2. Trusting me Trusting you: CI Exercises to develop trust, responsibility and confidence
Age Range or Target Group| Could target youth/teenagers and adults of any age who do not experience severe physical constrains. Depending on needs and aims, the workshop can be implemented on a specific age group or with mixed ages. If physical or mental constrains exist, facilitator should be aware of them and know if and how to adjust the activities to the participants’ needs. In regard to target group, as the projects depicts, both EU citizens/natives and immigrants/refuges/asylum seekers should participate in the workshop. The workshop is open to people from any socio-economic background and it is desirable to have as much variety as possible within the group.
Number of participants|10-20 participants. If the workshop is happening with more than 20 participants, more time should be given for each activity and maybe the help of another facilitator will be needed.
Duration| 1h- 1h30m
General Aim- Objectives| This workshop aims to help the participants develop trust towards others and themselves. Through interactional and cooperative exercises coming from CI, participants will gradually allow themselves to let go in the hands of their partners and enjoy the feeling of being taken care of. They will also experience the responsibility that one has when another person is trusting them in guiding them. This workshop is an opportunity for people from different backgrounds to have contact with others not only by sharing the same space or by verbally communicating. This workshop achieves contact between people also through body communication.
Key Words & Phrases| trust, responsibility, cooperation, movement, contact, improvisation, acceptance.
Instructions (Step by Step Process) |
A. Greeting and Introduction to the workshop (5-10 minutes)
B. Warm up (10-15 minutes)
B1. Catch the Ball Game: Participants and facilitator form a circle. They start throwing the ball to the person on their right. They should try to throw the ball in a straight line, and clearly aim for the person they address. They should be asked to keep in mind that they exhale when they throw the ball. They first throw the ball to the person on their right and after a couple of turns they start throwing the ball to the person on their left. After a couple of rounds, they are then instructed to start throwing the ball using the same technique, but not to people next to them. They can choose one person that is not next to them and throw them the ball. After a couple of rounds they now continue throwing the ball to someone that is not next to them and also have to immediately change place with the person that is at their right side. After a couple of rounds, the game develops further. The person who throws the ball has to change place with the person at their right. At the same time, the people who are on the right and left of the person who is receiving the ball, they try to catch the ball from that person. Throughout the game keep an active and quick rhythm for the game. When the ball goes out of the circle, participants should be encouraged to get it back as soon as possible, in order to keep a lively spirit.
B2. Move across the room: Participants are asked to spread out and start walking across the room. They walk at normal speed across different directions. Be careful not to use repetitive partners or to move in circles. Use the whole room, all the directions. After a while, introduce the idea of walking between two other participants, of walking backwards, sideward etc. Gradually start speeding up and running across the room keeping the same principles as before. During this exercise, ask from the participants to be careful of their surroundings and the other participants. Thus, introducing the idea of trust and responsibility towards the others in the workshop.
C. Main Part (30-45 minutes)
C1. Leading and Following: a. Participants are paired in twos and they go to one side of the room. The purpose is to walk across the room in a line together with their partner. Partner A is the leader and partner B is the follower. Partner A closes their eyes and Partner B places their hand on the back of Partner A. Partner B remains with open eyes. Partner B starts to gently but decisively push Partner A to walk. They walk together across the room. Partner B is responsible to stop pushing Partner A when they have reached the end of the room, so that Partner A can understand that they are now done and then Partner A can open their eyes. It’s important that Partner A does not move on their own, but they actually listen to the push by Partner B. Each pair goes one after the other. When they have all done it once, they repeat but this time they change roles.
b. They now repeat the same exercise, with a different point of contact. Partner B offers their forearm to partner A and partner A places their forearm on top of it. Partner A let their forearm’s weight on Partners B’s forearm. Partner B then starts leading the walking through their forearms. Remember that Partner A – the follower, have their eyes closed. Switch roles and repeat.
c. Now they repeat exercise b, but instead of doing it pair by pair and in one straight line, now all pairs are moving simultaneously across the room, taking various directions. Then switch roles and repeat exercise.
d. Adding an extra layer to the exercise: Now the leader can initiate a change in speed, move faster or slower, they can pause, or they can even start moving backwards. Then switch roles and repeat exercise. For further information refer to the Resources section.
Note: For these exercises is important to point out the responsibility of the leader and the feeling of letting go of the follower. Moreover, participants should be explicitly reminded that they should avoid very sudden movements since their partners will be with closed eyes, so they are not as alert, as the leaders are. Moreover, while moving across the room, leaders are responsible not only for their partners but also for other pairs as well. All participants together, cooperate and coordinate to avoid crushes. The followers are trusting the leaders and enjoy the feeling of being taken care of.
C2. Side Lifts: a. The participants go in new partners, and they move to one side of the room. Partner A is the leader and Partner B is the follower. The leader’s (right) hand is wrapped around follower’s lower back. The follower’s (left) hand is wrapped around the leader’s upper back. The leader initiates walking for them and for their partners using their hand that is wrapped around the follower’s lower back. They both walk together in a straight line across the room. The sides of their cores are in contact. Each pair goes one after the other. When they have all done it once, they repeat the exercise from the other side. Then they repeat switching roles.
b. Repeat the exercise but instead of walking, now they run. They switch roles and repeat.
c. Now they do the same exercise running, however when they feel ready, the leader tries to lift their partner. Once the partner is lifted, the natural flow is to go on a circular movement. They maintain the lift while moving for a few seconds and then they safely leave the follower on the floor. Repeat a couple of times and then switch roles. For further information please refer to the Resources section.
Note: For this exercise to be done successfully, participants should have in mind that they need to maintain as much as possible contact with their partner’s sides and be at the same level. That is, if one of the participants is a bit taller, they can slightly bend their knees in order to be at the same level with their partner’s.
Note: For the lift, the leader needs to have a good grip and use all their arm’s surface on their partner’s lower back. The follower, whose arm is wrapped around the leader’s upper back, during the lift with their arm, push down. They both should exhale during the lift to make the lift more effortless for them.
D. Closure/ Calm down (20-30 minutes)
D1. Sound Cloud Closure Activity: Participants come into a big circle. They crouch down with hands near the floor. They begin to make a low, soft sound. The facilitator leads the group in raising or lowering their hands. The pitch of the volume of the sound raises along with the hands. They can play around with the pitch of the sounds. Finish the game with a high, loud sound and hands in the air.
D2. They remain into circle, they take a couple of breaths together. They deepen their breaths as they repeat.
D3. Brief Stretching
D4. Debriefing - Suggested questions for initiating the debriefing section of the workshop: How did you feel during the workshop? Was there anything that made you feel discomfort? How did you felt when you were responsible for the other/ trusting the other? What was the most enjoyable moment for you? Can you relate any of your feelings stemming from the workshop with your daily life?
Desirable Outcomes and Competences| Through this workshop, participants will use and focus on their bodies, thus activating their physicality and enhancing their body awareness. They will also work on empathy, perspective taking and understanding. They will understand the importance of trust between human relations and the responsibility that comes with it. Moreover, being responsible for their partners and also with the execution of basic lifts and stands, they will work on their confidence. Finally, this workshop increases levels of acceptance of the otherness.
Photos and Videos deriving from the workshop’s applied process
The videos are uploaded as unlisted in youtube website and their goal is only to provide educational material for this output. Please use the videos only for your own personal understanding of the workshops.
Materials| A small tennis ball or any other tennis-sized ball for the warm-up game.
Resources|
Leading and following relevant exercises:
National Theater Discover. (2015, March 23). Frantic Assembly Masterclass: Learning to Fly. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4mXhW7TXQ8&t=515s (First Exercises)
Lifts relevant exercises:
Xanthy Liberato. (2015, November 8). Lifting & Improvisation. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qnzKHrxKbA
Media and Techniques| The workshop was based on CI classes, the theory of Intergroup Contact, scientific articles about the political and social power of CI, books about breathing techniques and videos available online and offline.
Tips for the educator| This workshop is better if is being implemented as part of the series of CI workshops. Specifically, this could act as the second workshop of this series. However, it can be also implemented independently. If participants need more time to familiarise themselves with certain exercises allow them time and do not worry about not managing to go through all the exercises of the workshop.
Questions for Evaluation|
1. How did you find the exercises of the workshop?
2. Is the level of difficulty for the exercises appropriate both for facilitator and participants?
3. Are there any suggestions you would like to make?
4. Any other comment/question?