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A Lesson Plan from Life Planning Education: A Youth Development Program
Hunting for Diversity
Purpose: To
meet and learn about people from diverse backgrounds
Materials: Copies
of the handout, Diversity Scavenger
Hunt, for each participant; newsprint & marker or board & chalk
Time: Session
1: 15 minutes; Session 2: 30-45 minutes
Planning Notes: You
will ask teens to interview people to explore diversity and individual
differences. Stress that they will need to explain why they are asking
about people's experiences, and remind them to be respectful when asking
questions.
Procedure: Session
1
- Write
the following saying on newsprint or the board: Ignorance
is the parent of fear … Fear is the parent of hatred.
Ask someone
to explain the saying. Make sure everyone understands
that each of us is different in some way and that learning
to accept and appreciate differences is the goal of this
exercise.
- Ask participants
to name groups of people who may be either feared or
hated, in this country or around the world. If no one
acknowledges racism and homophobia—fear or hatred of
gays and lesbians—in the United States, be sure to
do so. Point out that when males and females believe
stereotypes about the other gender, these mistaken beliefs
may lead to difficulties in relationships, but men and
women do not usually hate one another.
- Ask someone
to explain the concept of a scavenger hunt. (If necessary,
clarify that it is a game in which participants
look for items.) Explain that in this game,
participants will find and learn about people from diverse
backgrounds. Hand out the Diversity
Scavenger Hunt sheet, and go over instructions
for the activity:
- On
your handout is a list of people who represent
many different groups or backgrounds.
- Find
people in your community who meet the descriptions
on the list. When you find someone, ask
if she or he will talk with you for a few minutes about
her or his
teenage years, difficulties she or he has
faced, and/or special moments in her/his life.
- Take
notes, and have the person sign your handout
in the right space.
- Get
as many signatures as you can.
- Give
participants a date to complete the activity. Encourage
them to ask parents, neighbors, and friends for help
in finding people to interview.
Procedure: Session
2
- When
teens return to the next session, ask volunteers to share
what they learned from the people they interviewed.
- Conclude
the activity using the Discussion Points.
Discussion Points:
- Was it
easy to find people who matched the descriptions on the
handout? How diverse is your circle of friends and family
members?
- What
was the most interesting thing you learned from your
interviews?
- Were
you surprised by something you learned? Did you have
expectations that caused this surprise? Describe someone
who was very different from your expectations.
- How has
this activity changed your feelings and attitudes about
people you did not know before?
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