
forth. Give your story a snappy title.
Don’t forget to fill out a Learning Card when
you transition to another activity area.
When you’re done in this activity area: Try moving to the Build Your Team activity
area to recruit more people for your group
using these stories.
MAKE: Write a Blurb
MAKE: Write a Blurb
MAKE: Write a Blurb
MAKE: Write a Blurb
Class 4 2-4-13Class 3 1-30-13 Class 6 2-11-13Class 5 2-6-13Class 2 1-28-13Class 1 1-23-13
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33
Class 7 2-13-13 Class 10 2-25-13Class 9 2-20-13 Class 11 2-27-13Class 8 2-18-13
It seems the students stay better focused
when in groups fewer than four. During this
activity, they lost focus early and had a hard
time getting back to the topic.
But, after reminded that they are working
together on their own idea for a project
for their classmates and that the success
depended solely on themselves, they got to
work and made impressive progress.
Class 13 3-6-13
Class 12 3-5-13
As one of us worked with Aaliyah to finish the proposal for the Violence Free
Week, the other group gathered to discuss our last CAT activity. Each student
chose one of the Violence Free days and then, as the presentations developed,
the information consisted of:
Conflict (the topic they want to address), Concept (the activities they propose
for their special day), Character (the people they need to be involved in their
proposed activity), and a Conclusion (The results they would like to pursue by
that activities).
Practice Makes Perfect
LIGHT, CAMERA, ACTION!
The members develop a story of their interested topic with including factors such as conflict, characters, concept, and Conclusion. Then the skits will be shared in group to get feedbacks.
PROPOSAL LIGHT CAMERA ACTION
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frog collective action toolkit www.frogdesign.com/CAT
MAKE ACTIVITY 2
lights, camera, action!Use characters, scenes, and conversations to tell a
meaningful tale about your idea to an audience.
time
1 hr. for a group of 5
roles
Participants, 1 facilitator,
1 recorder
materials
Printer-size paper (8.5” x 11”)
or larger, pens, camera
optional: markers
where to next?
Try another Make activity like ‘Prototype It’ to build
an idea from scratch.
Prototype It
MAKE: Lights, Camera, Action!
MAKE ACTIVITY 2
Split your entire group into teams of three
people or less. Have each team select an
idea they want to work with. Multiple teams
can work on the same idea or different
ideas at the same time. (Note: This activity
can also be done by individuals rather than
teams, depending on how many people are
in your group.)
1
2
3
4
Give each team ten minutes to decide how
to talk about their idea to other people
in the group through a story. Each team
needs to think about:
• Conflict: What problem you will address
• Character: The people helped by it
• Concept: How the idea should be shared
• Conclusion: Its larger impact on the world
Give each team 20 minutes to craft a three-
to five-minute skit that expresses their idea
through a story. Provide them an additional
five minutes after they’ve planned their skit
out to practice it and come up with a title
for it. Encourage each team to include all of
their team members in the skit and use any
relevant props.
Ask each team to perform their skit. As one
team shares their story, the other teams
should take notes, photograph, sketch,
or videotape the performance for future
reflection. After the skits, have a discussion
about what everyone learned about the
ideas in the stories and what it would take
to bring them further to life.
Don’t forget to fill out a Learning Card when
you transition to another activity area.
When you’re done in this activity area:
Try moving to the Seek New Understand-
ing activity area to determine how people
in the real world might use these ideas.
MAKE: Lights, Camera, Action!
MAKE: Lights, Camera, Action!
MAKE: Lights, Camera, Action!
MAKE: Lights, Camera, Action!
Instead of developing a skit,
we asked them to create a two
minute presentation which has
the conflict, concept, characters,
and conclusion factors, for the
meeting with principal.
Class 4 2-4-13Class 3 1-30-13 Class 6 2-11-13Class 5 2-6-13Class 2 1-28-13Class 1 1-23-13
34
35
Class 7 2-13-13 Class 10 2-25-13Class 9 2-22-13 Class 11 2-27-13Class 8 2-20-13
Light, camera, action- Students are presenting their assignments to the class.
Class 13 3-6-13
Class 12 3-5-13
Class 4 2-4-13Class 3 1-30-13 Class 6 2-11-13Class 5 2-6-13Class 2 1-28-13
The class focused on reviewing the activities they have done during the past 11
classes. Afterwards, each student practiced alone, presented their part to the
class and received and offered feedback.
Preparing for the Big Day!
Getting ready for the big day!
OVERVIEW OF ALL THE PREVIOUS ACTIVITIES PRACTICING ROLES GETTING FEEDBACKS
Class 1 1-23-13
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Class 7 2-13-13 Class 10 2-25-13Class 9 2-22-13 Class 11 2-27-13Class 8 2-20-13Class 13 3-6-13
Class 12 3-5-13
Mr. Muhammad, the Beach high school principal, showed up to our class
before the students arrived with his laptop and notebook in tow. He seemed
enthusiastic and serious about the meeting. Nervousness was hidden behind
confident smiles; “Will all the hard work pay off?!”. Mr. Muhammad was greeted
and the presentation started with an overview of the process of the past 12
classes by Hailey and then each student presented their roles for Violence Free
week to Mr. Muhammad. He listened patiently to the presentation, said that
he is really impressed by all of the work, and the process the students went
through and then asked some questions. He asked: “How did you guys reach
an agreement about the violence topic? Tell me about the process? How did
you keep your concentration through all these previous sessions?...”
The responses of each student proved that they deeply embraced the process
and all have a personal connection to the topic. Even one student, who is
usually very quiet, impressed all of us by strongly advocating for his ideas
and the importance of Violence Free Week. There were many truly confident
and proud smiles in the room! He approved of the proposal, thanked us and
promised to get back to the class with his feedback on the proposal. Our last
class ended with dancing, happy students!
Bulldog Pride!
“Kids always complain about the school system, it is great to hear a solution for once!”
-Mr. Muhammad
MEETING THE PRINCIPAL PRESENTATION QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS DANCING PORTRAIT SHOTS INTERVIEWS
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39Groves High School
Go Future Minded Dreamers!We start the day as visitors. Every Tuesday and Thursday we enter Robert W.
Groves High School, we sign our names, we get a visitor tag, and we head for
room 600 to spend 55 minutes with 11 students in Ms. Dawson’s 9th-12th grade
class. Then we leave … as something more than just visitors.
There is a reason for being at Groves High; a reason that we hope is meaningful,
fun, and larger than ourselves. We are there to help unleash the power of the
students. Together, we want to learn about the nature and value of human
connection, crossing boundaries, the process of sharing perspectives and
building off of each other’s ideas. Is this ordinary? Have students been given the
power to address challenges through their own unique perspective?
Nutrition Class, T, Th 8:25-9:20 am
Ms. Dawson
# students: 11
Facilitators: Eric Green, Marina Petrova
What We Are Hoping to Achieve
• Learn the process
• Learn to better work in groups
• Become better problem solvers
• Understand our needs
• Imagine possibilities
• Learn to use the skills on our own
• Learn how to engage people in a conversation
• Dive beyond the obvious
• Have fun
• Working in teams
Introducing an element of play keeps the students engaged and focused.
In previous food drives the students would only bring food, but they would have no contact with the people who the food was intended for.
The students find the homeless people scary and stinky.
Ripple Effect Find True North Define Your Problem Ball Game Knowledge Fest
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Class 1 1-24-13
The students have never done anything to make them think about the effects their actions have on the community or the world.
Knowledge Fest
Define Your Problem
Define Your Problem
The students really liked the pep talk video.
When everybody sits around the table, rather than in the auditorium, it is much easier to have discussions.
The students find it easy to express their ideas visually. We learn more about them from their drawings.
By asking a follow up question on Adam’s wish to have a talent show at school we found out that the students liked drama.
They enjoyed doing skits.
Mind mapping was very useful to break the very general initial ideas into more specific ones.
3 mind maps and more specific ideas.
Adam talks about giving courage to members of the women’s shelter.
Because some of the students were missing the previous class, we had to repeat the mindmapping exercise and the students were not very engaged.
Changing the work place enlivens the class energy.
Working in a big group is not productive.
The students get more excited when the ideas look more real.
We have two winning ideas - bringing canned food to the homeless and having a dress down day to raise money for school supplies.
Krissy refers to the class list of rules - “No idea is stupid.”
We would like to have the students grow the ideas and choose one. To keep them engaged we had to come up with something fun and fast.
We would like to make the idea more personal.
We came up with the game to provoke brainstorming.
It was a part of Jam session, but was fast and kept the students engaged.
Students created individual and group goals.
They came up with a team name - Future Minded Dreamers and class rules.
The students unanimously chose to go for the bringing food to the homeless idea.
The ball game produces good ideas about how to make bringing food to the homeless more different and interesting.
Students are motivated by competition.
Giving them the countdown and asking them to be more specific in their answers produces better results.
The students wrote their answers, but we did not have time to read the answers. We will discuss the answers next class.
We try to contact Second Harvest and look for potential places that the students can go to.
Class 4 2-5-13Class 3 1-31-13 Class 6 2-12-13Class 5 2-7-13Class 2 1-29-13
Student groups came up with three ideas for positive actions:
- Homework cafe
- Help build and repaint houses
- Fundraising for college fees
We would like to explain what the project is and what the process are about.
We want to keep the students inspired.
We will start thinking about a common goal.
The most common goals:
work as a team, do something for the community, open up , have fun
Some students did not do their homework.
We will try to come up with a class wide idea.
The students asked to see the Girl Effect video again.
The students were engaged in the activity more than usual.
Students developed a lot of good questions about what they wanted to know about the homeless people.
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Knowledge Fest II Interviewing 101 Mr. Heery’s Visit
Adam told the class about a place we could use to feed the homeless.
Tiana told the class about a place close by where they seemed to serve food to homeless people.
The students think they might need to talk to the principal or his assistant for help.
We contact Mr. Marvin Heery, a homelessness activist and ask him to visit the class.
The video on homeless children was very emotional.
We are getting more personal responses from the students.
Krissy suggested we played the Ball Game or Ripple Effect with Mr. Heery.
Ms. Dawson surprises us with her personal story.
Mr. Heery reconnects with school faculty from past years.
The students did not ask Mr. Heery very many questions.
They were unusually quiet .
Discussion
Ms. Dawson will check a couple of shelters, Mr. Heery will think about potential places the students could visit.
None of the opportunities we were hoping to discuss seemed to work, so we spent the class going over the idea and potential new places.
Setting an Agenda
Instead of bringing food, the students decide to give clothes and care packages to the homeless. The students decided to make cards as well.
Class 7 2-14-13 Class 10 2-26-13Class 9 2-21-13 Class 12 3-5-13Class 11 2-28-13Class 8 2-19-13
The balloon video showed the class that a simple and tangible idea can have a large impact.
The students are interested in developing a personal connection with the homeless.
Mr. Marvin Heery is coming to next class.
Community issues can be more personal than we think.
Students learn from Mr. Heery that homeless people in Savannah are not really hungry. They are in need more of support.
The class was smaller which allowed for more participation from students who were usually quiet.
If we make a field trip, it has to be during class hours.
We continue to search for opportunities to meet with the homeless.
Cards Divide and Conquer
The students are very creative and enjoyed making cards.
Each student created a card for a homeless person.
We continue to search for opportunities to meet with the homeless.
The students came up with specific steps for three main tasks:
- Introducing the team when they meet the homeless
- Facilitate a conversation
- Have games to play
INTRODUCTIONS RIPPLE EFFECT
The Ripple Effect RIPPLE EFFECT
Decide what kind of impact you want your group to have - from improving the lives of individuals in your community to changing the country or the world.
Class 1 1-24-13 Class 4 2-5-13Class 3 1-31-13 Class 6 2-12-13Class 5 2-7-13Class 2 1-29-13
Fig. 1 The class was split into teams of three. Each team had to come up with a positive action and think about the effect it would have on their friends and family and the community.
The first day we were inspired to jump right in and ask the students what positive
effect could they have on their community. After meeting, introducing ourselves,
sharing, and overview, we presented the Ripple Effect activity. After the students
gained an understanding of the activity, they lead the process. It was quickly learned
that this was something new and their own ideas were valued.
We ended with a modification to the Ripple Effect. The class was brought together
to discuss all three positive actions and their impact on the world.
It is our hope that the students realize that there is something greater than ourselves
and that everyone has something to give.
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Class 7 2-14-13 Class 10 2-26-13Class 9 2-21-13 Class 12 3-5-13Class 11 2-28-13Class 8 2-19-13
Students’ Ripple Effect diagrams and list of effects.
FIND TRUE NORTH
As a group come to an agreement on the goals you want to achieve and when you want to achieve them.
RECAP OVERVIEW OF CAT PEP TALK RULES OF THE GAME FIND TRUE NORTH HOMEWORK
Set the Stage
Class 1 1-24-13 Class 4 2-5-13Class 3 1-31-13 Class 6 2-12-13Class 5 2-7-13Class 2 1-29-13
We wanted to give the students more context and understanding for the activities that we were going to do with them, so we created a diagram for the process.
In order to set the stage for the coming weeks, we saw value in emphasizing to the
students that this was their time, their space and that we would do our best to help
them. The day began with the students coalescing around a team name - Future
Minded Dreamers.
Individual goals were made along with a list of student defined class rules. Building
on team dynamics we shared the value in consultation and the power of coming
together as groups.
Pep Talk by Kid President
We wanted to set the tone on a high note, so we looked to Kid President for a fun,
motivational speech. They loved it so much that we decided to show something
inspiring every class.
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STUDENT GOALS
Class 7 2-14-13 Class 10 2-26-13Class 9 2-21-13 Class 12 3-5-13Class 11 2-28-13Class 8 2-19-13
• I would like to be more open with things
• Be helpful with group work
• Learn more things that will help our community and neighborhood
• How to have fun in groups
• Learn not to be shy or hold back my thoughts
• Work well with people I nor-mally don’t talk to
• Better my public speaking skills
• Work with students who are different and have different ideas, which will make our ideas stronger
• Learn about some things I can do to better myself and the community I live in
• I would also like to learn about different skills I can use when working in groups
• Expand activities
• I would like to solve problems, learn how to work better as a team and learn new things
• Give us tips on how to study in a fun way
• Make more fun things to do for our school
• I hope we work together as one
• Do a lot of hands on activities
• Get more comfortable around each other
• Get along
• HAVE FUN!
• Be patient with your group
• Talk things out more
• Solve problems
• Make new friends
• Be nice to everyone in class
• Never do mean things
Students shared more about themselves by
drawing rather then talking. Tysheah drew a
picture of her as a nurse, Krissy said she loved
flowers and wanted to create a school garden.
The students enjoyed the Pep Talk video.
We decided to show something inspirational
every class.
RULES OF THE GAME
No idea is stupid
Be open minded
Be respectful
Don’t talk over each other
Don’t be shy, participate
TEAM NAME
Rough Ryders
Caillou
No Names
Future Minded Leaders
HOMEWORK DEFINE YOUR PROBLEM MIND MAPPING
Class 1 1-24-13 Class 4 2-5-13Class 3 1-31-13 Class 6 2-12-13Class 5 2-7-13Class 2 1-29-13
First HomeworkWe really enjoyed the students’ drawings, so we decided to ask them to draw their
initial ideas for a positive action within the community.
Our process has been different than the other high school groups in that we have
addressed positive actions rather than problems. Our goal is that we are turning
problems into opportunities.
HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT
Illustrate something (write, diagram, draw) that would collectively improve our lives. For example making higher education more attainable or growing a school garden. Bring the paper to the next class ready to discuss.
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Chelsey
Adam
Class 7 2-14-13 Class 10 2-26-13Class 9 2-21-13 Class 12 3-5-13Class 11 2-28-13Class 8 2-19-13
Kristina
Tyshea
HOMEWORK DEFINE YOUR PROBLEM MIND MAPPING
Generating Ideas
Class 1 1-24-13 Class 4 2-5-13Class 3 1-31-13 Class 6 2-12-13Class 5 2-7-13Class 2 1-29-13
DEFINE YOUR PROBLEM
Define the problem your group wants to tackle and establish key questions to answer along the way.
We kicked the class off with a video about connection; an essential skill in group
consultation. On that note we paired students up to have them discuss their
personal positive actions from last class. The small teams were asked to come to a
shared vision of a positive action, which was presented in the form of a collective
skit to the class.
Skits created a sense of play, fun and laughter.
To further develop ideas we incorporated mind mapping as a tool to find deeper
insight.
Student’s individual idea for a positive action Group skit Collective mind map with class
Adam
Debria
Get more comfortable around each
other
Make morefun things to do
at our school
Being a helping
hand
being a helping
hand
homelessshelters
hospital
clothesgroceries
women’s shelter
role model
courage
visit
nursing home
company
entertain
groceries
communityservice hours
graduation
Facebook: The Things That Connect Us
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sports inthe community
center
peers
good exercise
location
liberty citypooler recreation
keep youth outof trouble
something to do
sports
basketball
softball
football
swimming lessons
dodgeball
we can
get equipment
clean up
advertise
give themsnacks
invite homeless
guys
parentscan exercise
CommunityCenter
Sports Exercise
Grow a Community
Garden
Sports in the Community
Center
Class 7 2-14-13 Class 10 2-26-13Class 9 2-21-13 Class 12 3-5-13Class 11 2-28-13Class 8 2-19-13
Student’s individual idea for a positive action Group skit Collective mind map with class
Chelsey
Tony
Krissy
Shavonna
Daiwon
Fundraise for College
Clean Parks
Clean parks and raise money
clean park and
earn money for
college
water fountains
campaign
instead of paying city
employees pay students
trash cans
advertise
organize an event
bring sponsors
make signs
RECAP MIND MAPS REVIEW DEFINE YOUR PROBLEM II
Choosing an Idea
Class 1 1-24-13 Class 4 2-5-13Class 3 1-31-13 Class 6 2-12-13Class 5 2-7-13Class 2 1-29-13
In the search of a common class goal the students participated in the Define Your Problem activity. Team FMD worked on writing out initial ideas and then narrowing them down. At the end of the day there were three common goals. Consultation was good and we hope to define one specific class goal next class.
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Class 7 2-14-13 Class 10 2-26-13Class 9 2-21-13 Class 12 3-5-13Class 11 2-28-13Class 8 2-19-13
We Have a TieWe will continue next class further discussing the ideas and choosing one.
Changing the working space enlivened the
energy of the class.
We learn that if the students raise money, it
has to be spent on the school.
If the students are asked to bring a dollar or
something for charity, they find it easier to
give a dollar.
We are thinking of how we can make the
experience more personal than just bringing
cans to the school.
Team FMD (Future Minded Leaders) unanimously picked Idea #1 Providing food for the homeless people.
How Do We Connect?
CANS vs. BAKLAVA STORIES FROM THE STREET VIDEO - CASS DISCUSSION CHOOSE AN IDEA YOU MAKE ME SMILE VIDEO BALL GAME
Class 1 1-24-13 Class 4 2-5-13Class 3 1-31-13 Class 6 2-12-13Class 5 2-7-13Class 2 1-29-13
As an opportunity to personalize relationships Marina (class co-facilitator) baked
home-made baklava and shared pictures of her friends and family from Bulgaria.
While enjoying, the students realized that there was canned food on the table
as well. This proved as an effective exercise to realize what is the emotion of
connection.
Coming into class team FMD had two opportunities waiting to be chosen upon from
the last session; giving canned food for the homeless or having a dress down day as
a fundraiser for school supplies.
Marina’s gift inspired the students to make canned food personalized.
Stories from the Street - Cass
We showed this video to the students to help them with the understanding of what
is homelessness.
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How can we share it with our classmates, friends or family, so that they can join us?
• Sit down and eat with them
• Have a conversation
• Bring shoes
• Donate old clothes
• Play games
• Cook for them
• Bring the girls jewellery and purses
Class 7 2-14-13 Class 10 2-26-13Class 9 2-21-13 Class 12 3-5-13Class 11 2-28-13Class 8 2-19-13
Think Quick
How can we make this ideamore fun
• Give them books
• Make them happy
• Bring hygiene products
• Hand out cards
• Help them cook
• Do arts and crafts
• Bring blankets
• Bring scarves
• Have a family fun day
• Advertise on radio, newspapers, tweet it
• Talk to the teachers and Principal
• Put fliers at groceries stores
• Facebook page
• Car wash to raise money
• Lemonade stands
• Tell students they can get community service hours
• Go door-to-door
• Make an event
We learned that it was very easy to lose the students’ attention and interest. Our
goal for the class was to grow the idea and keep the students excited. The Jam
session activity in CAT requires that the students do skits, but we decided to try
something different.
The students participated in food drives
before, but they would only bring the food
in class. They would never meet the people
the food was intended for.
They noticed the girl from the video had
dreams.
When we asked the students what unique
skills they had, the first girl to answer the
question said she did not have any unique
skills. We could have asked the question
differently, for ex. “How can you help? What
are you good at.
What Can Questions Reveal?
RECAP TAKE A SEAT, MAKE A FRIEND VIDEO KNOWLEDGE FEST SKITS
Class 1 1-24-13 Class 4 2-5-13Class 3 1-31-13 Class 6 2-12-13Class 5 2-7-13Class 2 1-29-13
Having a competition between the teams
got the students excited. Although they liked
performing skits, they still did not want to be
on the losing team.
Giving them the countdown kept them
working.
Some of the answers to the questions were
very general such yes “Yes”. “No”, “It should”.
We explained to the students that they should
be more specific.
The students asked us about the Girl Effect
video and we watched it again.
KNOWLEDGE FEST
Find out what your team already knows about the challenges you are interested in solving together - and what you’d like to learn.
The best way to find something out is to ask questions, but what do we ask? A fun
and lighthearted video was shown that encouraged learning by questioning.
Knowledge Fest, as an activity, helped us facilitate questions and answers specifically
toward how Team MFD can give a helping hand to the homeless. By asking
questions the team developed a connection to the project.
(Class 6) Take a Seat, Make a Friend
(Class 7) Stories from the Street - Jason(Class 7) You Make Me Smile
(Class 6) Girl Effect, frog design
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Class 7 2-14-13 Class 10 2-26-13Class 9 2-21-13 Class 12 3-5-13Class 11 2-28-13Class 8 2-19-13
We Have a Guest
Class 1 1-24-13 Class 4 2-5-13Class 3 1-31-13 Class 6 2-12-13Class 2 1-29-13 Class 5 2-7-13
MY OWN FOUR WALLS VIDEO ANSWERING THE WHY BALL GAME INTERVIEWING 101
Why do you want to meet a homeless person?Why do you want to help him or her?
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2
So that I can talk to them and talk about their dreams.1
2 I will like to help them because if I was homeless I will want someone to help me.- Tony
To give them hope and to show them that we care.1
2 They need help because being homeless is a sad situation and they have no food and no place to go.- Daiwon
I will like to meet a homeless person so I could talk to them to really find out how does it feel not to have (a home?) and how do they manage to stay on the street.
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2
- T. Miller
I would like to meet a homeless person because I want to see what the homeless life would be like.
1
2 They need help because being homeless is a sad situation and they have no food and no place to go.- Chelsey
Because we can do fun stuff like: play a board game, tell jokes, talk about ourselves and watch movies.
1
- Shavonna
I would want to meet a homeless person to make them feel happy, loved and appreciated.
1
2 I would want to help a homeless person because if I was homeless, I’d want someone to help me and it would help build character.
- Krissy
Because I want to meet someone that’s different from me. And I want to know what led them to being homeless.
1
2 I want to help him/ her because nobody deserves to live on the streets, and I want to let them know that they can change this.
- Tiana
INTERVIEWING 101
Plan an interview from start to finish, then go into your community and talk with people about issues that matter to them.
Over the weekend we have reached out to community member and homeless
activist Mr. Marvin Heery. We shared Team FMD’s story, their desire to connect with
the homeless community and if he would like to be a part. Mr. Heery’s response was
“When can I come?” Our response was ““You came come next week” and that’s how
community action takes place.
Questions for the class:
Answers
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Q: What happened to his family?
> I want to find out where his family is and > why did they let him become homeless
Q: How did he become homeless?
> I want to know how he became homeless
Q: What did he think of homeless people before he became homeless?
Q: How did becoming homeless affect his character?
Q: How did he get through being homeless?
Q: Who gave him hope?
Q: How did he get out of the shelter; how did he start over again?
Q: What was it like being homeless?
Q: Do you look at homeless people the same way?
Q: What/Who was your motivation to becoming successful?
- Krissy & Daiwon
Class 7 2-14-13 Class 10 2-26-13Class 9 2-21-13 Class 12 3-5-13Class 11 2-28-13Class 8 2-19-13
• Homeless
• Dirty
• Less fortunate
• We should help them
• Mean
• Hope
• No Money
• Hungry
• Sad
• Houseless
• Ashamed
• Haircut
• Bad
• Faith
• Give them change
• No family
• Buy them something to eat
• Lonely
• Help
• Lazy
• Drug Addict
• Praying
• Scared
• Never Loved
When you hear the word ‘homeless’ or see a homeless person, what is the first thing that comes to your mind?
Interview Questions for Mr. Heery
We asked the student to think about the following questions while they worked on interview questions for Mr. Heery
- Why are you asking this question?- What do you want to find out?
Q: How did you become homeless?
Because we want to find out about his homeless life
Q: How long have you been homeless?
Q: How did you overcome homelessness?
- Chelsey & Shavonna
Q: How did it feel to be homeless?
Q: What did it take to get back on your feet?
Q: Is your business a success right now?
> To see how homeless people feel.
> Does it make him feel that no one love him?
> To see if his strategy would help other homeless. > Because they are more homeless in the world that
can get off their feet. > Because he spent his money on it that what made him homeless. To see if he is getting big guwop.
- Tony & Debria
The video gave the students a new
perspective on homelessness. One of
the things the students shared was that
the kids spoke like grown-ups
The ball game helped them understand
that we all had stereotypes
Krissy suggested that we did the Ball
Game or Ripple Effect with Mr. Heery.
Understanding Stereotypes
MR. MARVIN HEERY VISITS THE CLASS
The Power ofPersonal Stories
Class 1 1-24-13 Class 4 2-5-13Class 3 1-31-13 Class 6 2-12-13Class 2 1-29-13 Class 5 2-7-13
“What I want to encourage you is that this should not be the end of your community involvement. If you feel called and motivated to do more in your community once you get out, I encourage you to do that. Right now you are getting the foundation of being very successful as a neighborhood activist or a neighborhood leader.”
-Marvin Heery
We met Mr. Marvin Heery on a Saturday afternoon. We talked to him about the
project, the students, how they came up with the idea of helping the homeless
people. We showed Mr. Heery the CAT, and discovered that he was already familiar
with the use of toolkits to facilitate collaboration, collective decision making and
problem solving.
Mr. Heery is a social entrepreneur. Having experienced homelessness himself
about two years ago, now he is an active homelessness advocate. He started the
“Homelessness in Savannah” non-profit organization, administers a couple of blogs
about homelessness and participates on a number of social projects. Mr. Marvin Heery
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Class 7 2-14-13 Class 10 2-26-13Class 9 2-21-13 Class 12 3-5-13Class 11 2-28-13Class 8 2-19-13
“I absolutely love what I do and the best part is watching my students grow and mature throughout the years that I have them. Teaching for me is more than just teaching content but about making connections and building relationships. It is my sincere desire that my students do not leave the same once they have had an encounter with me.”
Mr. Heery shared his personal story about how his business depleted his resources
and he lost his home. He lived in a shelter, then moved to an affordable housing
development. He worked hard to get out of his situation and stayed dedicated to help
the homeless.
The students were surprised to hear that there were many reasons for people
experiencing homelessness, among which domestic abuse, unstable family, medical
or health crisis, loss of a job, foreclosure because of the economy, poor life choices
and poor financial management choices. Students were very quiet...
Then something happened that none of us will ever forget. After sitting silently in the
back, Ms. Dawson cleared her throat, and said she had something to say.
“I don’t think I ever told any of my students that have been here at Groves this, but
I’ve been homeless.”
The room went silent.
We’d been talking all that time about connections, only to discover one right in class.
“You don’t know where people come from, you don’t know what they’ve been through… The world is real out there. The world is real raw. It doesn’t care if you have a child, it doesn’t care that you are smart… For me, this is something very dear, this is something very important, because I’ve been there.”
Ms. Natosha Dawson has been teaching high school for five years and has spent three years at Groves High School. She is a Family and Consumer Science Teacher and currently teaches in the Nutrition and Food Science and Interior Design pathways.
Ms. Natosha Dawson
DISCUSSION
Last class was an empowering and emotional day for all. The students were
thankful of the stories told by Ms. Dawson and Mr. Heery and this has made them
realize how personal connection in community can be.
Discussion
Class 1 1-24-13 Class 4 2-5-13Class 3 1-31-13 Class 6 2-12-13Class 2 1-29-13 Class 5 2-7-13
“We could interact with them and talk to them. I want to talk to some homeless people really because I want to know their story... Because not every homeless person is a drug addict or alcoholic, there are other things.”-Tiana
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Class 7 2-14-13 Class 10 2-26-13Class 9 2-21-13 Class 12 3-5-13Class 11 2-28-13Class 8 2-19-13
More Ideas More Questions
The video gave the students a new per-
spective on homelessness. One of the
things the students shared was that the
kids spoke like grown-ups
The ball game helped them understand
that we all had stereotypes
Krissy suggested that we did the Ball
Game or Ripple Effect with Mr. Heery.
• Bring clothes and hygiene products to make care packages
• Create cards, give words of encouragement
• Play games - Uno, Bingo, Shoots and Ladders, Heads Up 7 Up
• Create name tags so that we know their name and they know us
• Have a speed meeting?
• Tell them why we are coming to meet them
• Show them our process, show them every-thing we’ve done to get to the idea.
• How long can we be there for?
• What do you need?
• What ages?
• Do you have meals?
• Can we bring food?
• What day?
• How do they get money?
• Can we take pictures?
MAKING CARDS
Words ofEncouragement
Class 1 1-24-13 Class 4 2-5-13Class 3 1-31-13 Class 6 2-12-13Class 2 1-29-13 Class 5 2-7-13
“My dream might be going to college, their dream might be just getting a house”.-Tysheah (?)
Debria Adam
The team at Savannah High developed a connection to the homeless community
in Savannah. This connection inspired them to create deeper, more personal
connections outside of the classroom.
Through the involvement of Marvin Heery, and the inspiration of Ms. Dawson, the
students plan on taking tangible steps in the near future to step outside of the
comfort of their classroom and continue to discover new aspects of homelessness.
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Class 7 2-14-13 Class 10 2-26-13Class 9 2-21-13 Class 12 3-5-13Class 11 2-28-13Class 8 2-19-13
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65Savannah High School
Facilitators: Robynn Butler, Carol Lora, Katie Mansell
Ms. Reese
Marketing Class, Fri 8:15-9:15 am
students # 18
The Savannah HighBlue JacketsEach Friday morning from February 1st through March 1st 2013,
Team High arrived at Mrs. Reese’s class to facilitate the Frog Collective Action
Tool Kit. At first, Team High was a little apprehensive about meeting the
students and trying to explain to them what we were doing in their classroom.
To Team High’s surprise the students were extremely excited to be there and to
see what Team High had to offer. In fact, they were extremely excited to get
started. All of the classes were made up of about eighteen to twenty students
per class. The best part of all was that the students who did decide to show up
all were all volunteers, nobody was forced to be. Little did they know what they
would be getting themselves into.
It was easy and beneficial to see how answers overlapped since the students wrote ideas down individually at first. There were many strong ideas that were repeated throughout thegroup
Review &Celebration
Who Inspires Us Find Issues,
Uncover Needs Storyboarding 101& Find True North
Knowledge Fest Jam Session
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Class 1 2-01-13
Who or what inspires us turned into ‘who” or what inspires us
Combination
Storyboarding 101
Students relate with one another on a number of similartopics
The students are very supportive of one another ideas The students agree on thetopics that inspire them
How the students understand their role in thelarger community
Students were excited to talkabout their future endeavors
They were able to realize potential dangers around them that might inhibit gooddecision-making
Three main goals were to have better food in the cafeteria stop the gun violence and learn how tokeep their streets clean
We focused the entire class on the two main issues orproblems
The students worked reallywell in large groups
This activity was more about creating a dialogue thanabout doing
They have really good ideas but you just have to get them to think more about.them
We got a lot of brainstorming done, and got the studentstalking, this went really well
It created a nice dynamic where the students really got to know one another
We decided that we would hone in on one issue to get them really focused on that issue this issue ended upbeing about the cafeteria
The students wrote the ideas and solutions they thought of directly before the sortingsection of the activity
Career, money, crime,are allobstacles to success
Having the money to pay for college or to support a family is difficult for these students to understand
Joining the military is a viableoption for some
The students identified which of their solutions were the most attainable at that moment and chose to pursue an actionable one they could complete in our time withthem: the petition
We used pictures of food that was in their school-provided lunch and food they liked to print out a cleaned-up version of the petition they wrote. Next class we will bring it to them and review the quarter while enjoying some good,.local food
Class 4 2-20-13Class 3 2-15-13 Class 6 3-01-13Class 5 2-22-13Class 2 2-08-13
The next activity will dig deeper into the personal lives of each student in order to grasp where each student see him or herself now and in.the future
Identifying individual goals and two obstacles to success
Common themes related to inspiration included: God, Love, Family, Michelle and Barack Obama
As a group have the students identify the goal they want to work on and have them storyboard it.
The students are faced with a number of different obstacles and it is hard for them to justfocus on one thing
Students are interested in empower themselves and the community but they are not sure how or even if theycan do it
Understand how they can learn to be apart of the largercommunity
Have them visualize a path to their own success and howthey can help others
For this class we ended it as we opened up the sessionswith a yes and activity
My name and what I liked and learned about theentire process
We as group learned that giving back is a really rewarding feeling and just bringing them food was such a nice gesture for the good moments that we had withthem
The last class ended up finishing on a really high note
It was more about just finishing up and talking andseeing the final product
Celebrate!
Find True North
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INTRODUCTIONS “YES, AND...” WHO INSPIRES US
Team Building
Class 1 2-01-13 Class 4 2-20-13Class 3 2-15-13 Class 6 3-01-13Class 5 2-22-13Class 2 2-08-13
This team building exercise was designed to help us understand which images
or icons bind this community of students and young athletes. We also wanted
to understand how their inspirations aspire them to want to achieve great
things for themselves and their families.
We spilt the class into four team of 5. Each team had to brainstorm and write
down all of the people or things that inspire them. Afterwards they presented
their posters to the class.
WHAT INSPIRES US
Identify people in your community and beyond that inspire your group and could help you solve your group’s challenges.
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Find issues, uncover needs
Better understand the problems people face in your community and consider what your group can do collectively to help.
RECAP OVERVIEW Find issues, uncover, needs
Class 1 2-01-13 Class 4 2-20-13Class 3 2-15-13 Class 6 3-01-13Class 5 2-22-13Class 2 2-08-13
We wanted to find insights by framing questions to actualized their inspirations.
We also wanted them to look for the obstacles that might hinder them along
their career paths or journeys in life.
If the students were to realize that they had similarities and differences in this
process, we thought that that might be a point of connectivity.
In Ten Years...
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Looking into the future
• I would like to be a professor
• I would like a good job
• I hope to join the military
• I hope to graduate from high school
• I would like a family and kids
• Hopefully I will get married some day
• I need money to pay for tui-tion
• When I graduate from high school, I will join the military and then my tuition will be paid for.
• I would like to be a fashion designer when I grow up
• I see myself be a counselor
• I would like to have a job one day
• Money is an obstacle, how will I pay for college
• Staying out of trouble is difficult
• There is not much to do during the summer and after school
• I want to be a professor, but I’m not sure if I am smart enough
• I am lazy and not disciplined
• I have a child and I am not sure how I am going to be able to support it in the future.
• I need to get better grades and study more
• There are a lot of drugs in the high school and it is hard to stay clean
• My parents are separated and my mom works full time so it is hard to get ahead.
The students’s comments on who they
want to be when the grow and how they
are going to get there, provided insight
into the where they come from and their
individual personality traits.
The students all knew that they are grow-
ing up and this seemed scary to them,
however, they all seem to have a goals
and seemed determined to achieve
them.
Top Obstacles
• Money
• Crime
• Drugs
• Laziness
• Personal Support
Top Goals
• Professor
• Family
• Military
• DJ
Class 1 2 -01-13 Class 4 2-20-13Class 3 2-13-13 Class 6 3 -01-13Class 5 2-22-13Class 2 2-08-13
Getting FocusedAfter building teams, focusing on where the students want to go, and the
obstacles that the students might face, we really wanted them to get focused
on what the problems that they face really are and where these problems exist
out in the real world. At this point the group really seemed ready to make some
decisions.
FIND TRUE NORTHSTORYBOARDING 101 As a group, come to agreement on the goals you want to achieve- and when you want to achieve them.
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The students each came to an agreement to
work on individual goals before working on larger
community goals. They created a storyboard of
their goals and then shared their goals with the
class.
Afterwards they categorized their storyboards
and prioritized which goals seemed to the most
important to work on.
Nathan (above) wanted to work on cleaning up the
neighborhood because there is a lot of pollution on
the streets and around the neighborhood.
We Need To Talk
Class 1 2-01-13 Class 4 2-20-13Class 3 2-15-13 Class 6 03-01-13Class 5 2-22-13Class 2 2-08-13
KNOWLEDGE FEST
Find out what your team already knows about challenges you’re interested in solving together- and what you’d liketo learn
Class 3 2-15-13
After reviewing the progress from the last session, the students used a
modification of Build Activity 2: Knowledge Fest to express what they already
knew and how they felt about their two chosen topics. The class was split into
two groups, half discussing violence in their school and community and half
looking at their discontent with the school-provided lunches. After writing as
much as they could in about ten minutes, each group shared with the rest of
the class and gave the others an opportunity to share their ideas for solutions.
Half the students brainstormed questions and thoughts they had about the
issue of their discontent with the cafeteria food in their school . The second
group of students wrote their assumptions, impressions, and questions
surrounding violence in their community. The students started with who the
issue affects, how it impacts individuals and the community, and possible
solutions
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What are the students saying about cafeteria food ?
• There is nothing I can do
• Why does this happen
• Families are effected
• Do the right thing
• Stand up for a person
• Restrict gun usage
• Suicide is a result
• This is a stereotype
Get the Conversation Going
What are the students saying about violence?
• Video games promote it
• Sisters and brothers are
affected
• It could get worse
• So many rumors
• People are not educated
• It is a power struggle
• No more spoiled milk
• It sucks
• It is nasty
• No more Papa Johns
• Allow off campus food
• More people should care
• Have other options in school
• Michelle Obama school lunch
program is not good
• Snacks can be healthy
• We could grow our own food
The students did not feel like they could
do anything about their personal and
community problems, however, quickly
started brainstorming solutions.
Some students in the class were more
comfortable speaking in front of the camera
when another classmate was behind it, but
mostly the students that were taking the
pictures and video became more involved,
engaged, and excited
While the two groups were discussing their topics, some students
interviewed others in their class. Putting the camera in their hands gave
students the opportunity to ask questions that mattered to them and
express their ideas in a comfortable atmosphere
Class 1 2-01-13 Class 4 2-20-13Class 3 2-15-13 Class 6 03-01-13Class 5 2-22-13Class 2 2-08-13 Class 3 2-15-13
JAM SESSION
Create as many ideas as possi-ble with your group, exploring a range of different solutions and building on each other’s ideas in a supportive manner.
Actionable IdeasThe students took time to write down as many ideas and solutions to the
issue they had with the school cafeteria food. After they had as many ideas as
they could think of, they sorted them on a spectrum of which they thought
were the easiest to the most impossible. They then chose a doable solution-
creating a petition- which they wrote themselves after working together to
affinitize the most popular and important points agreed upon by the group
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The students were able to come up with
very creative ideas, and they were more
invested in following through with a
solution of their own design
Though they were invested in their idea,
it was still daunting to see themselves
making change, submitting ideas to
authority figures, etc
The students sought to make a petition
that was positive, encouraging of change,
nonconfrontational, and that would be supported
by their peers. They also sought to create
awareness of their issue and promote positive
action by encouraging their fellow students to post
pictures of good food on social media sites and
share it with the school
I Pledge...
Class 1 2-01-13 Class 4 2-20-13Class 3 2-15-13 Class 6 03-01-13Class 5 2-22-13Class 2 2-08-13 Class 3 2-15-13
REVIEW
Standing in a circle, the students weregiven the opportunity to share their ex-perience, what they found fun or help-
ful, or what could be improved aboutthe CAT facilitation
Actionable IdeasThe students took time to write down as many ideas and solutions to the
issue they had with the school cafeteria food. After they had as many ideas as
they could think of, they sorted them on a spectrum of which they thought
were the easiest to the most impossible. They then chose a doable solution-
creating a petition- which they wrote themselves after working together to
affinitize the most popular and important points agreed upon by the group
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For our last class we really wanted to do something special for our
students so we went to a local organic food store and bought them a
bunch of good organic collared greens, carrots, spinach and oh there
may have been a brownie or two. We also got the students in a circle
and had them say a few words about their experience with us and the
CAT.
All you need is a group and the CAT
The students get an opportunity to tell us how to make this experience better for future users
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SYNTHESIS4.The former high school sections were individual and highly detailed analysis’ of
each group’s work. The following synthesis will compare these three processes, on
a class-by-class basis, from an objective perspective. According to our analysis,
all the three high schools shared the same six objectives, enacted in the following
order : discovering the context and building trust, defining a problem, exploring
the problem, generating ideas, selecting final concept, prototyping, and executing
plans. The goal of the synthesis is to compare the different CAT activities that had
been chosen for each objective and the period of time each school spent in each
step. Groves and Beach high school met their students twice a week, but Savannah
High had just one weekly session, except week 5 when they met twice It should be
mentioned that high school meetings started in the third week of SCAD classes. So,
week one of synthesis diagram is week three of SCAD classes. Because each high
school had unique and specific experiences, we documented the results of each
school separately in these categories:
• The activities that we modified and time challenges we faced.
• The invented activities
• The activities that created excitement in students or they struggled with.
• The skills that students, teachers, and facilitators developed or acquired.
• Our challenges and related suggestions for successful implementation of
CAT activities in school.
Process
Divide and Conquer
W7
Class 1
Settingan Agenda
Circle Activity *
Story-boarding
JamSession
Find True North
JamSession
Discover context Build trust
Problem Definition
Final Concept
Prototyping Execution
High school meetings started in the third week of SCAD classes.
Exploring the Problem
Idea Generation
SkillShare
RippleEffect
Find True North
Define Your Problem
W7Knowledge
FestKnowledge
Fest
Ball Game
Interview101
Mr. Heery’sVisit
Discussion
Postcards Divide and Conquer
RippleEffect
Find True North *
Interview101
KnowledgeFest
Divide and Conquer
RippleEffect
Define Your Problem
Lights, Camera, Action!*
OverviewStory-boarding*
Class 2 Class 1 Class 2 Class 1 Class 2 Class 1 Class 2 Class 1 Class 2 Class 1 Class 2 Class 1 Class 2
TUE, JAN 22 TUE, MAR 12
Week 2 Week 6 Week 7Week 1 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5
Define YourProblem
Define YourProblem
* New activities
Who Inspires Us
Find Issues, Uncover
Needs
Story. 101
Story- boarding
101
Story- boarding
101
KnowledgeFest
KnowledgeFest
JamSession
JamSession
Petition
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Our overall approach to facilitating the CAT was based on action research wherein
each in-class experience informed our activity plan for the following session.
We began by learning about each other and building the trust necessary to
successfully create a memorable experience for the students. As time progressed,
we learned to direct the group towards community-based goals and created new
activities to make quick, informed group decisions where every voice was heard.
We saw a turning point when the students really began to see their own potential
as a group, during the idea generation activity “Jam Session”. Further along, the
students struggled during the planning process of their ideas and needed heavier
and more targeted facilitation. Ultimately, due to the nature of the group’s work,
we diverted from the CAT and simply offered support where it was needed.
Timing, both in the number of sessions we had with the students and the time
per session (a short 45 minutes), was a major factor in our planning process.
The majority of the CAT activities are designed for sessions over an hour long,
necessitating that we extract the most impactful and salient parts of the activities.
We adapted the following activities:
Beach High School
Adaptation and Time Frame
New ActivitiesSince some voices in the class were louder than others, we borrowed a technique
from the Find True North activity to make sure each member’s voice was heard.
Whenever a group decision had to be made, we had the students stand in a
circle and one by one, share their opinion and how they arrived at that opinion.
These tended to produce lively and respectful discussions that facilitated group
momentum. We designed two new activities:
1 .After Find True North we did not have enough time to run a complete CAT
activity but needed to get a deeper understanding about their chosen topics.
We designed What Do You Want to Know that asked students, as a group, to
brainstorm all the possible questions necessary to understand the topic.
2. Because we needed a proposal for our meeting with the Principal, we asked
them to write down all their reasons for choosing Violence at School as a topic
Enthusiasm, Participation, and ChallengesIt was typically hard to gauge how enthusiastic the students would be from
session to session. Since our class met relatively early at 9:15 am, we learned it
was helpful to incorporate a physical, “ice breaking” type of activity at the start
of class. Unfortunately, due to the time constraints, we tended to cut out this
activity in favor of incorporating more CAT-based time. The students were most
enthusiastic during the Skill Share, Define Your Problem, Jam Session, and
Storyboarding activities.
On the other hand, students struggled in Setting an Agenda and Divide and
Conquer activities, perhaps because time management is a new experience for
them.
Built skills and CharacteristicsStudents: critical thinking, collaboration with classmates, listening,
communication both written and oral, presenting and advocating for their ideas.
Teacher: Saw how methods that are already taught can be applied to address real
world problems with the students in an engaging way
Designers: Compassion, listening skills, respect for other processes, asking “Why”
is key, collaboration in a very unfamiliar environment, and trust building
Limitations and RecommendationFor the CAT to work most effectively in a school setting, the activities should be
designed for a 40-45 minute time period. Our student were frequently absent
or distracted during class so it would be a good idea to provide a recap of the
last sessions activities at the beginning of each new session. Depending on the
number of sessions available, and the demographic involved, it may be helpful
to suggest certain activity paths. For example, had we had another month to
facilitate, we would have chosen our activities much differently. It is imperative to
have the right and appropriate environment. In our case, the students were much
more engaged when we removed the distractions of computers and rearranged
the seating. It is also very helpful to physically arrange the desks class in a way that
clusters the group members together.
and Violence Free Week as a solution on individual post-its notes. Then a volunteer
drafted a proposal from the results.
-Skill share: students shared their likes and dislikes to share their
personality
-Setting an agenda: We merged steps 1 & 3 in a new activity that asked
them to choose a question to work on from a list they had created the
previous session. As it was time-consuming,we ended at step 4.
-Lights, Camera, Action: Each student worked on their “skit” individually.
The “skit” was their portion of the groups presentation to the principal.
Groves High School
New Activities
We approached our process with three main goals - create a memorable and
meaningful experience for the students, teach them collaborative and problem
solving skills, and come up with an idea that allows for a rewarding experience at
the end.
We also approached our work differently than the other teams. Instead of asking
about a problem the class can solve, we asked the students to think about a
positive action they would like to do for their community. That created a different
dynamic for the class - the students did not know much about the homeless and
at times it was difficult to discuss ideas and plan. Homeless people were a different
audience for the students to research or interview on their own, so we showed
them videos and invited Mr. Heery, so that they get a better understanding of the
issue.
Enthusiasm, Participation, and Challenges
The students liked Ripple Effect, they grasped the idea quickly and were engaged
throughout the entire activity. They referred to the activity a couple of times later
- they suggested that they did Ripple Effect with Mr. Heery and the homeless
people.
Students liked doing skits, although they did not come up with very deep insights
by doing the skits.
We had a good turnaround of questions during Knowledge Fest. Students were
not familiar with the issue of homelessness and we also introduced an element of
competition - the team with the least amount of questions was going to do a skit
for the class, which motivated the groups.
Long discussions were challenging. We usually had discussions with the entire
class of 8 or 10 people and it was difficult to keep everybody engaged.
Built Skills and Characteristics
Students: asking questions, coming up with ideas, being respectful and tolerant,
working as a team
Facilitators: facilitation, presentation skills
Adoption and Time Frame
We came up with two new activities:
Ball Game - students pass the ball to each other. Whoever has the ball has to
come up with the next idea or question depending on what the primary goal is.
Students liked it because it was quick and fun. Every time we played it they came
up with good ideas.
Mind Mapping - After our first round of ideas for a positive action, we felt
that they were a little too general. Since we wanted to steer the class towards
something that is achievable, we wanted to expand on the ideas.
Limitations and RecommendationWe discovered that there could be a specific variation of CAT aimed for students
with more hands-on activities and more elements of play to keep them engaged
and excited.
We added Mind Mapping to Define Your Problem, and element of competition to
Knowledge Fest, Ball Game to Jam Session.
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Savannah High School
New Activities
At Savannah High School, our goal was to use frog Design’s Community Action
Toolkit (CAT) activities to equip the students with skills they can use to clarify their
goals, build a team to reach their goals, imagine and seek solutions, and make their
ideas happen. To begin, the students shared Who Inspires Us, and then progressed
to considering issues beyond themselves and affects they could produce in their
own community. Throughout the weeks of working with the group of students
at Savannah High School, we watched the students communicating as a group,
sharing with and encouraging each other, and pursuing their goals to affect
change. Once the students agreed upon an issue to pursue, they quickly reached
an actionable, tangible solution which lent an encouraging wrap up to the end of
the sessions.
Enthusiasm, Participation, and ChallengesThe students at Savannah High were enthusiastic and willing to participate in
almost every activity we presented to them. The class was made up of volunteers
from two separate business classes that were meeting at that time, and this
provided us with a unique student dynamic. Along with their willingness to
participate, having sessions on Friday definitely added to the atmosphere. On only
one occasion did the students not participate; we asked them over the week after
session 2, to take photographs of anything they would like to change in their own
lives or in their community, a variation of the We Saw, We Heard CAT activity.
Though they had one week to complete the assignment and all said they had
readily accessible cameras or smartphones, none of the students completed the
activity outside of class. We learned through this experience that the subject we
tasked them with, taking a picture of anything in their life or community they’d
like to change, was far too broad and did not give enough direction and safety for
them to feel excited and confident about completing it.
During the course of the quarter, we met with the students for six, fifty-five
minute sessions. In general, each session occurred during the students’ second
period on Fridays (week 5 we had a Wednesday session and a Friday session).
In our facilitation, we made strategic decisions on which sections of the CAT
activities would be most successful in class periods that were shorter than the
activities were designed for with a varying number each week of between fifteen
and twenty students and three facilitators.
-Who Inspires Us: Rather than focusing on individuals and contacts, in our first
session we asked the students to share what inspires them and pointed out
overlapping answers among the four groups.
-Find Issues, Uncover Needs: In conjunction with the “In 10 Years” activity we
created, we used this one to have students act out their goals and obstacles to
their aspirations.
Built Skills and Characteristics
Students: critical thinking, collaboration with classmates, listening,
communication both written and oral, presenting and advocating for their ideas,
disseminating their solutions among their peers
Teachers: Experienced the excitement their students exhibited about being an
integral part of their own education
Designers: Facilitation skills, respect for other processes, planning and processing
as a group, and trust building between students and group
Adaptation and Time Frame
In the first two sessions, our goal was to create an atmosphere of open
communication and begin a connection between the students and us as
facilitators. Before participating in the Who Inspires Us activity, we gathered
in a circle and played “Yes, and... (Circle Activity 1)” to introduce everyone in
the group. One at a time around the circle, the students said their name and
something they like to do. We learned a little about what the students like to do
for fun and what interested them. For class 2, we created an activity called “In 10
Years”. In the second session, we asked the students to write or illustrate where
they want to be in ten years. They also identified two obstacles in their way or that
they would be required to overcome to reach their goal.
In our final session with the students, we sought to reinforce their enthusiasm
Limitations and RecommendationWe found the CAT to be effective in a high school classroom setting if modified to
overcome certain limitations and used by willing, invested participants. We could
not run any of the activities exactly as they were written in the CAT. First, the
time constraint greatly constricted the opportunity for discussion and reflection.
Second, the CAT is designed to benefit a community group that already have at
least an initial goal or purpose in mind. We, however, had to adapt the tools to
prompt the students to first develop a goal they wanted, then Clarify, Build, Seek,
Imagine, and Make.
about their successes during the quarter and to encourage any desire they might
have to continue being leaders and making change. In “Review (Circle -Skill
share: students shared their likes and dislikes to share their personality.
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OPPORTUNITIES
• Participatory education: The CAT activities have
built and enhanced different valuable skills in
students such as critical thinking, collaboration
with classmates, listening, presenting and
advocating for their ideas in students. These
activities will enable schools to create a co-design
environment with active role from students.
According to our observations, students are
more excited and concentrated in participatory
environments because they feel they have a voice!
• Collaboration with authorized decision makers,
e.g., Homeless Authority, etc.
• Collaboration with successful organizations active
in youth development in communities to address
students’ goals in this documentations such as
Lowering Violence or improving school lunches
through gardening
• Participation in different summits, camps, and
events like Youth Summit
• Interfaith: Students have the opportunity to
understand other religions and ethnicities, respect
the differences, find similarities, and learn how to
work together.
• Facilitate their communities: Students become
familiar with CAT and can play a facilitator role to
bring their families together in communities for
solving different range of problems.
• Problem-Solvers, Step-up Leaders, and Resilience
Communities: With these connections students
gradually will become familiar and engaged with
their communities’ problems, and consequently
feel positive about their powerful effects in solving
them. This awareness will enhance their self-
esteem and responsibility about the surrounding
environment and community, and will create
problem-solver ambassadors and resilient
communities of future.
5.After analyzing and synthesizing all gathered data from three high schools, we have
found common desires and patterns. Erudite addressing of these patterns from
schools and other related organizations are ideal opportunities reaching outstanding
prospects in students’ lives:
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GATORBALLACADEMY6.If it were not for Gatorball Academy, a Savannah-based
501 c(3) organization, there would not have been a
connection between SCAD and Groves, Beach, and
Savannah high schools.
Gatorball Academy (GBA) was founded by Larry ‘Gator’
Rivers, a former Harlem Globetrotter (and Beach High
Bulldog), to marry his passion for basketball with his
passions for youth and community engagement.
Currently run by Gator and CFO Debra Hasan, GBA
operates on a number of different levels in the
community. Their core function is a program called
the Globecroppers, which is centered around uniting
basketball skills with organic farming and leadership
skills.
Gator and Debra, and by extension GBA, are
fundamentally people-oriented. They thrive on
connections and relationships, and this passion for
people manifests itself in their organizational goals and
activities.
As part of SCAD’s work with the CAT and high schools,
we partnered with GBA in helping to define a roadmap
for their organization, to enable them to hone in
on their core goals and competencies, prioritize,
and become more effective community organizers,
participants, and leaders. Their goals as an organization
are echoes of the motivations and desires that we
heard in the high schools, and provide us with a
tangible example of a group ready and willing to work
with students on meaningful community action.
The following pages present a high level pass at that
roadmap. We as SCAD students are not experts in
GBA, in what it means to run a potent community
engagement organization in Savannah, or in what the
best practices surrounding this kind of work are. This
work is presented as a set of tools that are applicable
to any organization, but have been tailored for GBA
specifically. There are no solutions here, but instead,
we show one possible path, based on our observations
and conversations with Gator and Debra over the
course of the class.
Who We Aremission & value proposition
value proposition...
Gatorball Academy is dedicated to providing youth engagement and life
skills through sport for young children and teenagers.
Unlike other local youth empowerment organizations, our unique
hybrid of sport and organic gardening provides a rich foundation for the
development of future community-minded leaders.
mission statement...
Gatorball Academy’s mission is to use basketball, gardening and
community engagement as mediums for enabling positive personal
growth; teaching young people to be strong in body, clean in mind and
lofty in ideals. “All you have to do is be balanced...and understand your strength.”
Gator Rivers, GBA Founder
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BRANDIDENTITY
BRAND HERITAGEformer Harlem Globetrotter, Larry “Gator” Rivers, founded Gator Ball Academy in 1988
BRAND OFFERINGbasketball play +instruction;
gardeningteam building games
o field workshops / lessoncivic engagement
mentors / inspiration
BRAND AUDIENCEcommunity based
with an emphasis on youth engagement
BRAND BENEFITShealth, wellness, total fitness,life skills, resilience, courage,
education, philanthropy, compassion, community network
BRAND PERSONALITYempowered, holistic-
mind / body / spirit,change agent, sustainable,
community focusedempathetic
BRAND VALUES / BELIEFSgatorball believes in theinherent potential and
gifts of young people withan openess to all
perspectives, voices, andpeople
BRAND MISSIONgatorball’s mission is to use
basketball, gardening andcommunity engagement as mediums
for positive personal growth; teachingyoung people to be strong in body, clean in mind and lofty
in ideals
BRAND VISIONto foster the growthand development ofchildren and youthbecoming positivemembers of their
communities
What We Do
Gardening Community Basketball
• Enhance participants nutritional knowledge
• Encourage lifelong eating habits
• Improve life skills, group interaction and self
knowledge
• Increase participants awareness & stewardship
• Show an appreciation and respect for nature
• Enhance participants social and behavior skills
• Participant has an increase in science
achievement scores
• Improve group communication skills and
personal skills
• Create a willingness to arise and help
• Teaches participant that there is always
someone in greater need and that we all have
something to give
• Encourage skills in addressing community
challenges for positive change
• Develops a connection with community
leaders, members and resources
• Inspires a desire to become future leaders and
positive members of community
• Creates a support network for participants
• Engagement in team sports builds a
higher self esteem.
• Enhance participants fitness and body
health knowledge
• Participant improves team skills and
personal skills
• Encouraged to take on responsibility and
master challenges
• Enhance participants knowledge of
structure, accountability and responsibilty
• Enhance participants social and
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“Be strong in body,clean in mind and lofty in ideals.”Dr. James Naismith(invented the game of basketball in 1891 )
BASKETBALLGARDENING
GBA
COMMUNITY
16/ Savannah GA/ student
“I think GBA helps me develop as a kid doing things that I enjoy.”
Who We Serve the student
Goals
As a student:Jamar’s life as a student is simple. He goes to school, to his classes, hangs
with his friends as much as he can in lunch and goes on through the rest of
his day. He likes sports, he plays basketball and has always been a person
that likes to help.
Jamar thinks GBA is a good outlet for his passion for basketball, and helping
the community.
Previous years in GBA:Jamar has been a part of GBA for two years. He became a member because
his cousin was part of it and was always telling him about all the activities
they did, and the people that they helped in the community. That raised
Jamar’s curiosity, because he always likes to be involved in everything.
His experience so far has been really exciting, he has develop his basketball
skills, and has come to realize how much he likes to help young kids from
the program.
- I want to become a community leader.
- I enjoy helping and wish to become better at it.
- I want to gain more confidence,
while working on my basketball skills.
Trigger: “I want to help while having fun and learning.”
GBAservice
experience for Jamar
Become an inspirationto others
Hear about GBA
Enroll in the program
Go to a game
Attend seminar
Workshops & seminars
GardeningCivic engagement
Team building games
Team building skills
Confidence
A leader
Become an activemember of community
Basketball play
before program
during program after program
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the coach
GBAservice
experience for Jamar
34/ Savannah GA/ coach at GBA
“I need focus & motivation in my life and GBA is a window to keep the mo-mentum going.”
Goals
Darryl works as a coach in GBA. His job at GBA brings him great pride. He
enjoys teaching, and this is the perfect environment for it. His training,
discipline and teaching young children about the sport of basketball
through the ballhandling and team building skills. Although he is a busy
person his time in GBA he make it count every minute.
Darryl has been working for GBA, for two years. He is a fit person, and a
sport enthusiast. When not in GBA he works as a personal trainer and a
physical therapist. Darryl enjoys working with people and helping them
reach for their goals.
Working for GBA has been a very special journey for Darryl. For he was
once a teenager in need of focus. He trains children, gives workshops, and
engages in community outreach. Daryl feels really lucky to be part of an
organization that strives for empowering future leaders through sports and
give them confidence.
-I want to be a change agent for my community.
- I want to be an enabler for empowerment and change.
- I want to become someone in my community.
- I hope to be a person that inspires & help people reach their goal.
Trigger: “I want to give back to my community by being an inspiration to others .”
Met Gator in a gameBecome a role model
Leader in the community
Be a change agent
Life coach
Build confidence
Coaches youth of GBA
Attends seminars
Does workshopsIs part of GBA Ambassadors
Works with elderly once a week
Does tournaments
Tryout for GBA coach
Pedagogy seminars
Training seminars
before program
during program after program
How We ServeEffective community engagement and growth comes with a deep
understanding of how you and your organization function, including an
awareness of what happens behind the scenes.
Below is a map plotting the relationship between two participants in GBA,
the ways that they interact with each other, the community, and GBA as an
organization, and the skills used at each juncture.
TheStudent
Training Session in GBA Gardening Session
Garden in SHS
Tournament
In a school in Savannah
Community Enagement
Gymnasium in SHSPhysical Touchpoints
TheCoach
Backstage
Other Peoplein GBA
SKILLS obtain in each step
Gymnasium at Savannah High School
He arrives at GBAready to train.
He gets the basketballsand heads to the court.
He is setting the courtand starts warming up.
He coaches the team gives tips, runs them
through the techniques.
Coaches, Referees,Directs,Helps.
Motivates the team for next session.Cleans the gym.
He warms up and practices the routine
with other fellow teammates.
He works on their new techniques, and
rehearsesold ones
Practice is overHe helps
with the equipment.
His task of the day:Treat the soil for the
upcoming tomato season
Helps gather the carrotsand teaches the specialneeds kids to cultivate
the tomato seeds.
He organizes and cleans the areaof the garden.
He rides the bus withother GBA members
to a tournament
He rides the bus andmentors the team before the game.
He coaches the team throught the game.Helps them focus.
Talks to people, coaches,
community people.
Works withyoung kids coaching
and training them.
He does many team building skills
with them.
He always has a moment to ask them;
What was your highlight of the week?
He warms up and plays the game with opposing team.
He socializes withpeople from
the tournamentand the community
Once a week hedoes Big Brother
with GBA kids
He meets with thekids helps in training,
plays ball with them andsupports them.
Engagement notlimited to GBA activities,
includes homeworkhelp as well
Coordinates with SHS hours for GBA.
Seminars with Gatorto deliver session.
Part of the mission of GBA,
accountability.
Took a seminar lastweek on preparationof soil for gardening.
Schuedule of tournament.
Invited as a specialguest in the community
SHS people/other members of
GBA from 15-17years
Gator & Debra arepart of the gardening
session.
Gator Facilitatesthe gardening
process.
They help clean the area and the
crop.
Gator- goes to game to promoteGBA and handball.
Gator & Debra are in the side line
suppoting GBA.
Handball tricks and engages with people
in the community
GBAservice blueprint
• Accountability• Organization
• Team Building• Focus on the goal• Socialize
• Compromise• Responsibility
• Help• Cooperate
• Create Empathy • Accountability• Proactive
• Responsibility • Team buildingskills
• Develop socialskills
• Cooperate• Share• Inspire
• Communicate• Support• Help
• Motivate young kids • Become thier friends
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TheStudent
Training Session in GBA Gardening Session
Garden in SHS
Tournament
In a school in Savannah
Community Enagement
Gymnasium in SHSPhysical Touchpoints
TheCoach
Backstage
Other Peoplein GBA
SKILLS obtain in each step
Gymnasium at Savannah High School
He arrives at GBAready to train.
He gets the basketballsand heads to the court.
He is setting the courtand starts warming up.
He coaches the team gives tips, runs them
through the techniques.
Coaches, Referees,Directs,Helps.
Motivates the team for next session.Cleans the gym.
He warms up and practices the routine
with other fellow teammates.
He works on their new techniques, and
rehearsesold ones
Practice is overHe helps
with the equipment.
His task of the day:Treat the soil for the
upcoming tomato season
Helps gather the carrotsand teaches the specialneeds kids to cultivate
the tomato seeds.
He organizes and cleans the areaof the garden.
He rides the bus withother GBA members
to a tournament
He rides the bus andmentors the team before the game.
He coaches the team throught the game.Helps them focus.
Talks to people, coaches,
community people.
Works withyoung kids coaching
and training them.
He does many team building skills
with them.
He always has a moment to ask them;
What was your highlight of the week?
He warms up and plays the game with opposing team.
He socializes withpeople from
the tournamentand the community
Once a week hedoes Big Brother
with GBA kids
He meets with thekids helps in training,
plays ball with them andsupports them.
Engagement notlimited to GBA activities,
includes homeworkhelp as well
Coordinates with SHS hours for GBA.
Seminars with Gatorto deliver session.
Part of the mission of GBA,
accountability.
Took a seminar lastweek on preparationof soil for gardening.
Schuedule of tournament.
Invited as a specialguest in the community
SHS people/other members of
GBA from 15-17years
Gator & Debra arepart of the gardening
session.
Gator Facilitatesthe gardening
process.
They help clean the area and the
crop.
Gator- goes to game to promoteGBA and handball.
Gator & Debra are in the side line
suppoting GBA.
Handball tricks and engages with people
in the community
GBAservice blueprint
• Accountability• Organization
• Team Building• Focus on the goal• Socialize
• Compromise• Responsibility
• Help• Cooperate
• Create Empathy • Accountability• Proactive
• Responsibility • Team buildingskills
• Develop socialskills
• Cooperate• Share• Inspire
• Communicate• Support• Help
• Motivate young kids • Become thier friends
How We OrganizeOne of the primary keys to effective organizations is prioritization and
concentration on core competencies. Every decision must be evaluated against
some set of criteria in order to decide if it is alignment with organisational
goals, both in the short and long term.
Below, we have taken a first pass at establishing a hierarchy of decision making
criteria for Gatorball Academy. These criteria are based on conversations we
had with the organization, observations of their existing product offerings, and
several sessions of introspective activities.
These are not intended to be prescriptive, but provocative, an example of one
possible alignment patter for GBA’s core services.
Delivery SystemWebsite
Word-Of-Mouth
Printed Advertisement
Enabling ServicesTeam building
Workshops & Classes
Basketball training
Gardening skills
Civic Engagement
Tournaments
Facilitating ServicesBasketball
Gardening
Core ProductYouth Empowerment
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How WeImpact PeopleUntil an organization reaches outside of itself and establishes some form of
contact with the outside world, it is merely a think tank. This reaching out is
manifested through ‘touchpoints’, which are simply physical moments when
the organization and the participant come into contact.
Throughout the experience of organization/participant contact, the
touchpoints may shift, and their meaning may also shift.
Below, we’ve provided examples of touchpoints that exist, either currently or
aspirationally, between Gatorball Academy and their participants, before, during
and after the actual duration of the program.
Before GBAWord of Mouth
Print Advertising
Web Advertising
Website
Social Media
During GBATransport Shuttle
Basketball Court
Garden
Nutrition Bar
Family Olympics
Big Brother
After GBAUniformsGBA Gear
Trophies
Vegetables from garden
Media Publicity
Memories
example:
A positioning statement is a tool designed to allow organizations, or even
individuals, to assess their relationship to other groups (people) doing similar
work. What makes you unique? What niche does your organization fill, and how
does this enable you to be more effective?
We’ve provided the blank template below as a tool to enable new levels of
understanding and focus. We’ve also filled out an example version.
How Do We Relate?
WHAT
HOW
TO WHOM
WHERE
WHY
WHEN
I’m the only
that
for
in
that want(s) to
in an era of
I’m the only youth empowerment organization that engages youth through sport and gardening for children in Savannah who want to become future leaders in an era of complicated community issues.
“”
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How Do We Fit?By comparing your organization with others doing
similar work in your local region on a set of criteria,
the functional space for your organization can
begin to be defined.
To the right is a quick positioning exercise, by no
means comprehensive, executed with a few high-
level searches for community based organizations
operating the Savannah area. These organizations
were roughly rated on a set of criteria, which
allowed for a comparison with Gatorball Academy.
youth empowermentthrough sports
community shelter
community engagement
outreachprogram
YMCA of Coastal Georgia
American Second Harvest Kids Cafe
Performance InitiativesGBA
Boy Scouts of America
Fellowship of Christian Athletes
United Way of the Coastal Empire
The American Legion
Habitat For Humanity
American Diabetes Association Step Up Savannah
Choice Neighborhood Youth Advisory Board
What IsImportant?Much of the material presented here is the codification of a series of exercises
we conducted with Gator Rivers and Debra Hasan designed to illuminate the
work that they are already accomplishing through Gatorball Academy, and to
provide a roadmap for continued growth.
The photos on this page and the following page illustrate the results of one
of those activities; an exercise centered around goal setting and prioritization
in an effort to concentrate on increasing the efficacy of core competencies.
How could GBA get better at what they already do well, by setting aside
organizational elements that might distract from their mission and values?
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Short Term Goals Mid Term Goals Long Term Goals• Work As A Team
• Understand Community Resources
• Enjoy Sports and Gardening
• Awareness Of Others
• Receives And Gives Positive Feedback
• Develops Relationships With Adults
• Abides By Rules And Contracts
• Build / Improve Basketball Skills
• Learns To Avoid Risks
• Leads / Speaks In Front Of Groups
• Participates In Community Service
• Connection
• Goal Setting
• Independence
• Solid Winning Team
• Collaboration
• Income, Prevention Of Poverty
• Confidence
• Empathy
• Competence
• High School Graduation
• Compassion
• Healthy Living / Mind, Body, Spirit
• Problem Solvers
• Self Motivation
• College Education
• Leaders / Community Ambassadors
• Freedom From Cultural Stigmas
• Athletic Success / College, Professional
• Character / Doing The Right Thing
• Personal Success
• Sustainability
• The Value In Giving Back
“We’re trying to find out who
our niche is. We believe it’s
middle school and elemen-
tary school...because this is
when they are so impres-
sionable and they say, “ Oh
I’ll always remember, I was
six years old when you came
to my school.”
(Gator Rivers)
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CONCLUSION7.Real community happens when our stories collide with other people’s. Real
community action happens when we look at the bits and pieces that fly off
during those collisions, and realize that they mean something. We can realize that
homelessness doesn’t have the face we thought it did, or that we have a voice and
someone is listening. We can discover that the world is a more complicated place
than we thought, but we can also discover that we have agency in that world, and
that our voices and stories have tangible impacts on the people and systems around
us.
This book is about story, and agency, and discoveries, and growth, and awakenings.
To call the weeks that the students, both from SCAD and the high schools, spent
together a process or a project seems wrong in a way, because processes are
inherently inhuman. These weeks could not have happened if our group of
designers went into the high schools and dictated what was about to happen; if we
were just one more authority figure telling a group of teenagers what they could
and couldn’t do. Instead, we all discovered that there was a new and better way of
doing things, and that way was fundamentally human.
Together we learned. Together we discovered what impact the community had
on us, and what impact we could have on the community. We sincerely hope that
the stories that you’ve read here, the beautiful struggles and wonderful successes,
will inspire you to go out and do. After all, groups make change, but groups need
people. Start there, and give people a voice. You never know what might happen.
Robynn ButlerLakewood, COrobynnbutler.prosite.com
Eric GreenLakeport, [email protected]
“There is so much opportunity to bring more empowerment and awareness to these students’ lives. All of them want to be successful and do the right thing.”.
“There’s value here, value in the emotional connections that have been made. There is something larger than ourselves and everyone has something to give.”
Marina PetrovaSliven, [email protected]
“I continue to be amazed how magical connecting to someone is. Design does that for me. I hope it does the same for others too.”.
Carol LoraSan Juan,[email protected]@student.scad.edu
“I realize that I love working with teenagers, and making them feel that they can accomplish anything if they put the effort.”.
David SherwinAlexandria, [email protected]
“You can never underestimate the innate knowledge, empathy, and perspective of anyone you collaborate with. Every conversation is a gift. ”.
Katie MansellCookeville, [email protected]
“High school students have a unique outlook on the world and are willing to think critically to create ways to enact change if only given the opportunity and enabled with confidence in the value of their own efforts.”.
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OUR TEAM8.
Naz (Najmeh) MirzaieTehran, [email protected]://www.behance.net/NajmehMirzaie
“The best memory from this experience for me is about our final class. During the presentation to the Beach High School Principal, the most quiet student in our class professionally presented his part and even went further and strongly advocated the idea of Violence Free Week: “I think violence week will make a huge impact!”.
Nathan SundbergChester, [email protected]
“As designers, we talk about creating with and for people, but often don’t get out there and do it. This project grew us, me, by tossing us in the deep end, where the current is strong, and the path unclear. But hearing the stories and watching the evolutions reminded me of why I do what I do: because there are people out there, and they need to know they have a voice.”.
Scott BoylstonNew York City, [email protected]
“I’ve been honored to bear witness to the power of transformation when individuals are given the opportunity to combine their unique insights in order to actualize a vision that is defined and created by the group as a whole.”.
Alexandra PappalardoChicago, [email protected]
“It’s amazing how much transformation took place, both in myself and the students, in such a short amount of time.”.
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THANK YOU9.The teachers at Groves, Beach and Savannah High Schools; Ms. Dawson, Ms. Green,
Ms. Wilson and Ms. Reese– you allowed us to disrupt your normal curriculum and
get to know your students, you partnered with us in the activities and we hope that
you got as much out of it as we did.
David Sherwin and Erin Sanders at Frog Design; you entrusted us with the results
of your work and said “go forth and learn!” We thank you for providing us with the
opportunity to work with this beautiful toolkit, and for allowing us the space to
change and contextualize it, and provide feedback.
Marvin Heery, who visited the team at Groves High to lend perspective and his
experience to their exploration of homelessness in the community
Debra Hasan and Gator Rivers, without whom there would be no teams at schools.
Deb connected SCAD with the high schools and facilitated the entire process. Gator
inspired us all with his passion and love of people. We thank you deeply for inviting
us in, and letting us look and touch!
Professor Scott Boylston, who said from day one that we as students would be
thrown into a complex and chaotic field of play, and that adaptability and flexibility
were the attributes that would save us. You provided a space for us to step outside
of designing in a studio for abstract concepts and connected us to real people,
reminding us of why we do what we do in a deep and fundamental way.