Defining Membership and Belonging
When Young People Feel A Part of It All
A good youth program is one that promotes membership and belonging among its youth participants.
A successful program typically speaks of the activities that youth participate in that are safe, educational and fun. The status of being that typically indicates the level of fun is that of membership and belonging. When a young person feels as if they belong to a group and are an active member, they are more apt to be open to positive experiences that provoke happiness and enjoyment.
Icebreakers and Energizers
Feelings of positive membership and belonging can be created firstly with basic things that bring all program participants on the same page and make them feel familiar to each other. Icebreakers and energizers are perfect examples of activities that can initiate membership and belonging. An icebreaker is a brief activity that prefaces your main activity or event. It typically is used to introduce members to each other or get people energized for your main activity. Icebreakers can be as basic as the name game where youth introduce themselves using a silly adjective to critical thinking challenges that encourage teambuilding.
Providing a Safe Haven
Providing a safe space also allows feelings of belonging to develop. A safe space can be created within your youth program, classroom, etc. if you take the lead in having your youth create a group constitution of what the ground rules are and the consequences if they are not adhered to. If a young person feels that they are the change makers and rule makers within their environment, they have a greater sense of belonging and membership. Creating a group constitution or mission statement that will later be displayed and followed also allows members to identify and discuss their values and ideas.
Program Brands
Having the youth create media items like t-shirts and other types of worn items is another way to create membership and belonging. A young person typically enjoys showcasing the things that they enjoy or groups they are a part of. Providing opportunities for them to showcase their enjoyment of your program and connectedness to the group offers benefits that are two-fold-expression for the youth and recognition for your program.
To get more ideas on icebreakers, visit Khadijah Ali-Coleman's blog at www.soyaonline.blogspot.com. Khadijah Ali-Coleman is founder of So Our Youth Aspire (S.O.Y.A.), LLC and a freelance writer.
