The River
Purpose: To remind adults of the pressures that teens may
be facing
Materials: A blindfold, masking tape, several pieces
of newspaper, index cards, newsprint and markers
Time: 20
to 25 minutes
Planning Notes: Prepare index cards with suggested
character roles (as provided immediately below). Depending
on the
size of your group, use as many or few of the characters
as appropriate. Be sure that one person gets the "Young
Person" role.
- Young
Person—Listen
to all those who are trying to guide you down the
river.
- Parent/Foster
Parent—You know
best. Tell the Young Person what to do, keeping
his/her best interests in mind. Use phrases like, "When
I was your age …" Feel free to be creative
in your role!
- Grandparent—You
know best. Tell the Young Person what to do, keeping
his/her best interests in mind. Use phrases like, "When
I was your age …" Feel free to be creative
in your role!
- Minister—You
are the moral guide for the Young Person. Feel free
to be creative in your role!
- Friend—You
are the "good" friend. You truly care about
the Young Person. Feel free to be creative in your
role!
- Teacher—Stress
the importance of school. Give guidance where you
see fit. Feel free to be creative in your role!
- Social
Worker—Give advice
to the Young Person around issues such as drug
use, sex, family, school, etc. Feel free to be
creative in your role!
- Media—Think
of all the influences in the media (TV, movies, magazines,
etc.) Some examples of media messages may include
sex, violence, money, etc. Feel free to be creative
in your role!
- Friend—You
are the "bad" friend. You are a bad influence
on the Young Person. Feel free to be creative in
your role!
- Health
Care Provider—Give
advice to the Young Person regarding his/her health
and general well-being. Some examples: talking
about smoking, sex, nutrition, weight. Feel free
to be creative in your role!
Procedure:
- Explain that too often, as adults, we forget what
it is like to be a teenager with competing pressures
and influences in our lives. This exercise is an effective
way to understand some of the pressures that teens face.
- Set up "the river," laying out two
long pieces of masking tape to form it.
- Ball up several pieces of newspaper and scatter
them throughout "the river" to form barriers.
Be creative, calling them alligators, lava, white water,
etc.
- Ask for volunteers for the roleplay. Select up to
10 volunteers and distribute an index card with a character
role to each participant.
- Give volunteers about two minutes to think about their
roles.
- Explain that there are many conflicting influences
in the lives of youth, today more than ever. These influences
may affect the decisions that young people make, including
decisions about sexuality.
- Ask all of the volunteers to come up to the
front of the room and stand on either side of "the
river."
- Ask the Young Person to come forward and blindfold
him/her.
- Explain that the various characters must guide
the Young Person down "the river," helping her/him
to avoid the danger spots (alligators, lava, white water,
etc.). Give the other characters about 10 minutes to
guide the Young Person down "the river."
- Conclude the activity using the discussion points.
Discussion Points:
- What did you think of this exercise? Was it realistic?
Why? Why not?
- How did it feel to be the Young Person?
- Were you faced with similar pressures and influences
when you were a teen?
- How do these influences affect a teen's ability to
make decisions?
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