Start From Where We Are

The centre of the popular education spiral is called “Starting from Where We Are.” This stage is about establishing where all the girls in the group “are at” in terms of who they are, where their interests lie, and what their knowledge and awareness of “girls issues” is. This is the beginning of a process that involves “getting to know you” activities, such as telling stories about what is important in our lives and sharing experiences common to girls. In this part of the spiral, the focus is on discovering each participant’s starting point of knowledge and experience base, as well as creating the container for the group to create a safe(r) space and build co-operation allies instead of competition.

As in all aspects of the spiral, these are concepts that a group will return to again and again, not only in the formation stage but also in activities throughout the program. The spiral model of popular education is used to think about central concepts that need to be incorporated throughout the program, not as stages or steps that are passed through in a progression.

Activities

To see workshop activities that are based on a popular education approach, we have compiled a Workshop Guide that accompanies this Manual. The Workshop Guide is a compilation of a diverse selection of workshop activities gathered from girls' programmers from across the country. It contains descriptions of a vast collection of the most effective, or “best practice,” activities and workshops for girls and young women. The activities found in the guide should be adapted for your specific context and your specific girls’ group, and for this reason it would be helpful if you reviewed Section 2: Designing Workshops in this Manual at the same time.

The Workshop Guide is available both in hard copy and in this electronic version of the Manual!

The following are general suggestions and tips best suited to this initial stage of the spiral.

Introductions and Icebreakers

Introductions and icebreakers are best used in a progression that help group members learn each others names and gradually allow participants to learn more about each other and to build trust.

Trust Activities

These activities provide the group with an opportunity to build trust by sharing experiences, working together for a common cause and depending on one another. This type of activity can be used to create closeness at the beginning of a workshop and to maintain a sense of cohesion in the group, as well as to practice co-operation or to work on unspoken conflicts that may exist. Doing a trust activity and then debriefing about how it went can be a great mirror for the group to reflect on how well they are (or aren’t) working together.

Creating a Safer Space

In our experience, a “safer space” is one where girls are able to express themselves, make mistakes, take healthy risks, and constructively challenge one another. How can we create a sense of safety in the group? First of all, we have to recognize that creating a safe space in which everyone feels completely comfortable all the time may not be possible. Each girl will have different things that help her create and maintain a feeling of safety. However, it is also important that the girls challenge themselves outside of their comfort zone in order to learn and grow. Keep in mind that having the courage to grow also requires having a safe place to process and reflect on challenging experiences.

Incorporating processes such as Group Agreements into your workshops allow every girl to voice her needs and to be an active participant in the shaping of the girls’ program. This will help to make it a safer space in which everyone can explore and experience himself or herself more fully!

See Creating a Group Agreement in Appendix 3.

Energizers

Energizers add the spice to workshop! Having a range of energizer ideas in your back pocket is helpful for:

• When energy is low

• Breaking tension in the group

• Building cohesion in the group through sharing humour

• Releasing energy by giving the girls the chance to move their bodies

• Transitioning into an activity after a break, or transitioning between activities