What did you hear and see as the group did the Wounding Message books?
42
● What did it feel like to “change the picture?”
● Why is this an important leadership skill?
● How might this influence how you choose to react in negative situations?
● Can you think of an example when you are trying to make a change in a community when you
might receive a wounding message?
● This takes us directly into our next activity which focuses on the specific components of selfimage that focus on culture, ethnicity and race. The parents are also doing a similar activity.

Materials:

● ROBOT Worksheet
● Scratch paper
● Pens/pencils

Activity Goals:
● Self-Responsibility. Youth internalize the concept of taking personal responsibility for actions.

● Emphasize confidentially in this exercise

o This arrow bullet is used to indicate suggested phrasing that can be used by facilitators. You are not required to use these scripts

Process:

● Have youth think of 6 people, things, or events that they feel they find themselves blaming for their actions and feelings. These will become the buttons of their robots.
Ensure youth know they shouldn’t share names if they choose people.

● Buttons can be people like teachers, parents, siblings, and friends. Buttons can be things like school, homework, and neighborhood.

● Have them label the six buttons on the robot with the names from their list. Participants are asked NOT to share names. After the buttons are labeled, have youth draw a line from the button and put a feeling on the line. Notice how we often blame others for our feelings.
“My brother makes me so angry!”

● Next have participants share an action or behavior that often happens when they have these feelings. Notice how we often blame our behavior on others. “My brother made me mad, so I hit him.”

● Explain to the youth that we often give people or things control over our feelings and actions. We let them push our buttons.
Hand out the Control Certificate and have them fill in a few ideas of how they might be able to keep others from pushing their buttons.

● Do you want to let those people or things have that much power over them?
● Is letting someone push our buttons having internal or external control?
● How can we take our power back? What are some ways to keep from having our
buttons pushed?
● How will this help you become a community leader?

Process:

● Explain how this is an assessment to get to know yourself better.
● The youth should be honest about their answers, and they may surprise themselves on what they learn about who they are.
● Remind them that this is a tool to get to know yourself better and see their strengths.
● Break them up into groups and discuss their results.

Debrief:

● Did the results surprise you or is it what you expected?
● Tell us more about what surprised you or why it is what you expected.
● What does this have to do with being a leader?
● How can this information help you?
● How will this help you become a community leader?

Process:

● Have the youth use information they received from the Personality Assessments to explain who they are.

● Participants interview one another and then artistically represent what they learned on six individual square boards / pieces of paper, and then assemble them together to be displayed visually.

● Have pairs report out what is on the cube.

Process:

● Have the youth use information they received from the Personality Assessments to explain who they are.

● Participants interview one another and then artistically represent what they learned on six individual square boards / pieces of paper, and then assemble them together to be displayed visually.

● Have pairs report out what is on the cube.

Debrief:

● What did you learn about your partner?
● What did you learn about yourself?
● What does this have to do with leadership?