Posters to New Kids Coming to the Caring Place
Suggested Group(s): Young/Middle/Teen
Purpose: To allow the group to reflect on what they have gained from their experiences at the Caring Place and honor group members' growth. Also to see themselves in the role of 'expert' by acknkowledging that they have something to offer in the way of experience that can help others
Task/need: Relating to a context of meaning, living on the grief spiral and continued support
Activity Setup:
- Encourage the group to compare and contrast their feelings from the first meeting or orientation until the last meeting.
- Introduce the activity with a discussion of what the group has experienced during the previous nine weeks and how the Caring Place has impacted them during that time. Using a few focusing questions for brainstorming may be beneficial:
- What they have learned?
- What they now know?
- What they might have liked to have heard from children before them?
Materials:
- A piece of posterboard or large paper
- Markers
Description: This activity is most appropriately used during the last week of a session to wrap up the group's activities.
Allow the group to reflect on the progress over the course of the previous meetings. Based on the group's observations, have them provide messages to the next group attending the Caring Place. Messages can include words of support, suggestions for others of the same or similar age experiencing a loss.
If the group would like, you may want to allow them to add pictures to the poster.
Activity Wrap-Up Ideas:
- Reinforce the gains that the group as a whole and individuals have made during the course of the session.
- Recognize the hard work necessary to take the risks that they have taken in sharing with the group. Acknowledge that what they have to offer other children or teens is both helpful and powerful for the incoming groups.
Note: If used in a young group, they may want to deviate from the stated task of the poster and incorporate story telling or sending messages to the person who died. A bit of flexibility will come in handy in this situation.
