August 9-13, 2021
Theme: Collaborating
Skill Building: Learning About Others
Person-Centered Thinking & Safety
Monday August 9, 2021
Today happens to be...Book Lovers Day
Hope Program Updates
Thematic Media
Imagine you are a teacher at a school and your students have a unit about learning about one another's cultures. There are lots of things that make up our culture. We can use what we know about ourselves to find out about others. The more we know about one another, the better we can collaborate on projects and goals.
Teaching Children About Cultural Differences (Spanish and English)
Thematic Activity
Conversations with Anyone (video)
PRESENTERS: Review the points from the video
- Set your intention for the conversation
- Approach with open body language, relaxed posture, smile
- How to start: GREET and ask how the person is
- Conversation sparks: use curiosity, when people are interested they raise their eyebrows (unless they've had Botox injections)
- Mutual likes then look for the thing tha makes the other person interested
- Ending a chat: ask about the future, THEN end the chat (It's like opening the door to let you both exit the conversation)
- Invite people to approach YOU by having your body set at an angle to show people the conversation is open
- Don't sit there staring into your phone. People think you're too busy to talk
- Be near the food and drinks if you want to be approached.
PRESENTERS: Help participants evaluate if the exercise is DOABLE for them and offer a different option if it isn't
Skills Information
Review these safety tips for participating in social media.
Skills Applied
Review the tips for making virtual friends.
PRESENTERS: Clarify the need to balance safety with social skills and be smart to develop the friendship slowly and carefully.
PRESENTERS: Help participants evaluate if the exercise is DOABLE for them and offer a different option if it isn't
Fun Stuff
Sequence the Hour
Civics & Community Awareness
Tuesday August 10, 2021
Today happens to be...Skyscraper Appreciation Day
Hope Program Updates
If anyone in the group is also attending in-person, maybe they can share what some of the in-person programming is like. If presenters have information coming from meetings and updates, please share them here.
Thematic Media
Government in a representative democracy, like the US, is a collaborative government. In order to get re-elected representatives need to make the people who vote for them happy with the job they are doing. You can call your representatives any time and tell them what you think or want.
How to call your representative to tell them what you think
Thematic Activity
Use these questions to plan a script to call a representative about a topic that is important to you. Imagine that your local government is not going to spend money to repair the curb cuts in your neighborhood and you have friends who use wheelchairs who need them repaired.
- How would you identify yourself?
- How would you explain that you are a voter in that representative's district? (also called a constituent)
- How would you refer to the problem you want fixed?
- What contact information would you leave?
Info
Use this web page to look up your representative by your zip code.
PRESENTERS: Help participants evaluate if the exercise is DOABLE for them and offer a different option if it isn't
Skills Media
Did you know that anyone who meets the requirements can run for city council?
Skills Information
Gives a whole new meaning to the word "deadline..."
Skills Applied
Choosing a platform.
Candidates for public office run on what is called a platform. That means they tell the voters what they stand for and what they believe so voters can decide if they agree with that person. Usually they choose topics that are very important to most people and tell everyone how they will deal with those issues.
Learn about the platform of candidates you are considering.
Sample ideas from 3 US political parties
There are more than 2 parties in the US, but mostly you only hear about Republicans and Democrats. This graphic lists a few of the ideas that are the platforms of 3 parties. You can see they do agree on some things.
PRESENTERS: Help participants evaluate if the exercise is DOABLE for them and offer a different option if it isn't
Fun Stuff
Sequence the Hour
Well Being and Social Connection
Wednesday August 11, 2021
Today happens to be...Play in the Sand Day
Hope Program Updates
If anyone in the group is also attending in-person, maybe they can share what some of the in-person programming is like. If presenters have information coming from meetings and updates, please share them here.
Thematic Media
Thematic Activity
A good relationship with doctors and other service providers is one where you collaborate, working together to achieve the goals you have.
Use these info-graphics to identify things you want your doctor to know and REMEMBER about you so they can help you better.
PRESENTERS: remember you can click on the magnifying glass or hold down Ctrl and the + sign to enlarge the images
- Fears and Phobias at the Doctor
- Tips for Seniors at the Doctor
- Subjects that may be hard to discuss
- General talking to your doctor stuff
PRESENTERS: Help participants evaluate if the exercise is DOABLE for them and offer a different option if it isn't
Skills Media
Learning About Others During the Pandemic
Difficult times, like the pandemic, can bring us great stress. Sometimes when we are stressed it brings out the best in us. Other times we get overwhelmed and act in ways we might not be very proud of.
As the pandemic goes on, we may see others doing things we don't agree with, or acting in ways we feel are wrong. Our friends might see our behavior and also feel upset that we don't do what THEY think we should. In the news and all around us people are not in agreement about how to go forward through the challenges ahead. What can we do to keep our emotional balance?
This video offers some ideas for coping with this kind of upset in a healthy way.
Skills Information
Review this info graphic about how to keep friends who are having a hard time. What skills have we learned this summer that can help with this challenge?
Skills Applied
HAKO is a great way to remember the traits that help us treat each other well and make us feel respected when others show them. For each difficult statement below that someone MIGHT make, see if you can come up with a response that is honest, kind, assertive, or open-minded, OR all 4!
- People who think that are dumb!
- I can't believe how slowly that server is doing their job. What is WRONG with them?
- Teachers are always complaining about the pay. They get 3 months off every year. Why are they complaining?
- People who bring their dogs to public places should be ticketed. It's disgusting.
PRESENTERS: Help participants evaluate if the exercise is DOABLE for them and offer a different option if it isn't
Fun Stuff
Sequence the Hour
Rights & Self Advocacy
Thursday August 12, 2021
Today happens to be...World Elephant Day
Hope Program Updates
If anyone in the group is also attending in-person, maybe they can share what some of the in-person programming is like. If presenters have information coming from meetings and updates, please share them here.
Thematic Media
Part of learning about others is understanding how their lives are different from ours. As we have learned in program, the disability rights movement in the United States has made progress. In other places the idea that people with disabilities have rights is not yet fully accepted. That includes the right to go to school and learn.
Imagine what your life would have been like if there was no school you could attend, no special education programs, no organizations like Hope.
People in places that are far behind in disbility rights are trying to change that and establish legal rights to basic services like going to school, getting modifications, and standards like inclusion in general education.
Watch this video about an effort in India to provide education for kids with differabilities.
Thematic Activity
Principles of Disability Rights
PRESENTERS: click on a principle on the left column and read the principle to your group. Explain the principle. If your group is not too large, have them give their opinions.
PRESENTERS: Help participants evaluate if the exercise is DOABLE for them and offer a different option if it isn't
Skills Media
Learning about others helps create a more fair and just society. The better we understand people's needs and how they see things, the more comfortable we will be when people want to do things differently than we would.
Feelings and thoughts are different. Watch this video explaining the difference.
When we have differences from others we have both thoughts and feelings about that experience. If we can recognize our thoughts and then see the feelings that might be caused by them we have a better way to respond to others in the world we share.
Skills Information
Look at the way thoughts can lead to feelings.
- Either-or and All-or-nothing thoughts make us feel trapped and stuck with few choices. Hardly anything is really that simple.
- When we use the word "always" or "never" we feel like the situation is unchangeable. Almost everything changes over time or situation.
- We dislike something so we think that everything associated with it is no good. That makes us feel like the whole situation is ruined.
- We think we know what someone else is thinking and we react to what WE think THEY think instead of just asking them what they really think.
Skills Applied
- Joe's car died one morning and he thought "I can either leave this juker in the street or go into debt to fix it again." It made him feel hopeless. How might Joe feel differently if he said to himself "Wow. That is a real pain. I will have to brainstorm some solutions to my transportation problem."
- Amy saw her roommates coffee cup in the sink and thought "They NEVER do the dishes." It made her angry. How might Amy feel if she said to herself "They left a coffee cup in the sink. I wonder why they didn't wash it this time."
- Dani checked on the party snacks only to find that ants had invaded the chips bowl. They thought "Now I have to throw out everything!" It made them feel frustrated. How might Dani feel differently if they said "Oh boy. I better get those chips out of here before those ants find the rest of the food."
- Ida saw her Dad's eyebrows go down while he watched TV. She thought "Oh man. He's mad. I better be quiet." It made her feel lonely. How might Ida feel if she said to herself "I wonder what he saw on TV... I should ask."
PRESENTERS: Help participants evaluate if the exercise is DOABLE for them and offer a different option if it isn't
Fun Stuff
GEtting to know you games - try one
Sequence the Hour
Knowledge & Fun
Friday August 13, 2021
Today happens to be...A bunch of different stuff
Hope Program Updates
If anyone in the group is also attending in-person, maybe they can share what some of the in-person programming is like. If presenters have information coming from meetings and updates, please share them here.
Review the Week
Movie Time
Unlikely Friendship—A prisoner and his guard at Guantanamo (20 + min)
PRESENTERS: Help participants evaluate if the exercise is DOABLE for them and offer a different option if it isn't
Music
Art
PRESENTERS please describe the visual for learning support.
FUN Art Ideas ( long so cut it off when interest wanes)
PRESENTERS: Help participants evaluate if the exercise is DOABLE for them and offer a different option if it isn't
Food
Vegan Recipe with Gordon Ramsey
Language
Moment of Gratitude
Breathe in deeply. Think of something that makes you feel grateful. You can share it or keep it yourself.
Choosing Fun Stuff to Do
Need some help deciding on an afternoon activity?
The activities are numbered. These numbers corrospond to brief activity descriptions listen in the linked document below.
