Weekend Retreat (January 21-23)

DAY 1: Friday, January 21, 2011
Theme: We can only be team members if we know who we are.

Youth participants and college mentors join hands during a team-building
game called the "Human Knot."  To play, arrange group in a circle.  Put your
right hand in the air and grab the hand of someone across the circle from you.
Then put your left hand up and grab the hand of a different person.  Now,
untangle your group without breaking the chain of hands.  If broken, start over!

Our Reclaiming the Dream: Youth Leadership Institute (ROD) came together the weekend of January 21-23, 2010 for a team-building and leadership development retreat at Urban Spirit. 

Muhammad Ali Institute for Peace & Justice Program Coordinator, Mikal Forbush opened Friday evening with an African greeting, "Sawubona ("I see you"), Sikona ("I am here), Umbuntu ("I am because WE are")," as a way to welcome new participants into our space, explaining that a Zulu folk saying, "Umbuntu ngumuntu nagabantu" essentially translates to "A person is a person because of other people."

Students decided on group roles, rules, and responsibilities, fostering a safe space based on cinfidentiality and respect for self and others.  After a presentation of the "Candle of Truth," a (flameless!) candle symbolizing the "Right to Truth" for everyone entering our space, Alye led us in the Life Map activity, in which we created illustrations (with words, phrases and images) about our personal journeys that have made us who we are today.

Working hard on the "Body Exercise"!

Khotso introduced the "Body Exercise," in which each participant drew an outline of a body, filling the inside with words and phrases about how we see ourselves: brother, sister, student, strong, dedicated.  Each "body" was hung on the wall, and everyone circled the room, writing a word or phrase about how they see each team member: passionate, determined, leader, friend.

DAY 2: Saturday, January 22, 2011
Theme: Building the team and creating the tools to put in the toolbox.




(From left to right) Ashley, Silvia, JeVonde, Asia,
Shaquisha, and Ashley on the last day of the retreat!

 U of L Psychology and Sociology student, Silvia Gozzini, facilitated a discussion on leadership, to define what a team is, identify barriers to effective teamwork and leadership, and re-define our group roles and expectations for the program.

Students developed and presented their own lists of human rights, followed with a presentation on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) by U of L Graduate Student and ROD Mentor, Goutam. The UDHR, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1948, represents a global expression of rights entitled to all human beings, such as freedom of speech, religion, housing, education, and health.

Click here to view Amnesty International's video, "Celebrating 60 years of human rights".

We closed out the evening with a viewing of the movie Freedom Song (2000), chronicling the grassroots efforts of a group of small-town citizens, who risked everything to bring positive social change during the Civil Rights Movement.  Afterwards, we discussed the power of the people to be movers and shakers, as the film asked the question, "If not me, who? If not now, when?" of a group of young students, who responded to injustice with passion and committment.

DAY 3: Sunday, January 23, 2011

Theme: Next steps and closing.

After a great breakfast, we packed, cleaned up, and had an amazing photo shoot, with enough time for "Cultural Sharing," before saying our goodbyes. 

All the guys on the last day of the retreat! (From left to right).