ABSTRACT
This is an experiential workshop designed to take place over one weekend in a retreat-like atmosphere. The objectives of the workshop are to enhance self-awareness through experiential exercises. The processing inherent in the workshop will be explored by utilizing various writing techniques. Some of these specific writing techniques shall include play-writing, free-writing, journal writing and poetry.
The number of participants will be limited to twenty, with two trainers or facilitators. Clients will be self-selected, will have had previous experience with the writing process and will share an interest in exploring self-awareness. Clients will receive information before the workshop begins informing them to dress comfortably, and that participation in all aspects of the workshop is required. They will be shown an agenda of the weekend before arrival so they know what to expect.
The weekend will be inclusive, with housing provided at the site, all meals shared with fellow participants and some free time scheduled into the session to allow for self-reflection and the opportunity to enjoy the serenity of the retreat setting. Journal writing will be encouraged throughout the weekend and participants will have the opportunity to share their writings with others.
This workshop will be intense and engaging. Our overall goal is for participants to have a great time and learn more about their strengths as writers and people. It is the trainers' belief that if participants can view the risk factor of an experience not in terms of how much they may lose but in terms of how much they may learn, they are better able to balance the risks against the gains in their own minds and make the decision to participate. Ample processing of all activities will be designed into the workshop through both open discussions and the various writing processes with emphasis placed upon individual achievement.
NEEDS ASSESSMENT
After a warm-up and an ice breaker the first morning, we will give participants time to write in their journals about what aspects of themselves and their writing they would like to strengthen over the weekend. They will then break into five groups of four to share these journal entries. Each member of the group will make a commitment to share expertise and support each other in the workshop. This will create a mini support system within the group. Each small group will then write a letter to the trainers to illustrate their most burning desires for growth over the weekend. As trainers this will give us the opportunity to read about their current concerns and address them within the workshop design.
A more formal needs assessment is not necessary in this scenario as the participants will be self-selected and will have detailed information about the workshop's intent ahead of time. Individual needs assessments will be gathered through the letter writing phase and can be integrated into the weekend's activities by the trainers. The success of the weekend will rely upon interaction and a common skill level. We expect that not all participants will be experienced in all areas but they will share a common desire to experience new things.
GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
1) Participants will be given the opportunity to explore various creative writing techniques.
2) Participants will increase their knowledge of how writing can enhance personal processing.
3) Participants will be given the chance to become involved on an experiential level with other people's writings.
4) Participants will be given the chance to increase their awareness of themselves as writers and as human beings.
5) Participants will have a great deal of fun.
DETAILED AGENDA
DAY I
9:00 - Welcome breakfast with fresh roasted coffee, oven fresh pastries, New York bagels, and fresh squeezed fruit juices.Each participant will be greeted, given a name-tag (with the name of their choice on it - real of fictitious), and each participant will be individually greeted by one of the trainers and thanked for giving their weekend to do something important to them. The trainers will express their enthusiasm and excitement for the coming two day workshop.
10:00 - Participants are brought together in a common room for a warm-up and ice breaker. The needs assessment journal writing and letter writing will follow the ice breaker.
11:30 - 11:45 BREAK
11:45 - 1:00 Writing Exercise/Experiential Exercise (with processing)
1:00 - 2:15 LUNCH
2:15 - MICRO EXERCISE #1 "Buckets o' Drama"
Objectives:
1) To explore the process of play-writing.
2) To write an original play
3) To experience the dynamics of having one's writings interpreted by others.
Methods:
1) Participants will be separated into four groups of five. (5 minutes)
2) Five buckets will be placed in the center of the room containing the following:
Bucket #1 - four identical character descriptions
Bucket #2 - four situational settings
Bucket #3 - four odd props
Bucket #4 - four specific actions
Bucket #5 - four more identical character descriptions
For example: one group might receive "a peg-legged waitress at a McDonald's with an egg-beater interviewing a passing mid-wife about Elvis."
Another possibility: "a mid-wife in the back of a bus with a raccoon coat doing a psychic reading for a peg-legged waitress."
The groups will receive their five bucket items, their instructions and go to their assigned small rooms.
(10 minutes)
3) Given these variables, each group will have to compose a play to be read by one of the other groups. No group will know which play they will end up with. Each play must include appropriate background information, stage directions, a group generated third character and dialogue. Given seemingly unrelated information their challenge will be to create high drama. A copy of the original play is given to the trainers. (1 hour 30 minutes)
4:00 - 4:15 15 Minute Fresh Fruit Salad Snack Break
- trainers will photocopy the plays for distribution.
4) Participants will reconvene to the large common room. The plays will be randomly distributed to the small groups (so that each group has a play they did not author). Each group will be given 30 minutes to read over the materials.
(30 minutes)
5) A group of five will sit in a circle in the center of the room with the remaining 15 participants around them. Task breakdown will include: one person to read background information, one person to read stage directions, two to play the assigned characters and one person to play the group generated character. The group will them do a dramatic reading based only on the script they were given. (15 minutes)
6) Each group will perform Step 6. (45 minutes)
7) Participants will be given 20 minutes to write in their journals addressing these questions:
how does writing for an audience influence process?
how is the play you wrote different from the play you heard read?
what surprised you?
what did you like about it? what didn't you like?
what did you learn about ownership of your writing and ideas?
how does it feel to present someone else's work?
* Participants should leave their journals in the room (for separation from the activity) and continue on to dinner.
6:00 - 7:30 - DINNER of Pasta Primavera in a reduced cream sauce served with fresh hot Italian garlic bread and red wine. Fresh ricotta pie and cappuccino will be served for dessert. The rule at dinner will be that no discussion of the previous exercise will be permitted. This will induce individual internal processing.
7:30 - 7:45 Energizer
7:45 - 8:45 Participants will be given an additional 15 minutes to read over journal entries and make additions. The trainers will then facilitate an open group discussion on the "Bucket o' Drama" Exercise encouraging participants to draw from their journal entries.
8:45 - Closing and Homework
Participants will be ask to free-write in their journals concerning these questions:
- if you had to evacuate your home and could only take five material objects with you what would they be? and why?
- what is one thing you most dislike about your everyday life?
- if you could change anything in the world or solve any problem by waving a magic wand, what would you change? What would you be willing to give up to make this happen?
DAY II
8:00 - Participants gather for a totally delicious breakfast consisting of fresh berries, granola, homemade french vanilla yogurt and a variety of flavored coffees.
9:00 - Warm-Up
9:15 - Intimate Team Building Exercise
9:45 - MICRO EXERCISE #2 "Criminal Defense"
Objectives:
1) To redefine and explore the sources and process for creating poetry.
2) To give participants the experience of arguing from a subverted moral position.
3) To create "found poetry" from a high risk experiential exercise.
4) To heighten personal awareness concerning decision making and judgement in a high risk situation.
Methods:
1) Participants will be divided into two groups of ten (one group for each facilitator). The groups will be sent into different rooms. The two groups will be involved in identical exercises. Each person in each group is given a piece of paper that lists a specific crime they have been convicted of. In turn each member must confess to his or her crime using "I statements" without any other statements or justifications. The crimes would include:
- I shot the President of the United States.
- I shot and killed my spouse.
- I embezzled $100,000 from an orphanage which resulted in its closure.
- I euthanized my 58 year old mother.
- I beat my child so badly that it induced mild brain damage.
- I captured, starved and tortured a dog before killing it.
- I forced my partner to engage in sexual acts against their will.
- I was convicted of vehicular manslaughter and DWI after a head on collision with a family of four.
- I was convicted of distributing narcotics to children under twelve.
- I was convicted of attempted murder for knowingly exposing someone to HIV.
(15 minutes)
2) Further instructions are given to the groups: You will be your own jury whose job it is to sentence five of your fellow criminals to death, three to life imprisonment and two to counseling. Before passing sentences, each criminal will have the chance to plead his or her case. You will have twenty minutes to prepare your defense in writing (journal). You will then have five minutes to present your case to the group. (1 hour 20 minutes)
3) Each group decides on process of sentencing be it by vote, consensus or any group generated method. At this point the group is to be notified that one of the group's "criminals" is innocent. By the end of the 40 minutes the group must present the facilitator with a list of the sentence breakdowns. (40 minutes)
4) Facilitator will announce who the innocent person is in the group. Individuals are then given a half hour to process in their journals addressing these questions:
what was your sentence and how was it determined by the group?
how did it feel to try and justify a criminal act?
is criminal behavior ever able to be justified?
what was a common factor in your group's decision making?
which did you consider the worst crimes?
how do you feel about the fact that one person in your group was innocent and sentenced?
did you learn anything about yourself?
list five statements made by other participants that stick out in your mind
(30 minutes)
12:30 - 12:45 Silent Break with touching allowed
12:45 -
5) After break, participants will be asked to generate two lines or phrases in their journals: one line about how they feel after the above exercise, and a quote they remember from the defense or sentencing discussions. (5-10 minutes)
6) Participants should then in turn read the lines they have generated while one member records the lines on newsprint. At this point the facilitator should then step in and give the group the following instructions: As a group, it is your task to take these individual lines and from them generate a poem. Start by putting the lines in some sort of order (in their original form). Then the group should feel free to edit the lines to allow for smooth transition. A title should then be created. Once the poem has been written, the final draft should be written in everyone's journal and on newsprint. The two poems are then posted in the common room. (1 hour)
2:00 - LUNCH is brought in to the common room. Huevos Rancheros on fresh, homemade corn tortillas, potato skins with chili, sour cream, cheddar cheese and crumbled bacon - with imported fruit juice spritzers (with umbrellas).
3:00 -
7) One representative from each group will stand up and read their group's poem. After which the facilitator should open up discussion to the group. The following questions should be addressed:
- how are you feeling?
- how does your poem play a part in what you are feeling right now? does your poem reflect your experience in this exercise?
- how do feel about the process your group went through in creating the poem?
- what have you learned about the sources of creativity?
- how do you feel this experience will relate to future writing endeavors?
(1 hour 15 minutes)
4:15 - 5:00 Acknowledgement for participation in the weekend and closing ceremonies. Informal mingling where trainers will be available and open for feedback and discussion about improving the workshop. Dessert coffees and sinful chocolates will be available.
* Written by Carlton L. Rounds and Bobbi Kyle/ January 1992
how is the play you wrote different from the play you heard read?
what surprised you?
what did you like about it? what didn't you like?
what did you learn about ownership of your writing and ideas?
how does it feel to present someone else's work?
* Participants should leave their journals in the room (for separation from the activity) and continue on to dinner.
6:00 - 7:30 - DINNER of Pasta Primavera in a reduced cream sauce served with fresh hot Italian garlic bread and red wine. Fresh ricotta pie and cappuccino will be served for dessert. The rule at dinner will be that no discussion of the previous exercise will be permitted. This will induce individual internal processing.
7:30 - 7:45 Energizer
7:45 - 8:45 Participants will be given an additional 15 minutes to read over journal entries and make additions. The trainers will then facilitate an open group discussion on the "Bucket o' Drama" Exercise encouraging participants to draw from their journal entries.
8:45 - Closing and Homework
Participants will be ask to free-write in their journals concerning these questions:
- if you had to evacuate your home and could only take five material objects with you what would they be? and why?
- what is one thing you most dislike about your everyday life?
- if you could change anything in the world or solve any problem by waving a magic wand, what would you change? What would you be willing to give up to make this happen?
DAY II
8:00 - Participants gather for a totally delicious breakfast consisting of fresh berries, granola, homemade french vanilla yogurt and a variety of flavored coffees.
9:00 - Warm-Up
9:15 - Intimate Team Building Exercise
9:45 - MICRO EXERCISE #2 "Criminal Defense"
Objectives:
1) To redefine and explore the sources and process for creating poetry.
2) To give participants the experience of arguing from a subverted moral position.
3) To create "found poetry" from a high risk experiential exercise.
4) To heighten personal awareness concerning decision making and judgement in a high risk situation.
Methods:
1) Participants will be divided into two groups of ten (one group for each facilitator). The groups will be sent into different rooms. The two groups will be involved in identical exercises. Each person in each group is given a piece of paper that lists a specific crime they have been convicted of. In turn each member must confess to his or her crime using "I statements" without any other statements or justifications. The crimes would include:
- I shot the President of the United States.
- I shot and killed my spouse.
- I embezzled $100,000 from an orphanage which resulted in its closure.
- I euthanized my 58 year old mother.
- I beat my child so badly that it induced mild brain damage.
- I captured, starved and tortured a dog before killing it.
- I forced my partner to engage in sexual acts against their will.
- I was convicted of vehicular manslaughter and DWI after a head on collision with a family of four.
- I was convicted of distributing narcotics to children under twelve.
- I was convicted of attempted murder for knowingly exposing someone to HIV.
(15 minutes)
2) Further instructions are given to the groups: You will be your own jury whose job it is to sentence five of your fellow criminals to death, three to life imprisonment and two to counseling. Before passing sentences, each criminal will have the chance to plead his or her case. You will have twenty minutes to prepare your defense in writing (journal). You will then have five minutes to present your case to the group. (1 hour 20 minutes)
3) Each group decides on process of sentencing be it by vote, consensus or any group generated method. At this point the group is to be notified that one of the group's "criminals" is innocent. By the end of the 40 minutes the group must present the facilitator with a list of the sentence breakdowns. (40 minutes)
4) Facilitator will announce who the innocent person is in the group. Individuals are then given a half hour to process in their journals addressing these questions:
what was your sentence and how was it determined by the group?
how did it feel to try and justify a criminal act?
is criminal behavior ever able to be justified?
what was a common factor in your group's decision making?
which did you consider the worst crimes?
how do you feel about the fact that one person in your group was innocent and sentenced?
did you learn anything about yourself?
list five statements made by other participants that stick out in your mind
(30 minutes)
12:30 - 12:45 Silent Break with touching allowed
12:45 -
5) After break, participants will be asked to generate two lines or phrases in their journals: one line about how they feel after the above exercise, and a quote they remember from the defense or sentencing discussions. (5-10 minutes)
6) Participants should then in turn read the lines they have generated while one member records the lines on newsprint. At this point the facilitator should then step in and give the group the following instructions: As a group, it is your task to take these individual lines and from them generate a poem. Start by putting the lines in some sort of order (in their original form). Then the group should feel free to edit the lines to allow for smooth transition. A title should then be created. Once the poem has been written, the final draft should be written in everyone's journal and on newsprint. The two poems are then posted in the common room. (1 hour)
2:00 - LUNCH is brought in to the common room. Huevos Rancheros on fresh, homemade corn tortillas, potato skins with chili, sour cream, cheddar cheese and crumbled bacon - with imported fruit juice spritzers (with umbrellas).
3:00 -
7) One representative from each group will stand up and read their group's poem. After which the facilitator should open up discussion to the group. The following questions should be addressed:
- how are you feeling?
- how does your poem play a part in what you are feeling right now? does your poem reflect your experience in this exercise?
- how do feel about the process your group went through in creating the poem?
- what have you learned about the sources of creativity?
- how do you feel this experience will relate to future writing endeavors?
(1 hour 15 minutes)
4:15 - 5:00 Acknowledgement for participation in the weekend and closing ceremonies. Informal mingling where trainers will be available and open for feedback and discussion about improving the workshop. Dessert coffees and sinful chocolates will be available.
* Written by Carlton L. Rounds and Bobbi Kyle/ January 1992
No comments:
Post a Comment