D.R.E.A.M.

Unit Overview:
                Do you dare to dream? Are you eager to follow your dreams?  Are you willing to be the best that you can be? Are you able to love yourself? If your answer to these questions is YES, than D.R.E.A.M. is the workshop for you. Our goal is to help you (our youth) develop a positive image of yourself by encouraging self-awareness and creativity through a variety of learning experiences. During this 3-day workshop, we want to empower you, so that you are equipped with the tools you need to live out your dreams.
Day 1 of our workshop is titled, Who Am I. On this day, you will explore yourself and your peers through self-esteem, team building & creativity activities. You will make a self-collage, interview and discuss with your peers, write poetry, create a self-portrait, discover your inner creativity and use your creativity to write a short story. Day 2 of our workshop is titled, Healthy Me. On this day, you will learn about living healthy. You will research the different requirements for living healthy, learn about nutrition and exercise, exercise, conquer an obstacle course, participate in taste testing, food critiquing, create a healthy snack and create your own healthy diet and exercise plan. Day 3 of our workshop is titled, When I Grow up I Wanna Be Famous. On this day, you will learn about goal setting and career planning through research and sharing, designing an ad for your dream job, creating a career goal timeline, taking a personality test, hands on activities, group discussions and create a commercial about yourself. So come join us and begin living your dream! Remember it is not as hard as it may seem!

Guiding Questions:
Day 1

1. Why is it important to have positive self-esteem and a positive self-image?
2. What factors influence how we view ourselves in our community and world?
3. Think of your role model or any other person you look up to. What are the characteristics of that person that stand out to you?
4. What factors influence how others view you?
5. Who do you see when you look in the mirror?
6. How does social acceptance affect your self- image and esteem?
7. How can creativity be used as self-expression?
8. How can your self-image affect your creativity?

Day2

1. How can healthy living affect your self-image and esteem?
2. How does the type of food you eat affect your health?
3. What are the benefits of exercising?
4. What is your work out style and how can it be used to your advantage?

Day 3

1. In the future, what would you like to become?
2. How can a positive self-image aid you in following your dreams?
3. How can a negative self-image deter you from following your dreams?
4. Why is goal setting important?
5. Why is it important to accomplish your goals?
6. What is the relationship between self-esteem, self-image, creativity, healthy living, goal setting and career planning?
7. How can this relationship help you live out your dreams?
   

Focusing Questions/Parallels:

Core Focusing Questions

1. What is self-esteem?
2. What is self-image?
3. How is self-esteem formed?
4. Why is self-awareness important?
5. What is creativity?
6. Why is creativity important?
7. What is nutrition?
8. What is a career?
9. What is career planning?
10. What is a goal?
11. What is the difference between realistic and non realistic goals?
12. What is goal setting?
13. What is the difference between long term and short-term goals?
14. What are the components of a good diet and exercise plan?

Connections Focusing Questions

1. How can positive self-esteem and a positive self-image improve a person’s life?
2. How can self-esteem and self-image change over time?
3. What influence does environment have on a person’s self-esteem and image?
4. What influences does creativity have on self- esteem and self-image?
5. How can one person’s dream change the world?
6. How is knowledge of health, nutrition, and exercise important to self-image and esteem?
7. How is knowledge of goal setting and career planning important to following your dreams?
8. How can academic success aid you in achieving your goals?

Practice Focusing Questions

1. What processes do people take to accomplish goals and follow their dreams?
2. How can creativity affect future success?
3. In the field of nutrition, why are nutritional guidelines important?

Identity Focusing Questions

1. What type of thoughts or concerns would you have as you plan a career?

a. What type of thoughts or concerns would you have as a dietician or personal trainer?

2. How do you think positive self-esteem, healthy living, goal setting and career planning will help you in the future?
   • How would you prepare yourself to model this lifestyle?
   • How would you sell this lifestyle to someone else?
3. How does your self-esteem affect your relationship with others?
   • How does it affect your communication abilities?
   • How does it affect your ability to operate in the field?
4. How can we develop positive self-esteem and self-image?
   • How does education prepare you for success?
   • Does success breed success?
5. How can having low self-esteem and a negative self-image affect our lives?
   • How can we diagnose when individuals feel insecure and ineffective in the world?
   • Has this ever happened to you?
   • How can you use your insecurities to build yourself into a more confident person?
6. How can you help other improve their self-image or esteem?
   • How can we accord other human beings respect?
   • How can we teach others the unspoken ways of our existence?
   • How might healthy living (mental and physical) change and improve our lives and situations?

Activities:
Day 1: Who Am I?

• Self-Esteem Pretest / Decorate folders

The participants will be given a pretest to assess their knowledge of self-esteem as it relates to their own lives. Once the participants have finished their assessment, they may decorate their workshop folder.
                            

• Create self- collage

The participants will be given the opportunity to make self-collages using words, symbols or pictures clipped from magazines and newspapers. Their collages will be a visual representation of things they enjoy doing, things they own, places they have been, people they admire or career s they desire. Each participant will put his or her name on the back of the collage and post it in the room. The participants will then guess whom each collage belongs to and state why they made that assumption.

• Conduct peer interviews

The participants will be given the opportunity to select a person within our group to interview. Once all interviews are finished, the participants will be given the opportunity to introduce their partner to the group.

• Bean activity

The participants will be given 5 dried beans and asked to examine the beans and choose the best bean. The participants will be prompted to explain how they selected their best bean. The facilitator will relate the beans to people by asking probing questions.  After the participants finish sharing their responses, the participants will be asked to list all the things they do and do not like about themselves. The participants will be asked to compare the two lists and determine why it was more difficult to list the things they like about themselves. As a whole group, we will brainstorm a list of influences on our feelings about ourselves, define self-esteem, discuss self-esteem and role-play self-esteem situation. (GQ’s 2, 4, 5-6)

• Whole group discussion of selected guiding question

The participants will be given the opportunity to discuss why it is important to have positive self-esteem and a positive self-image. (GQ1)

• Self-esteem PowerPoint

The facilitators will use a PowerPoint slide and whole group discussion to provide the participants with additional information about building self-esteem and self-image.

• Create self-portrait

The facilitators will ask the students to think of your role model or any other person you look up to, what are the characteristics of that person that stand out to you. Each participant will be given a mirror and asked to look at him or herself and identify the good characteristics or qualities that they possess. The participants will be given the opportunity to draw a picture on a paper plate of how they view themselves. (GQ 3)

• Facilitator read aloud: I Like Me

The facilitator will read the story I Like Me to the group and facilitate a discussion on the implications found in the story.

• Write & Share I Am Poem

The participants will be given the opportunity to write a poem about themselves. They will also be provided with the opportunity to share their poem with the group.

• Ball game

We will all join in a circle and toss a ball to each other. Whoever gets the ball must tell the name of the person who tossed the ball to them and at least two positive things they have learned or observed about that person.

• Whole group discussion on creativity using KWL chart

The facilitators will use the K and W section of a KWL chart to facilitate a discussion about what the participants know and want to know about creativity. The participants will be provided with individual charts so that they may record their responses.

• Take creativity test

The participants will be given the opportunity to take a Paul Torrance creativity test. The participants will be given the opportunity to share and discuss their responses.

• Popcorn activity

The participants will be given ten pieces of popcorn and asked to use their creativity to create people, places, things, animals or anything else that they see using the popcorn, a sheet of paper and a marker.

• Whole group discussion of selected guiding question

The participants will be given the opportunity to discuss how creativity can be used as a form of self-expression. (GQ7)

• Wrap up discussion on creativity complete L section of KWL

The facilitators will use the L section of a KWL chart to facilitate a discussion about what the participants learned about creativity. The participants will be provided with individual charts so that they may record their responses.

• Write and Share short stories

The participants will be given the opportunity to write a short story about their future self. The participants will be given the opportunity to share their stories with the group.

• Whole group discussion of selected guiding questions

The participants will be given the opportunity to discuss how your self-image can affect your creativity. (GQ8)

Day 2: Healthy Me

• Healthy living video

The participants will be given the opportunity to watch a 19-minute video on nutrition and exercise. The participants will be prompted to discuss their opinion about the video and what they learned.

• Sample and critique healthy snacks

The facilitators will provide the participants with samples of various healthy snacks. The participants will be asked to taste each sample, comment on each sample and make recommendations to their peers about the samples.

• Make your own healthy snacks

The participants will be provided with various healthy food ingredients and instructed to use any of the ingredients to create their own healthy snack.  The participants will be given the opportunity to share their snack with the group.

• Whole group quick write answering selected guiding question

The participants will be given four minutes to write a response to the following questions, how can healthy living affect your self-image and esteem and how does the type of food you eat affect your health? The participants will be given the opportunity to share their answers with the whole group. (GQ’s 1-2)

• Discuss healthy eating plan

The facilitators will provide the participants with information about healthy eating. The facilitators will discuss healthy eating.

• Create and share healthy eating plan

The participants will be given an eating plan template. They will be prompted to use the information they have learned about healthy eating to create their own healthy eating plan. The participants may share their plan with the whole group.

• Exercise PowerPoint

The facilitators will use a PowerPoint slide and whole group discussion to provide the participants with additional information about exercise.

• Watch and participate in a dance workout

The participants will watch a dance workout from YouTube and be given the opportunity to participate in the workout while we are viewing it. The participants will be given the opportunity to share their thoughts about the workout video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t32M9DczH_U

• Whole group discussion of selected guiding questions

The participants will be given the opportunity to discuss the benefits of excising. (GQ 3) 

• Build and participate in a obstacle course

The facilitators will provide the participants with hula-hoops, cones, jump ropes, index cards, a ball, stacking cups and sidewalk chalk. The students will have the opportunity to use these materials to create a fitness obstacle course. Once the course is constructed, the participants will be permitted to conquer the obstacle course.

• Discuss fitness plan

The facilitators will provide participants with information that can be used to create a fitness plan.

• Create fitness plan

The participants will be given a fitness plan template. They will be prompted to use the information they have learned about fitness to create their own fitness plan. The participants may share their plan with the whole group.

• Whole group quick write answering selected guiding questions

The participants will be given two minutes to write a response to the following question, what is your work out style and how can it be used to your advantage? (GQ4)

• Make parent invitations for day 3

The participants will be given materials, so that they can make invitations to our video premiere for their parents.

Day 3: When I Grow Up I Wanna Be Famous

• Guided imagery

At the beginning of this session, participants will be asked to close their eyes and imagine “Where do you see yourself in the future? The teacher will use segments of years….5years, 10 years, 15 years, 20 years…. Participants will then open eyes and share their dreams. (GQ1)

• Whole group discussion on goals, advantages & disadvantages

The facilitators will facilitate a whole group discussion on long and short-term goals. The facilitators will also discuss the advantages and disadvantages of having short and long-term goals. (GQ’s 4-5)

• Use short-term ad long-term goals to create and share career timeline

The purpose of this activity is for participants to develop a career action plan that will enhance academic experience while preparing for professional success. The participants will jot down career goals beginning with current grade level through postgraduate. Then participants will think about their career goals and use their creativity to construct a career timeline. Participants will display and discuss their timeline.

• What do you see activity

This activity is to allow participants to increase self awareness and understand that similarly, interests, values and abilities make them unique. Participants will view an illustration and determine their interpretations of the picture. Even though they all see the same picture, their interpretations can be very different. The teacher will discuss that understanding yourself is the first step in finding a satisfying career.  For a job to be satisfying, it needs to be connected to the values and beliefs of the person. Participants will discuss their interpretations of the picture with the class. (GQ’s 2-3)

• Design an ad for your dream job

The participants will be given the opportunity to research their dream jobs using the Internet.  The participants will use the information they gathered to create a classified ad for their dream job. 

• Take personality test

The purpose of this activity is to discover personality type and the ideal career.
We will discuss personality type and idea careers. Participants will take an online personality test and print test results. We will discuss personality types and descriptions.
Participants will be given the opportunity to discuss their test results with the class.

• Create and share a 3 slide PowerPoint on career of interest

Participants will research and create a two slide PowerPoint on a career of interest. Participants will present slide show to class

• Small group discussions using identity focusing questions

The participants will be divided into pairs and each group will be prompted to answer two of the identity focusing questions. The participants will be permitted to share their responses with the whole group and solicit responses from their peers.

• Create “Me” commercial

Participants will Create a "Me" Commercial. Each student will write a two- to three-minute television commercial. The topic is why someone should hire them. The commercial depicts the student's special qualities. After they work on these, the students present their commercials in front of the class. The facilitators will record the commercials and invite parents to attend the commercial premiere. This will be the culminating activity.

• Facilitator read aloud: Leo the Late Bloomer

The facilitator will read “Leo the Late Bloomer” to the group. The participants will be permitted to discuss their interpretation of the book as it relates to this 3-day workshop.

• Whole group quick write answering selected guiding questions

The participants will be given four minutes to write a response to the following questions, what is the relationship between self-esteem, self-image, creativity, healthy living, goal setting and career planning and how can this relationship help you live out your dreams? (GQ’s 6-7)

• Self-esteem posttest (compare pretest to posttest)

The participants will be given a self-esteem posttest. Once the participants have completed the test, we will compare the participants pretest responses to the participant’s posttest responses to determine if any changes in response occurred.

• Complete workshop exit slip

The participants will be given an exit slip in order to rate and record their overall thoughts and feelings about this three day workshop. The participants will be given the opportunity to share with the group what they have learned and any suggestions they would like to make.
 

• Video premiere/ Parent invite

The participant’s parents will be invited to watch the “Me” commercials.