A Lesson Plan from Life Planning Education: A Youth Development Program (Chapter One)

Leader’s Resource for the lesson, Welcome to Life Planning Education

• Confidentiality – What we share in this group will remain in this group.
• Openness –We can be open and honest but we will not share personal or private information about anyone else.  We can discuss general situations, but we will not use names or identifying descriptions.
• Being nonjudgmental – We can disagree with another person's point of view but we won’t judge or put anyone down.
• I statements – We can share feelings and values using sentences that begin with I, not with You.  For example, “I feel that what I said has been misunderstood” not “You don’t understand.”
• Right to pass – This program encourages participation, but it is always okay to observe rather than to participate in a particular activity and to pass rather than to answer a particular question.
• Questions are never stupid – Any question is worth asking.  Someone else may have the same question.  The Question Box will always be available for questions that participants would rather ask anonymously.
• No assumptions – We will avoid making assumptions about the values, sexual behavior, life experiences, or feelings of anyone else in the group.