Running head: START-UP PACKAGE

Start-Up Package
Cory M. Pidalue, 6676723
Shelley Fender, 1314009
Concordia University

Field Work
Professor: Rhonda Buckland
Date: February 16, 2015

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Table of Contents

Background Statement.3
Needs Assessment....3
Environment.....4
Inputs4
Goals and Outputs....5
Potential Activities...6
Session Objectives...7
Process Questions....8
Calendar...9
Evaluation Form.....10
Annotated References....11
Appendix A: Session Plans....13
Appendix B: Professional Resumes...24
Appendix C: Contracts and Additional Forms...28

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Background Statement
St. Columba House is a community center in Pointe St. Charles providing many services
to the community, including a teen program. The center hosts groups of teenagers and provides
leadership training, nutrition programs, an afterschool program and tutoring. We have been
informed that the population of the community is changing, as a result of urban housing
developments.
Within our initial interview, we were informed that we will be provided with a group of
teens from a predominantly Caribbean and Bangladeshi demographic, who have high levels of
energy and confidence. The teens attend an after-school homework-help program at St. Columba
House, and will participate in our workshop following this program. The workshop will be
conducted on Thursday evenings, from 5:30 7:30 p.m.
Needs Assessment
There are several factors that must be considered when planning for this group. The teens
have been out of the house since the morning, have attended a full day of school, come to St.
Columba house and participated in the after school program and then will be moving into our
workshop. We will be mindful of their energy level when they arrive at 5:30 p.m. On a basic and
practical level, the teens will need nourishment. We have been informed that this will be provided,
but the participants will need to eat during the workshop. Therefore, programming will need to
account for eating time in each session. This group receives a lot of support, education and stability
from St. Columba house. We as workshop providers will be entering an established client base.
It appears as though this group receive a lot of support, education and stability from St.
Columba house, which has become a second home and a large part of their growth and security.

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We further recognize that in this equation, we are the new people and must be accepted by this
group.
Environment
There are three rooms which will be made available for the workshop program. The first
room contains tables, chairs, a television and artwork. This room will likely be used for activities
which require discussion, and which do not require much physical activity. The second room, a
small gym located in the basement, will be used for most physical activities. The third room is a
small room reserved for all teenagers at St. Columba House, and contains a couch. This room may
be useful for group discussions and interpersonal exercises. In addition to these rooms, there is
also a small stage, which can be used to conduct performances, such as improv skits.
Inputs
The name of the workshop is TNT (Thursday Night Teens). This name is intended to be
attractive to teenagers, and will aid in the recruitment of participants. Many of the teenagers who
will attend St. Columba House are CITs (Counselors-in-Training) at various day camps throughout
Point St. Charles, and are required to attend various extra-curricular programs which will enhance
their leadership skills and improve their artistic creativity. This workshop has been accredited to
count as one such extra-curricular program, and will therefore encourage teenagers who are
planning on becoming camp counselors to join the workshop. The social worker at St. Columba
House, Catherine McPherson, intends on providing the program with participants who share
common interests, in order to facilitate the interpersonal process. Finally, food will be provided
during each workshop session, which will undoubtedly tempt teenagers to participate.
Goals and Outputs

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Various topics will be discussed each week, with play, imagination, creativity arts being a
recurring theme. This is based on our belief that problem solving skills, social skills, interpersonal
skills and relationship skills can all be learned through play. We will conduct activities which
incorporate music, role play, comedy and drama in order to foster a creative environment. We also
plan to incorporate the use of their cell phones for certain activities. The program will use a positive,
asset-based approach for approaching challenges, which will involve highlighting skills and
discovering talents which the youth possess in order to help them capitalize on these skills when
attempting to solve problems.
The group will be made aware that the leaders are students, who are also learning, and that
their participation and input is appreciated. Although sessions have been pre-planned, we plan to
implement various feedback mechanisms, such as an evaluation form and process questions, and
are prepared to adjust each session in order to better meet the needs of the participants. A
questionnaire will be provided at the first session to gather information and understand needs and
interests of the participants. Other questionnaires will be provided during session 4 and session 7,
in order to observe changes in the types of feedback provided by participants. The group will be
asked about their opinions of most activities through process questions which will be implemented
into all sessions.
This program will provide a safe environment for teenagers to increase their understanding
of current events, interpersonal relationships and social challenges. This will be achieved through
playful, creative exercises which encourage exploration, risk-taking and critical thinking.

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Potential Activities

Lemon explosion + countdown warm-ups

Mirror Game
Count to 10
Cooking show
Make up a story as a group (2 characters + setting + conflict)
Tongue Twisters
Improv (Freeze, read from papers on the floor, helping hands, speaker and mimer, shouldve said).
Actor/director (tragedy).
Ninja
Walk or stop when others do it (follow each other)
Do the opposite of what I say (walk/stop, jump/duck)
Giant-dwarf-wizard (charge and then pose)
6-team capture the flag
Two truths and a lie
Rock paper scissors competition
Woosh-Bang-Zip
Pow!
Pirates v.s sharks
Tag (serpent, pac-man, freeze, rock paper scisors)
007
Kick, open, side-to side

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Session Objectives

Session 1 : Develop group norms, introduce everyone, begin to establish foundation for the
group. Acknowledge the various expectations of each participant.
Session 2 : Have participants familiarize themselves with theatre and improv, and discuss how
the lessons learned from improv can be used in reality.
Session 3 : Identify stressors which are present in the personal lives of each participant, both at
school and at home, and develop coping strategies.
Session 4 : Encourage participants to commit themselves to benefiting their community. Identify
the impact that a single person can have on their community.
Session 5 : Explore creativity by creating videos, and introduce participants to video-editing
software.
Session 6 : Inform participants of current global and local events, and discuss the manner in
which the impact of such events trickle down to the community. Encourage the teenagers to
develop personal opinions of these events.
Session 7 : Engage in various discussions related to human rights, introduce participants to the
civil rights movements, and have them share their thoughts and opinions through an artistic
medium.
Session 8 : Observe others as they take risks in an ever-changing and dynamic environment, and
note the various manners in which they cope with failure.

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Process Questions

What did you think about today?

What would you like to see moving forward?
How did you feel before performing?
How did you feel different after the performance?
How would you tell the stories differently?
How could you use what you have learned today at school? At home?
Can you think of situations where these strategies would be helpful?
Can you share an experience of this happening to you or a friend?
How did it feel do make something for someone else? Was there risk involved?
How difficult did you think this would be? Was it harder than you expected?
What did you notice about each other during this activity?
Do you have any suggestions for activities?

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Calendar

Session #

Date

Time

Session Name

February 19, 2015

5:30pm

Who, What, Where, When and Why

February 26, 2015

5:30pm

Theatre Week

March 12, 2015

5:30pm

Singing in the Rain

March 19, 2015

5:30pm

Random Acts

March 26, 2015

5:30pm

Video Week

April 2, 2015

5:30pm

Current Events Week

April 9, 2015

5:30pm

Human Rights Week

April 10, 2015

6:45pm

Outing Week

**No session will be conducted during the week of March 2nd, due to the Spring Break provided
by school boards in the area.

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Evaluation Form
Did you enjoy the topic and activities today? (1 = not really- 5 = excellent)
1

What did you find was the most interesting or useful?

3) Learned something new

Yes

No

If yes, what did you learn?

4) Did you have fun (1 = not really, 5= excellent)

1

5) What was the most fun for you?

6) Comments and suggestions (including activities or initiatives you think would be useful, for
the future)

See you next week!

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Annotated References

Advani, P. (2013). How Random Acts of Kindness Can Benefit Your Health. Retrieved from
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/priya-advani/random-acts-of-kindness_b_3412718.html
This is an article that is planned to be shared with the group. It discusses the personal
psychological and physiological benefits of helping others in small ways. The article also
addresses the benefits of helping others , which include positive mood , increase in physical
well being , anxiety reduction and providing inspiration to others.
Barnes, C., Connolly, A.B., Bracey, G., Ehler, D., Ferrara, G., et al. (2006). Confronting Teen
Stress: Meeting the Challenge in Baltimore City. A guide for parents, Teachers and Youth
Service Providers. Baltimore, MD. Centre for Adolescent Health. Retrieved from
http://www.jhsph.edu/research/centers-and-institutes/center-foradolescenthealth/_includes/Teen_Stress_Guide.pdf
A comprehensive, detailed guide which includes details for group facilitators and helping
professionals about teen stress. The findings of a study are included which identifies five
most sources of stress for teens, which are; school work, parents, romantic relationships,
problems with friends and younger siblings. The guide includes a toolkit and specifies the
manners in which the types of stress experienced by teenagers is unique. The kit further
contains a stress checklist that can be used as well as a guide to utilizing breathing and
relaxation techniques.
Caldwell, C. (2003). Adult Group Therapy: Passion and Purpose (Ed. Charles Schaefer). Hoboken,
NJ: John Wiley & Sons, 301-315.
Article which discusses the importance of play. Caldwell credits play as providing the
opportunity to engage in social learning in a safe manner, without fear of the repercussions

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that can occur in the real world. Caldwell further goes into how play can be achieved even
when living in a world with rules and regulations. Caldwell explains his theory of the
Moving cycle, which focusses on healing, growth and transformation through play therapy.
Hamilton, S.F, Hamilton, M.A., & Pittman, K. (2004) Principles for Youth Development. Thousand
Oaks: Sage Publications. Retrieved from
http://ecommons.library.cornell.edu/bitstream/1813/21945/2/PrinciplesYD.pdf
Article which discusses the key domains of youth development. This article uses a positive,
asset based lens while examining the needs of youth and their development within their
environments. The article discusses the importance of physical and psychological safety,
appropriate structure, supportive relationships, opportunities to belong, positive social
norms, the need for skill building and an integration of family, school and community
efforts. This article emphasises the importance of community organizations, and their
positive impact on the psychological development of youth within their communities.
Valle, J.S., Pettigrew, A., Nazzari, V., Cooper, A., Roy, D., et al. (2010). Speaking rights, human
rights educational toolkit for youth 13- 17. Equitas International Centre for Human
Rights Education. Retrieved from
http://inuusiq.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Speaking-Rights_Education-Toolkit.pdf
The Toolkit aims to promote human rights, non- discrimination and peaceful conflict
resolution through the active participation of youth between the ages of 13 and 17. The
toolkit offers suggestions for activities related to human rights, tolerance, and acceptance.
Activities of interest are improvisation game, photo project, and role play.