Youth club activities - Cultural heritage

FLAGS

Aim: This introductory exercise develops a flag that represents the cultural history of everyone in the group. It helps identify similarities and differences and promotes discussion.

You will need

- A large piece of white cotton fabric

- Fabric paint and brushes

- Water pots

- Fabric paint markers

- Paper and pens

How to do it: Start a short discussion on the purpose of flags and what they represent both historically and now; for example in battle or at sports arenas.

Now explain the task, handing out paper and pens to each young person so that they can design their part of the flag. This can be a picture, symbol or simply colour, but should represent their personal heritage. For example; faith, family history or anything that they think defines who they are.

Once everyone has their personal design ready it can be transferred onto the group flag, using the fabric and fabric paints. Invite each person to explain their contribution, encouraging questions and discussion. The finished flag should be hung as a reminder of the diversity within the group and the journeys travelled to get to the present day.

PEOPLE POEMS

Aim: This is a creative activity to explore heritage through mime and dance drama.

You will need

- Sticky notes and pens

- Flipchart

- Heritage cards

How to do it: To prepare for the activity make up heritage cards using the themes: Traditions, Rituals, Celebrations, History

Divide the young people into three groups and invite them to find a space and sit down in a circle. As this is a drama activity, ensure that there is plenty of room to move about.

Place sticky notes, pens, a sheet of flipchart paper and one of the heritage cards into the middle of each group. Now, each person should write onto the sticky notes as many words as they can think of that they associate with the heritage card and stick it onto the flipchart. Encourage them to reflect on their own life history and then think back to family or cultural history.

Now, invite each group to create a visual, or tableaux made up of all its members, linked to the given theme. For example, if a group has "celebrations" they may choose to make a human birthday cake. Once they have managed this bit, you can give a further instruction to make the tableaux move. Finally, the group should find a way to bring in some or all of their words on the sticky notes, using mime only.

Each group now has a fully working "people poem" to share with the other groups. After each small group performs their piece, the audience can ask questions and discuss the issues raised.

MY AWARDS

Aim: To consider important relationships, what makes them so special, and how they inform beliefs and values.

You will need

- Paper and pens

- Ornament or statue to use as an award

- Film extracts of an award ceremony

How to do it: Show the clip or clips of an award ceremony that you have chosen. If you can find one that shows an emotional acceptance, even better.

Ask the young people to imagine that they have just won an award and will be attending a glittering awards ceremony. Who would they want to thank for making a positive contribution to their lives and why? This should be someone that they feel has influenced their beliefs and values as they have grown up and needs to be something that they are happy to share with the group.

Hand out the paper and pens and invite people to write their acceptance speech. This should be short, but include their thanks.

While the group do this, arrange the chairs around a clear space, which will become the stage area. If you have lights or a microphone you could set this up to make the set even more authentic.

Once everyone has finished, invite the young people into the theatre area you have prepared. Encourage someone to go first to read their speech and accept their award from you. Make sure you introduce each person and lead a round of applause as they go onto and leave the stage.

When the last person has spoken, thank everyone for coming and close the award ceremony in true TV host style.

Bring the group into a circle and review how it felt to publicly thank people. Start a discussion that explores further the impact family members, both living and historical, have on personal beliefs and values.

HERITAGE POEMS

This activity is similar to the fridge magnet kits you can buy, which offer an assortment of words with which to make rhymes or poems.

Aim: This activity uses keywords as the basis of a poem to celebrate young people's heritage

You will need

- Sticky notes

- Pens

- Copies of the word cards (these were printed with the original article when it appeared in Youth Work Now)

- A4 paper

- Example poems or lyrics (optional)

How to do it: Introduce the activity and share any examples of lyrics or poems.

Ask the young people to suggest keywords, thoughts or feelings they have about their heritage. For example, place names, spiritual connections, rituals/celebrations or shared names that are important. They should write these onto sticky notes as they go along.

Next ask the young people to choose words from the word cards to put with their key words to make a short poem. Make sure you explain that there are many forms of poetry, including those that don't rhyme.

From there they can write the poems on the paper, decorating the page with pictures or symbols. Arrange gallery time so that everyone can share their work.

LIFE-STORY ACTIVITY

Aim: This activity helps young people make connections between the past, present and future.

You will need

- A photo of each young person

- Large sheets of paper

- Markers and pens

- Glue

- Craft materials (sequins, feathers, material scraps etc)

How to do it: In advance of the session ask the young people to bring in a photo of themselves.

Ask everyone to turn their paper so that it is landscape and then draw a "river" across the centre of the page from one side to the other. Once this is done, suggest that this is now a "river of life". Ask the young people to stick their photo onto the right-hand side of the paper at the end of the river and explain that this represents the present time.

Now ask them to think about family members going back as many generations as they can. This can include people only known through old photos and the memories of others. These key figures can then be placed onto their river of life, stretching back into the past. Invite them to write or draw pictures to explain a bit about the person they have chosen. For example, where they were born, what work they did or any stories they know about them.

Allow about 30 minutes for the rivers to be completed and then invite the group to sit in a circle and share what they produced.

Start a discussion asking the group:

- What is different about their lives to that of their ancestors?

- What traditions or rituals continue?

- What links can they see between the past and their own lives?

- What similarities and differences are there in the group?

Display the pictures as a visual representation of the group's diversity.

- Vanessa Rogers is a youth work trainer, consultant and author. Her books are available from www.nya.org.uk. For training and consultancy, go to www.vanessa rogers.co.uk.