Summit Youth Academy: ABCD workshop

Photos by Britt Bradley and the amazing Isaac Chua

I had the opportunity to lead a workshop on Asset-Based Community Development. We began by playing the We Can Game, a game which calls forth the many skills we have. With all 3 groups, we either knew someone who could perform each skill or we ourselves felt capable of doing it. There was never a task that landed in the "We Can't" pile. At the end of one game, a student exclaimed, "Look how capable we are!" Participants reflected on how it might be helpful to play the "We Can Game" in other settings such as a club, small group, class, or church.

Next, I talked about how we discover the skills and interests of our neighbors. We go door-to-door and interview folks about what they enjoy doing. To explore this idea, students paired up and interviewed each other, asking 3 questions: What are 3 things on your bucket list? What is a skill you have that I don't know about? What are your hobbies? We enjoyed learning amazing things about each other.

We concluded the workshop by discussing social capital. The students were already familiar with the term Social Capital, having done a poverty simulation earlier in the week. We played several intense games of Social Capital Jenga!

Photo by the amazing Isaac Chua