Rights & Self Advocacy
Check In - 5 mins
Show & Share - (5-10 mins)
Planning things we want to do for others. Can you remember a great surprise, gift or outing that you planned for someone else to express your appreciation? When did someone surprise you with something that took a lot of planning?
Thematic Activity 01: Planning to Ask for Change (10-15 min)
When we want something to change, and someone else has to make that change with us, or sometimes for us, it can be hard to ask. But that is what self-advocacy means. Like our muscles, we get stronger at advocating for ourselves by practicing.
Watch this video about the 5 steps for self-advocacy.
Discuss the 5 steps. If your group is up for it, you can do a practice session about an issue someone in the group wants to solve. Help the person figure out how to do the 5 steps for their situation.
<Body Break> Make it a good one,
Thematic Activity 02: Planning to Protest (15-20 min)
There have been a lot of protests that are sometimes called "civil unrest." That's a fancy way to say people are not happy with what is happening in their community and won't cooperate with leaving it the same.
You are an important part of your community. What happens in your community affects you every day. You have the right to be one of the people saying how things should be in your community.
Aden is a caring community member too. They are angry. Last year the mayor took money away from the parks department for a parking garage to make money for the city. That money was supposed to make the parks accessible and now it's gone. People with wheelchairs and walkers can only go in a few small areas of the parks in town. The mayor wants to build another parking garage. Aden and their friends want to protest at the mayor's office and get that money for the parks instead.
Use the information below to help Aden make a plan for their protest. For a protest to work it helps if the news reports about it.
- It is summer time and very hot outside
- Many of the people who want to protest can't walk around or stand for long
- There is a short time when the mayor will see them as she walks from her car, but she will hear them inside the building
- What should the protesters wear and bring with them?
- How can they make sure people know WHAT they are mad about?
- What can the protesters do to show that a lot of other people agree with them?
- How can the protesters get the news to report about their demands?
- Do the protesters have to be careful in any way?
<Body Break> Do your bod a solid
Skill Builder
Slogans and Affirmations
Look at these personal slogans and affirmations that people use to inspire themselves. When we have to advocate for ourselves, ask for change, or take on anything that is kind of scary, it helps to have a slogan we believe in to remind us we can do it.
Do you have a slogan or affirmation? If not, try some out and see which ones make you feel ready to go!
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What did we learn today?
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What are we doing this afternoon?
