WALKING ALONGSIDE YOUTH - AN ONLINE ANXIETY COURSE
Session 3
HONOUR
the youth’s identity, experiences and family traditions
Create a life story string
Purpose: To grow as individuals, we must understand the different life events, people, and hopes and dreams that have shaped our identity. This activity will provide the youth in your care with the opportunity to reflect on the beads that make their story string. If it’s helpful, you could also make a story string and share about your life with the youth. Be sure to watch the video first.
Supplies: A string and a bunch of different-coloured beads
Instructions:
- Have the youth select at least two beads that they would like to represent themselves (a personal bead), their life events, significant people, and/or hopes and dreams.
- Have the youth put the beads they’ve chosen on the string.
For each bead, ask the youth to:
- describe the bead
- describe its connection to them personally, to their hopes and dreams, to a life event or to a person
- explain why they selected a particular colour and what it means to them
- Ask the youth to reflect on how the life event, or person, or hope and dream that their beads represents has impacted their life, learning or outlook on certain situations. Have they learned anything about themselves from these things?
Download this activity with these directions and suggested life story string selections:
Yaw^ko to Rick Hill for sharing the story string activity. Rick is a member of the Beaver Clan of the Tuscarora Nation, and resides at the Six Nations of the Grand River Territory. In 2017 he received honorary doctorate degrees from McMaster University and Guelph University. Currently, he is working on curriculum development for the Bundled Arrows Initiative, a consortium of colleges, training programs and universities that serve the Six Nations community.
