Why Build Community
2023 | January
Why Build Community
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Why Build Community 〰️
Why Build Community
By John Weiss
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At Neutral Zone we believe that teens should feel welcome, that they make a connection to others, and that they feel valued. Researchers argue that sense of belonging is a fundamental human need (Baumeister & Learny, 1995; Deci and Ryan, 2000; Maslow, 1943). The National Research Council (Eccles & Gootman, 2002) lists “opportunities to belong” as one of the most important features of a high quality youth setting. Youth benefit tremendously from an intentional focus on mattering and belonging which helps them to develop social and emotional competencies, decrease negative behavior, take greater learning risks, and develop ownership of their environment and learning.
One of the important ways we foster mattering and belonging at the Neutral Zone is through active, purposeful, collaborative engagement which often first happens in the form of community building activities. We spend intentional time daily, whether in programs or large gatherings, engaging in activities that help us learn/review each other’s names, get to know teen interests and ideas, team-build, or activate our brains and bodies through energizers. Much of this active time is spent in circles, a strategy that is both an
important component of restorative practice and has a long and rich history, extending back to indigenous cultures from all over the world. Meeting in a circle encourages meaningful dialogues, is a symbol of equity and connection and provides no back row for teens to hide or check out. Responsibility is shared, and everyone is encouraged to participate and contribute.
Building community is an essential way to establish a positive emotional climate in a school or youth setting. Establishing such a climate is key to supporting youth motivation, engagement, interest, and learning.
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For those who think of community building as silly “icebreakers” that essentially all have the same purpose, we disagree. Community building is intentional and purposeful with many aspects that are necessary to consider and plan for in order to do them effectively. Here are some things to keep in mind:
:: Safety and Comfort :: In order for community building activities to be most effective, the safety and comfort of participants and facilitators must come first. This means working to create an environment that actively supports the emotional and physical well-being of all participants which includes the size of the spaces in use, the location, and being aware of any objects that may pose a hazard especially when working with a group of varied ability status. For emotional well-being, remember to check in periodically both on a group and individual level and keep an eye on participants’ body language, to gauge their comfort levels.
:: Group Development :: Groups tend to move through several stages before they become cohesive and can work well together. Consider “risk level” in relation to the stage of the group’s development when choosing an activity. Many elements impact risk level (high, medium and low) including whether there is close physical contact or how deeply you may be asking participants to share.
:: Language Use :: Deliberate language usage is vital to ensure that each participant feels they matter and belong. For example, note the difference between the phrases “have to” and “get to”. The phrase, “have to” conveys a lack of options and emphasizes a power imbalance between facilitator and participant; the phrase “get to” enhances a fun environment and also allows participants to refuse if they so desire. Another way to promote purposeful language use is by setting up community norms at the beginning of each session.
:: Promotion of Diversity and Inclusion :: While building community, keep in mind that groups are made up of individuals, with a wide variety of backgrounds, social identities, abilities and experiences. Acknowledging and appreciating diversity is more appropriate than ignoring identity or pretending that factors that create and/or contribute to identity (i.e. race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, gender, religion, sexual orientation, ability, age) do not exist. Other strategies for promoting respect for diversity include making an effort to meet new people, listening with an open heart, educating yourself to confront internalized biases, and actively speaking out against discrimination. Additionally, it’s critical to promote inclusion by making space for everyone in activities and conversation, being mindful of ability status (physical and mental) and allowing people a variety of ways to participate. Model a norm of inclusivity by encouraging participants to remember names, strike up conversations, and check up on their fellow members. Taking one person aside to check-in if they seem uncomfortable, or making an effort to connect with participants is important work towards this goal, as well as boldly naming inclusion as a goal.
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Baumeister, R. F., & Leary, M. R. (1995). The need to belong: Desire for interpersonal attachments as a fundamental human motivation. Psychological Bulletin, 117(3), 497–529.
Eccles, J., & Gootman, J. A. (Eds.) (2002). Community programs to promote youth development. Committee on community-level pro- grams for youth. Washington: National Academy Press.
Maslow, A. H. (1943). A theory of human motivation. Psychological Review, 50(4), 370–396
Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being. American Psychologist, 55, 68-78.
A CASE FOR INTEGRATING COMMUNITY BUILDING
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A CASE FOR INTEGRATING COMMUNITY BUILDING 〰️
A Case For Integrating Community Building
By Megan Mueller Johnson
(Note: J is a pseudonym for a Neutral Zone participant.)
This past September, in alignment with the new school year, the Neutral Zone began our after school Drop-in Program. During the first few weeks of Drop-in, I regularly heard teens new to the space say they specifically came to be with people their age in person and to make friends. Teens continually referenced isolating and schooling from home during the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic as the inspiration and motivation to show up and try to make friends.
I sat down with J, a senior in high school, to discuss their experience meeting and connecting to people at Neutral Zone. For J, being in a semi-structured space with peers is the draw, however, staff knowing their name and talking to them provides enough support to take risks and connect with new people. J’s experience highlights the importance of intentionally incorporating community building within programming and continually reflecting on the social-emotional needs of program participants at this moment in history.
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It’s a good place to relax… I don’t know a lot of people and that’s partially because I don’t talk to a lot of people but I want to. I want more friends and I want to know more people that I wouldn’t just be talking to online. Because the vast majority of my friends in Michigan are basically all online friends at this point.
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My base instinct is that it’s a place that I go to. But it’s more than that… it's a very open place and there isn’t this structure of things where this is the allotted time for this structured activity that you may or may not be interested in. I’m just hanging out.
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I wish I was more connected to others at Neutral Zone. I want to talk to more people but I don’t know how to start conversations and it sometimes annoys people to join them mid-conversation… I think a lot of people are here for the same reason as me, which is a place to chill for a while. Whether it’s [because] you don’t want to go home or you have something later and you need a place to go before that.
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They talk to me! Adults who part of their job is talking to kids, talk to kids a lot more than kids do. Or at the very least talk to me more than kids do. I think the first few times I went to Neutral Zone I was like “this isn’t very fun” and now a lot of the staff know my name so that feels a lot nicer. I think if the staff didn’t interact with the kids I probably wouldn’t come back often because I don’t talk to people my age enough and I tend to connect a lot more with adults.
Community Building Activities
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Community Building Activities 〰️
Community Building Activities
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Materials: List of statements (see page 73 in the Community Building Guidebook to get started)
Time: 10-20 minutes
Purpose: This activity provides an opportunity to assess the group before or after an activity. It can also be used as a simple ice breaker, or as a way to explore power dynamics and ideas of diversity.
Procedure:
Ask all participants to stand on one side of the room. Tell them you will read a series of statements.
Once you read a statement, everyone for whom that statement is personally true walks to the other side of the line. Remind participants that there are no wrong answers. Both sides are to look each other in the eyes. After the first statement, you may wish to use a reflective prompt such as, “Notice who is on one side of the room and notice who is not.” Participants silently acknowledge the configuration of the room’s participants. At this point, you may want to have students speak about their opinion on the matter. Be sure to have individuals from both sides of the line share.
When students are done, ask them to cross back over the line and rejoin the individuals who did not move. Repeat with each statement.
Debrief in a large group.
Adaptations: Also known as “Stand Up If” which asks students to stand up instead of crossing a line. Another adaption is asking participants to stand in a large circle and “Step In if,” before moving back into place for the next statement.
Debrief: Ask participants how it felt to be in the majority/minority. Ask them if that influenced where they stood. Talk about how it felt to have to move to take a stand. How did you feel when you got to choose your answer (e.g. lowering the voting age as opposed to when you had no say in the answer (e.g. being an only child)
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Materials: None
Time: 10-15 minutes
Purpose: Encourages participants to be silly and loosen up.
Procedure:
Explain to participants the different stages of the evolution, and remind them how to play Rock, Paper, Scissors, if necessary. It is helpful to standardize the rules, for clarity later. For example, decide if people should throw on ‘shoot’, or after.
Players can only play others at the same level of evolution as they are. If they win, they move up the ladder to the next stage, if they lose, they devolve. The lowest stage is the Egg. Players should waddle around, and make themselves short and egg-like.
After winning a round, players become chickens. Chickens flap their wings and make loud squawking noises. The next stage is dinosaurs, who make small claw-like arms, and roar. After dinosaur comes the final stage of the game, superheroes. Superheroes pose like, well... superheroes.
When students beat another superhero, they have won, and they can sit out.
Adaptations: Alternatively, have a Rock, Paper, Scissors Tournament, in which participants compete to be the last one standing by winning a ‘best 2 out of 3’ hand against everyone else. What makes this fun is the idea of cheerleaders: once a participant loses, they must follow the person who beat them, and chant their name or cheer. Cheerleaders should refrain from booing.
Debrief: Refer to page 9 to utilize the Experiential Learning Cycle in order to create a debrief that fits your program’s needs.
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Materials: None
Time: 5-10 minutes
Purpose: To use memory and motion to learn the names of group members.
Procedure:
Ask everyone to stand in a circle. Demonstrate how the game works by saying your name and performing a sound and motion to accompany it.
Have everyone repeat your name and do your sound and motion. Now ask everyone to think about a motion to go with their name.
Beginning with the person to your left or right, ask them to say their name and complete a sound and motion, after which, everyone repeats that name, sound, and motion
This continues around the circle, so that everyone has an opportunity to introduce themselves.
Adaptations: Participants can also connect their motion with a hobby or pastime. For example, someone might pantomime throwing a ball to represent the fact that they play football. Or, after the last person says their name and motion, participants can try to perform everyone’s name and motion in order.
Debrief: Refer to page 9 to utilize the Experiential Learning Cycle in order to create a debrief that fits your program’s needs.
Do you want MORE community building ideas?
Check out Neutral Zone’s Community Building Guidebook: A collection of icebreakers and team building activities.
