Engaging Young People – 30 Videos

Lessons

1. Video 1: Hold That Thought!

   Easy

   Peter Slattery

   An interactive strategy to connect with a young person, when you are having an individual conversation.

2. Video 2: Wadaya Say?

   Easy

   Peter Slattery

   This activity is great for large groups, a big fun, a bit silly.

3. Video 3: I Think You Think...

   Easy

   Peter Slattery

   A beaut activity to use when you are talking with a young person, AND someone else.

4. Video 4: Two Envelopes

   Easy

   Peter Slattery

   Two envelopes, one with 'easy' questions and one with 'hard'.

5. Video 5: How ya doin'?

   Easy

   Peter Slattery

   A strategy, or really..more an idea, if the young person you are going to be talking with has been around the system for some time...and/or is grumpy about being here, maybe doesn't want to talk with you...

6. Video 6: Park it and talk

   Easy

   Peter Slattery

   An activity when you need to have a tricky-sensitive chat with a young person. It suggests that you 'park' what you need to talk about, and spend a few minutes getting to know each other - that is, building a relationship so that you are able to have the important chat.

7. Video 7: Alert... advise...

   Easy

   Peter Slattery

   This strategy suggests that before you tackle a 'difficult' topic, you consult the young person you are going to be talking with, and get some advice as to how to tackle this subject, and what to do if it becomes hard for the young person.

8. Video 9: Willing and able

   Easy

   Peter Slattery

   This activity really asks a young person: how motivated are you to do 'x'? And secondly, do you know all you need to know, and can you do all you need to do...to make it happen?

9. Video 8: Colour, Shape, Sound...

   Easy

   Peter Slattery

   An interesting activity for the right person - kind of creative and a bit unusual...and really helpful when a third person is present.

10. Video 10: I Noticed

    Easy

    Peter Slattery

    An intimate activity where you ask a young person if they would like to hear what it is that you have noticed about them.

11. Video 11: I See The World

    Easy

    Peter Slattery

    This is an exercise in the development of curiosity, empathy and compassion. An extremely versatile activity you can use in a classroom, a counselling room or walking down the street. It invites a young person to wonder about ‘the passing parade’ of people; who they are as people, where they might have come from, and the circumstances of their life.

12. Video 12: The World Sees Me

    Easy

    Peter Slattery

    An activity that encourages a young person to think about the tricky balance of being true to their feelings and embracing these, while being mindful of what they are projecting to the world around them, and the impact this will have on how the world will respond to them. A physical activity, both playful and serious.

13. Video 13: A Week in Words

    Easy

    Peter Slattery

    'A week in words' offers a young person a way of reviewing their week by choosing from a list, a number of words that best describes that week, and then adding a few more of their own. The activity opens a door onto a discussion about what a person can control, what they can't and what they want to do with those things they can.

14. Video 14: Yes, No, Still Thinkin'...

    Easy

    Peter Slattery

    A great activity for individuals or groups. The example here is of a group of boys saying where they are in response to the question: ‘Do you want to stay at school?’ With three possible responses: Yes. No. Still thinking about it…

15. Video 15: Hopes and Dreams

    Easy

    Peter Slattery

    This activity asks a young person to explore their hopes and dreams…a ‘hope’ being a sort of : ‘Gee, I hope this happens…’ and a ‘dream’ having a bit more energy to it: ‘OMG! Wouldn't it be amazing if…!’ With both ideas in mind, the activity asks a young person how they might pursue each, and look at just what they might be able to do to make each become a reality...and what help they might need along the way.

16. Video 16: Look See Notice Say

    Easy

    Peter Slattery

    This is a reminder to be aware of what we respond to and how we respond in our work with young people.

17. Video 17: Would You Rather...

    Easy

    Peter Slattery

    ‘Would you rather…’ makes use of childhood playfulness to ask a young person if they would prefer to travel through a pit of scorpions? A pit of spiders? Or a pit of snakes?

18. Video 18: Life is...

    Easy

    Peter Slattery

    This activity, ‘Life is…’, asks a young person to respond to four questions/statements about four elements essential to wellbeing: belonging and connection, sense of self, relationships and a sense of being in control. The activity opens the door to a discussion as to the presence or otherwise, of these elements in the life of a young person, and how they might develop and strengthen.

19. Video 19: Inside - Outside

    Easy

    Peter Slattery

    ‘Inside-outside’ looks at the internal and external resources that a young person has available to them to manage the hardships of life; their own talents, qualities and skills; plus what their world around them has to offer, from human connection, to football to music... ‘Symbols’, the next video in 30 x 30 x 30, offers a development of this activity in a more complex and intimate manner.

20. Video 20: Symbols

    Easy

    Peter Slattery

    ‘Symbols’ is a powerful activity, which, while embracing the ideas offered in the previous video ‘Inside-outside’ of asking a young person to identify their internal and external resources to manage hardship; presents a way of exploring, with a young person, the impact and place of ‘struggle’ in their life. The activity makes use of the immediate environment you find yourself in with a young person, and asks them to choose an object from around them to symbolise that struggle; and explores, at some depth, their feelings about their struggle and its place in their life.

21. Video 21: True, Big Fat Lie, Like To Be True

    Easy

    Peter Slattery

    A groupwork activity and a variation on an old activity...but in this case people get to know each other via making three statements about themselves: One is true, one is a BIG FAT LIE, and one they would LIKE to be true. A beaut activity, and this video shows footage of the activity in action.

22. Video 22: Three Words

    Easy

    Peter Slattery

    A really good activity for families or where a third person is present. Asking each person to describe themselves and each other...and then do some comparing...can be very powerful.

23. Video 23: Snippets

    Easy

    Peter Slattery

    An activity of imagination. As playful or as serious as you would like it to be. 'Snippets' are snatches of conversation overheard while jogging. 'How would you finish this sentence?' 'What do you think is on the mind of the person speaking?' 'If it was you, what would you be thinking?'

24. Video 24: Right Now, I Need...

    Easy

    Peter Slattery

    This activity asks a young person, playfully at first, what they need right now? And moves naturally into a more serious conversation about what they might need as a person, to revive, recuperate, 're-charge'...

25. Video 25: The Best You

    Easy

    Peter Slattery

    Imagine overhearing a conversation about...er...you! What would you hope to hear? And if it was someone you had just met, what sort of impression would you hope you made? And if you were overhearing someone who knows you and likes you, talk about you...what would you hope to hear?

26. Video 26: Frames

    Easy

    Peter Slattery

    'Frames' shows footage of a real - life conversation with Dylan; and demonstrates how a Frame, which contains and focusses a conversation, can, if used creatively and carefully, result in a pretty interesting and worthwhile interaction. This video is 6.30 minutes long so find a time when you can fully appreciate how terrific Dylan is, grab a cuppa, and put your feet up.

27. Video 27: If I Asked Your Friend...

    Easy

    Peter Slattery

    Imagine if I asked your good friend about you? What would they say? If I asked them if you were fun...what would they say? Loyal? Reliable? A good listener? Our friends know stuff! Which is where this activity comes in.

28. Video 28: Four Questions

    Easy

    Peter Slattery

    'Four questions' is by far the longest video I have posted, but it seemed to need it, so I hope it works for you. It's an activity about deeper engagement. Who you ask the questions of, when and how all matter. With four important questions in mind, the video and the activity explore the importance and power of 'containing' a conversation in ways that can intensify and concentrate a conversation. All a bit serious, and all quite important.

29. Video 29: Going Away

    Easy

    Peter Slattery

    Imagine that you are going away? Grab a bag, pack it...with what? And what if you are going away for a long time? What about if you might never come back? Do you have 'unfinished business?'

30. Video 30: Straight Ahead, Or...

    Easy

    Peter Slattery

    This final video of the 30, explores an idea or an approach...which asks you to make a decision as to how you might start to help a young person engage with some sensitive aspect of themself or their life. The video explores the idea of going directly and straightforwardly to that delicate area...or alternatively, start by exploring a person's external world; that is, what is happening in their life around them; and secondly by exploring their internal world, their thoughts and feelings at this moment in life. This video also includes footage of a conversation with Anna, a wonderful young woman who shows the value, for her, of a straightforward direct approach.