Ripples of Hope Power Tools Facilitation Deck

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about these cards Building Beloved Community

The Ripples of Hope Fellowship is designed to promote the development of young leaders in their lifelong journeys in building more inclusive, just communities and nations. Currently, fellows from South Africa and the United States, ages 20-27 engage in a year+ global immersion and learning experience. As they define their own life paths and purposes, they learn to lead and mobilize others, whether at work, in service, or in their own communities. These tools support the effectiveness of active learning and engagement.

They promote listening, action, and dialogue. Use these tools creatively day to day to build Beloved Community.

You’ll find suggested time on each card.

founding stories Sharing Inspirational Ideas

In addition to our toolkit, which can be used day to day in a wide variety of settings and with teams and organizations of many kinds, we share Founding Stories. These stories, quotes and snippets convey courage, hope, inspiration, love, and purpose. They help us clarify and share our values. They uplift us when we are stressed, struggling, or tired. They indeed are rooted in movements for change and social justice. These stories transcend age, culture, gender, nationality, race, status, and more. We invite you to share and add to these Founding Stories in your work.

Don’t forget to share your own story.

4 corners

Encourage Listening and Dialogue 4 Corners is a technique that promotes active listening and dialogue across different view points.

To use it, create a statement that is open to interpretation on a topic or issue. An example might be: “Women and men are more alike than different.” Participants should be able to choose one of four responses: 1) highly disagree, 2) disagree, 3) agree, 4) highly agree. Allow participants to discuss their reactions. Ideally, have time for groups to summarize and present across the four corners, asking each other questions.

Generally, people will find commonalities, even in their differences.

Time: about 30 minutes per statement

Artifact circles

Object-based Sharing and Listening This is a great activity to encourage more intentional sharing and listening amongst a group, even those who might already know each other well. It works best in groups of 10 or less.

Facilitators will offer an object-based prompt to all participants, such as “Pull out an artifact you’re carrying that tells us something important about you” or in advance, such as “Tomorrow, bring something from your room that represents what justice means to you.” Then, before each person begins to share about their object, direct participants to listen intently and to be prepared to respond to the person on their right. One at a time, each person holds their artifact and shares their answer to the prompt before setting it down in the circle. Then, go around again, now with each person sharing their reaction, response, or resonance to the story told by the person on their right. Once a person is finished responding, they pick up the artifact and give it back to the person.

Time: about 20 minutes, depending on size

birthday game Quick Warm Up to (Re)arrange a Group This is a great short activity to mix groups and create new pairings. Explain that, with no words (only silent activities), the task is to get in a line in order of the month and day of people’s birthdays. For instance, someone born on January 11 would be in front of someone born on February 7 and so on. Generally people will use hand signals to accomplish this task, which also gives you a chance to talk about non-verbal communication. Usually, groups of 25 or fewer people will take just a few minutes to be in line. At the end, you can have people announce their birthdays to check their accuracy. Now, though, you can divide the group in new ways. For instance, cluster them by month or small groups for the next activity.

Time: about 30 minutes per statement

boop A Physical Energizer Have the small groups join hands to form a circle. Give each group an inflated balloon. Make sure the groups have space in between them so they can safely move around. The object is to keep your balloon up in the air and off the ground. The groups must keep their hands joined throughout the game- if they break their hands they are out of the game. As the facilitator, you call out certain body parts the group must use to keep the balloon in the air. For example, start off by calling “hands”, then move onto “elbows” or “knees.” You can then use combinations, “head-elbow.” What this means is that a head shot must follow an elbow shot, or the group is out of the game. Have fun with making up your own body combinations. Keep going until one group is left.

Time: about 10 minutes

concentric circles Great for Building Community Concentric circles (akin to speed dating) is an excellent facilitation tool for many purposes. You can do it sitting or standing. Have your group divided by two, with one forming an inner circle and the second forming an outer circle. Ideally, they are paired up. Then, use a variety of questions to encourage people to learn more about each other. This can be done on many topics, both serious and fun. Target questions on a theme within a trip or workshop. Or use wide ranging questions over time to build relationships and trust. Generally, you’ll want to give people a few minutes for each question you use. So, a 30 minute segment might have six or so questions.

Time: about 5 minutes per question

fishbowl Awesome for Larger Sessions Fishbowl is like concentric circles magnified! It’s a great technique to spice up a town hall meeting or larger session where you still want to prioritize discussion. You can have chairs or seating arranged in circles or a curved format. But have a central circle where presenters sit in a circle, along with another set of open chairs for volunteers.

The idea is that people can come in and out of the fishbowl, perhaps with someone watching the time. For instance, you might be having a dialogue about social justice. But any participant can join the circle for a few minutes, then rotate to someone else. You can have questions outlined or collect them on index cards (or online). This is a great way to manage conversation. If you are meeting several times, you can also have an allocated group in the fishbowl each gathering.

Time: at least 30 minutes

fist of five

A Quick Way to Take a Pulse During moments of questioning, this is a helpful technique. Present a statement, like “I’m ready to move forward on this proposal.” Explain that on a count of 5, people should hold up their hand as follows: Fist - a no vote. A way to block consensus.

1 Finger- Not so much, “I still need to discuss it more.”

2 Fingers- “Comfortable with a few reservations.”

3 Fingers- “Willing to agree” 4 Fingers- “I am on board and will work for it.”

5 Fingers- “It’s a great idea and I will be one of the leaders in implementing and moving ahead.”

You can modify the explanations as needed, depending on the reason you’re using it. Another way to use this technique is to gauge how many more minutes a group needs on their given exercise.

Time: 5 minutes

ground rules Always Helpful for Groups To build a beloved community, it’s important to have working group norms that protect the individuals and group. Below are a few important ground rules, and you can also ask people to share theirs: Speak for yourself: Use “I” statements Step up, step back: Consider how much you are talking in comparison to others Ouch: You can say this if you think we need a time out Questions are okay: Feel free to ask for clarification Yogowipi: You only get out what you put in

Time: about 5 minutes

JUSTICE

An Ultimate Aspiration One Founding Story that social change leaders can use to promote integrity, impact, and working for social justice is drawn from Cornell West, an American (and African American) philosopher, theologian, political activist, politician, social critic, actor, and public intellectual. It reminds us to not lose sight of our ultimate goals, while also protecting ourselves and expressing love appropriately.

“Never forget that justice is what love looks like in public, just like tenderness is what love feels like in private.”

How are we working for justice?

Love & Joy

A Wellspring for Beloved Community One Founding Story that can help social change leaders promote effectiveness in their work is gratitude. Showing love in what we do and in how we interact with others is critical to sustaining ourselves and our world, as described in this age old wisdom drawn from Indian and Bengali poet, writer, playwright, composer, philosopher, social reformer, and painter Rabindranath Tagore and adapted by Mother Theresa.

Love cannot remain by itself – it has no meaning.

Love has to be put into action, and that action is service.

I slept and I dreamed that life is all joy.

I woke and I saw that life is all service.

I served and I saw that service is joy.

How do we show up with love and joy?

Mingle

Light-hearted Energizer with Movement This is an activity that gets participants moving and leverages some intentional chaos to shuffle people into alternative groupings (similar in concept to “Musical Chairs”). This is best facilitated in a large open space where people can move on their feet or wheel around in chairs.

Facilitators begin by playing music and telling people to “mingle” about the room randomly until the music stops (or until you stay stop). When the music stops, the facilitator shouts out a number, which is the number of people who need to form a group wherever they are. Now, in that group, you can offer a prompt or reflection question. For example, you could ask everyone to share a mistake they’ve made and what they’ve learned from it. Then, their team task is to come up with a life motto based on their stories. Another idea is to have each group find a commonality they all share.

After you give some time for them to discuss, you can shout “Mingle!” and the process begins all over again. It can be a different size group and different kinds of prompts.

Time: anywhere from 10-30 minutes

MOCCASINS

Life from Another Person’s View One Founding Story that can help social change leaders to promote compassion and empathy is Moccasins, which is drawn from Native American indigenous peoples.

Oh Great Spirit, grant that I may never criticize my brother or my sister until I have walked the trail of life in their moccasins.

Adapted from a Cherokee Prayer

How can we practice empathy?

NOSTUESO Good Tool for Inclusion NOSTUESO is a special ground rule for meetings and workshops that stands for: No One Speaks Twice Until Everyone Speaks Once Use it on occasion or always with your team. This will help you ensure everyone has a voice, while addressing dominance by just a few voices.

Time: about 5 minutes to introduce

Plus & Delta Simple Tool for Evaluation At the end of an activity, as a check-in during the day, or at the very end of the day, facilitators can ask the group to express their thoughts and feelings about the entire experience including programming, logistics, and other details. Generally, someone might take notes on a poster paper or document. You might start with a bit of silent reflection and time for people to write some notes. Then, facilitators invite each person to express one plus (something that went well). You might use NOSTUESO with this, so each person contributes. Then invite people to share deltas (the Greek word for change), or areas for improvement. After you’ve gathered enough input, you can also summarize next steps. A similar tool is Rose/Bud/Thorn, with bud representing an area for potential or growth.

Time: 15-30 minutes, based on purpose

RIPPLES OF HOPE A Core Purpose and Inspiration One Founding Story that can help social change leaders is Ripples of Hope, drawn from a speech by Robert F. Kennedy at the University of Cape Town, South Africa on June 6, 1966: “Few will have the greatness to bend history; but each of us can work to change a small portion of the events, and in the total of all these acts will be written the history of this generation.... It is from numberless diverse acts of courage... [and]... belief that human history is shaped.

“Each time a person stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, they send forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.”

What Ripples have we experienced?

SAWUBONA I See You, I Recognize You A principle that can help social change leaders ground themselves and others is Sawubona. This greeting, and principle, reminds us to take the time to truly recognize others, even those who we may not know or have relationships with yet.

The Zulu greeting, “Sawubona” means “I see you.” The response “Ngikhona” means “I am here.”

Inherent in the Zulu greeting and in the grateful response is the sense that until you saw me, I didn’t exist.

By recognizing me, you brought me into existence.

How can we practice Sawubona?

Start/freeze

A Hands-on Learning Technique

People often learn best through experience or trial and error. Consider ways that using role plays or scenarios might enhance your team or people’s experiences. For instance, you might use a story or familiar scenario, engaging individuals to act something out (i.e., an interaction, a conflict, a recruitment pitch, etc.). Explain that facilitators might call “freeze”, inviting anyone present to then share what they observe, offering interpretations, alternatives, questions, or even feedback. You can also invite people to “switch play,” volunteering to step into the role. This can be a lively way to get more comfortable with various skills, especially those involving communication and action.

Time: 20-30 minutes per scenario

Strong Circle No One In, No One Out

How people convene physically influences their sense of leadership, belonging, and teamwork. A good tool is a strong circle. In this technique, used often at City Year, team members stand shoulder to shoulder. It’s especially helpful for morning meetings, during a service trip, immersion experience, and for hands on learning. As facilitators, you can then share announcements about what is coming up, inspirational messages, and introductions to people and places. The Ripples of Hope community uses strong circles often.

Time: whatever it takes for a briefing

switch/swatch Exploring Multiple Perspectives

Sometimes you are trying to promote learning and dialogue on issues in which people disagree or have passionate views that differ from each other. This technique can be used between two people (or small groups) or even within a team setting. For instance, you might set the stage by saying, we’re going to talk about the pros and cons of ______ (and the issue might be immigration, guns, abortion, loadshedding, etc.). Assign one person (or side) one view and the second the other side. You can call on different individuals to play out that role, stating a pro or con (or specific view). The trick, though, is to then call “switch” and switch the sides.

After doing this, open it up for general reflections and broader dialogue.

Time: as a tool within a session

talking stick Helpful for Managing Dialogue

Within small groups or teams, or even in mid-sized workshops, you may want to use an object to help ensure that everyone has a chance to participate. Many use a talking stick, squishy ball, or another object that has meaning and is easy to pass. You can also use this practice to reinforce individuals’ awareness of how much or long they are speaking. You might inject it with other guidelines (like age, gender, etc.) to help people reflect on their own speaking or take note of the flow of a conversation. This tool is similar to NOSTUESO, but different in that some individuals may choose to pass while others might speak more than once.

Time: as a tool within a session

UBUNTU The Spirit of Ripples of Hope “Ubuntu” means “I am, because you are.”

In fact, the word ubuntu is just part of the Zulu phrase “Umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu,” which literally means that a person is a person through other people.

The depth of meaning that African languages carry is a wonderful place to begin our journey to South Africa

How can you convey Ubuntu everyday?

Water

A Lesson in Humility One Founding Story that can help social change leaders convey the power of humility and presence is Water, from the Tai Te Ching by Lao Tzu: The supreme good is like water, which nourishes all things without trying to.

It is content with the low places that people disdain.

Thus it is like the Tao. In dwelling, live close to the ground.

In thinking, keep to the simple.

In conflict, be fair and generous.

In governing, don’t try to control.

In work, do what you enjoy.

In family life, be completely present When you are content to be simply yourself and don’t compare or compete, everybody will respect you.

In what ways are we being present?

Where the wind blows Fun Simple Warm Up This is a great activity to use at the start of a session involving a small group (up to around 20) or as an energizer. Invite people to stand in a circle. As facilitator, start in the center. Explain that you’ll call out something, like a quality or characteristic. If it applies to individuals, they should move (quickly) across the circle to take another place. They just can’t take the place right to their left or right. You can start with something simple (“The wind blows for everyone who has a pet.”). Whoever is left in the center calls out the next statement. Have a designated amount of time in mind for the activity. As facilitator, you may want to lose the last one on purpose to then go back in the center and end the game. This has other names too, like “All my neighbors who...”

Time: about 5 minutes

Who’s In the Room?

Getting to Know the Audience

As a speaker or facilitator, it can be helpful to know more about who is in the room. What experiences do they have? What viewpoints do they hold? Sometimes, it’s even very helpful to illustrate these things through a quick, movement-based activity. In this exercise, facilitators intentionally design a series of statements, inviting participants to either stand (if they are able) or raise their hand if the statement applies to them. It’s good to go from less risky to more risky statements, if the topic is sensitive. Besides keeping people awake and moving, this tool can help punctuate important factors about your audience. Done before or in the middle of a workshop, this can also help you alter your plans.

Time: as a tool within a session

Credits These tools were developed by the Ripples of Hope Team, drawing on experience and work across the global youth and nonprofit sector at the Bonner Foundation, City Year, Ripples of Hope, and other organizations.