T-Kit on Social Inclusion
8.3 Building trust and self-esteem
Note The following games are about building group trust, awareness, co-operation and confidence, and demand extreme concentration. They should be introduced and facilitated with the utmost care, so that participants are fully aware of what they are about. The safety of participants must be paramount.
WIND IN THE WILLOWS Step-by-step description : 1. Gather round in a tight circle. One person volunteers to go in the middle. They close their eyes and allow themselves to fall, keeping their body straight, and the others catch and support them. (Supporters hold hands up in front and stand with one leg slightly in front of the other with knees bent.) 2. Initially the group should have their hands close to the middle so that the person need not feel they are falling far. As confidence grows, the people in the group can move away a little. 3. Take turns and give everyone the opportunity to have a go. 4. Take care that there are plenty of people able to hold someone up, especially if there is a heavier person in the middle.
RUNNING BLINDFOLD Step-by-step description : 1. Stand all the participants at one end of the room. 2. One person volunteers to be blindfold and stands at the other end of the room. They run to the end where the group are standing. 3. The group must be prepared to catch the running person gently.
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4. They should stand in a half-moon shape, and shout stop before the runner reaches the end of the room, and begin to slow down. 5. Encourage people to run as fast as they can until the group shouts “stop”, and to trust that the group will really make sure they don’t hit the wall.
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