Posed Sensation reflection activity: 5 minutes total

Ask for silence.

Say and pause between each sentence:

• Close your eyes and picture a homeless person, either one you’ve seen in real life or on television or imagine what a homeless person would look like.
• Now, use your senses of sound, smell and sight related to homelessness.
• What sounds might a homeless person hear?
• What smells might a homeless person smell?
• What might a homeless person look like? OR What might a homeless person see in his everyday life?
• Quietly, write down your answers and reflect upon your thoughts.

This can be shared or kept by each individual.

Journaling reflection activity:

Have the students take out a sheet of paper and pencil.

Say and pause for a second between each sentence or thought:

• Imagine for one moment that you were sitting in church or a place of worship waiting for the service to begin.
• Imagine that a homeless person sat in the pew or row in front of you.
• Imagine that it were time to acknowledge others around you (as in “share the sign of piece” in Catholic religion) and the homeless person turned to you.
• How would you feel?
• How would you respond?
• What would you say or do?
• Again, how would you feel?

Please write down your feelings.

Remember, there are no right or wrong answers. This is based upon your belief and is private.

Wait for those who want to share to respond.

Explain lifeline biography:

You will be given a large piece of paper and markers. Have someone from the group suggest an idea for a potential service-learning project.

Draw a time line representing the service and plan details of the service that need to done along the way in order for it to be a success.

Discuss the plans as a group and try to get everyone’s input.

You may also want to plot significant periods/events with words and drawings expressing what your thoughts might be at that time in the time line or throughout the service-learning cycle.

Reflect upon feelings, attitudes, senses, questions needing to be answered, positives and negatives of the service as you went along, etc.

Yarn Web reflection activity: 15 minutes total

Stand in a circle with a ball of yarn.

Ask each person to throw it to another person and say one word that explains what they’ve learned about reflection, what they will do differently in their next service project, why they appreciate the person they are throwing the yarn ball to, etc.

The yarn forms a web supported by the group.

Use a thicker string, lower it and have someone climb on, then try to support that person! (Use caution with this one.)

The Image:

Prior to the project, each person will write or draw about the people or objects they will be working with (such as a tree for a tree-planting project or the community being served), the subject matter or their feelings about the project.

Hand out paper and markers to each one in the group and have them draw or write about the people or objects they might be working with in their potential service project(s) in their parishes.

Have each share what they drew, what it represents and their thoughts about the service-learning project. Fears? Uncertainties? Hopes? Goals?

Read to the group at the end of the sharing to explain how to take the project further:

Revisit (or re-write/draw) it after the service project and discuss.

Pictionary:

Think of a community service or service-learning project in which you have taken part, observed or read about. Think a specific picture in your mind of what best represents that service.

Ask each member to decide what they will draw about to symbolize a particular service.

Take turns drawing and guessing what service the person is thinking of.

The end result will be a Pictionary game about the experience and how you felt. Talk about it as a group.

Letter to self:

Read: Prior to a project, have participants write a letter to themselves (or anyone else if this is hard for them) about their personal and career goals regarding the project or feelings about the project or community.

Hand out paper, a pencil and an envelope to each person.

Allow time for each person to write a letter to himself or herself about the service and what was stated above.

Place it in a sealed envelope.

They could mail them to themselves or you could hand them out again to the team after six months and reflect.

Please share your thoughts on the service or other ideas like this for reflection with the group.

Appreciation Cards:

Pass out cards and pencil to each person.

Each person writes their name on a card or slip of paper.

Then, the cards are passed around the circle, and each person on the team writes (and draws, if desired) something they appreciate about that person listed on the card.

When the card comes back to the original person, have each person take time to read the cards and make comments.

As a group, discuss the benefits of this type of reflection activity and cite other ways of using this activity and with whom to use it.