Posted by mjb

Sample Activities for Reflection

• Web of Service: Have the group stand in a circle. Holding the end of a ball of string, hand the ball off to another participant. Ask him or her to reflect on a particular question (e.g., what was something new you learned today?). Once she has answered the question, she should hold on to her piece of the string and pass the ball onto someone else. Continue the process until everyone has reflected on the question and has a section of string in his or her hands. When completed, you should have something that looks like a web. When everyone has answered, make some points about the interconnectedness of people, how they are all part of the solution, for if one person had not contributed to their service projects the outcome would’ve been different. End with another question and have the volunteers retrace their steps passing the string in reverse order.
• Talking Object: Gather volunteers in a circle or semi-circle, offer a “talking object” to pass around the circle as people answer reflection questions.
• One to Three Words: Each person shares one to three words to describe the service activity or how he/she feels about the service activity or anything else regarding the project. This is a good activity to use as a check-in during the service.
• Reflection Board: Post a board where volunteers can jot down their reflection thought throughout the service, such as at lunch or during a break. You can ask someone to read out the responses at the end.
• Poetry: Have volunteers write a sentence about the project. Gather these sentences. Then after a few months/weeks, compile the sentence into a poem or story.
• Reflection in Art: Have volunteers create a drawing, poem, dance, skit, or song about their service experience. They can illustrate what they did, what they learned, and/or what they want to do next about this community issue.
• Service Poems: Ask volunteers to write poems about their service experience. They can reflect on what they learned and how they will use what they learned in the future.

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