BUILDING THE WORLD WE DREAM ABOUT
A Tapestry of Faith Program for Adults
WORKSHOP 18: FIELD TRIP AND COMMUNITY WALK
BY MARK HICKS. GAIL FORSYTH-VAIL, DEVELOPMENTAL EDITOR.
© Copyright 2010 Unitarian Universalist Association.
Published to the Web on 9/29/2014 10:43:09 PM PST.
This program and additional resources are available on the UUA.org web site at
www.uua.org/religiouseducation/curricula/tapestryfaith.
WORKSHOP OVERVIEW
INTRODUCTION
It is far better to see the same place through 100 pairs of eyes, than 100 different places through the same pair of eyes. — Marcel Proust
This workshop engages participants directly with communities where the dominant racial/ethnic identity is people of African, Asian/Pacific Islander, Latina/o/Hispanic, Arabic/Middle Eastern, and/or Native descent or where a mixture of such persons is the dominant demographic. Participants add to what they have learned from previous workshops and have an opportunity to foster relationships across cultural divides by learning about the aspirations, issues, and concerns of people from racially or ethnically marginalized groups who live in the community around the congregation. Avoid making this a tourist or anthropology field trip. Engage panelists from Workshop 17 to help you identify communities, organizations, and people to meet and talk with.
GOALS
This workshop will:
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Participants will:
WORKSHOP-AT-A-GLANCE
Activity | Minutes |
Activity 1: Field Trip and Community Walk | 120 |
SPIRITUAL PREPARATION
Multiculturalism is not about learning a language or translating some brochures. This goes even further. It means to sit down at the table of the other people . . . , without fear of what people might say. Without the fear of not understanding each other, without the fear of not doing well in this intercultural encounter. — Dr. Robert Padilla, Now Is the Time Conference (San Jose, CA), February 2008
This workshop's field trip may require much logistical preparation. Do not become so overwhelmed by this preparation that you neglect to prepare yourself spiritually. Consider Dr. Padilla's words, and talk with your co-facilitator or a trusted conversation partner about your hopes and fears in advance of the field trip. Cultivate an attitude of openness to the experience.
WORKSHOP PLAN
ACTIVITY 1: FIELD TRIP AND COMMUNITY WALK (120 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
Gather participants and introduce the activity using these or similar words:
It is far easier to move through the world without really seeing much of it. Think about how often we turn into the driveway or walk home after a long day at work and realize we were on auto-pilot the entire trip home? This workshop interrupts the experience of "turning on the auto-pilot" in order to help us see our congregation and community as thoughtfully as we possibly can. Our task today is simple but powerful: Get out of our car and explore at least two (or more) neighborhoods that are important to our congregation, I invite you to gather a few astute observations, which we will process in later Building the World We Dream About workshops.
Travel in small groups, no larger than five. After you have formed your group, plan your trip. You may begin by exploring the neighborhood where this congregation is located, and then continue on to one or more other communities in the area. You may choose to begin in a neighborhood a distance from the congregation and end your time in the immediate area. Your task is to talk with people and find out about their hopes, aspirations, and challenges and to get to know a bit about the neighborhood. You might stop in at a market to talk with people, at a church, or at a playground (but do not approach children without first talking with their parent!). Take pictures and notes, if they will help you in processing, understanding, or remembering, but do not let the camera or the notebook act as a barrier, or a means of detaching yourself from the experience. You will be asked to report back next time on what you observed and discovered, and what insights you gained.
Distribute the cell phone number list; Handout 1, Field Trip and Community Walk; Taking It Home handout; notebooks and pens/pencils for those who need them; and (optional) maps. Invite participants to form small groups and take a few minutes to plan their trip.
Participants may go their separate ways at the end of their field trip.
LEADER REFLECTION AND PLANNING
Take a few moments right after the workshop to ask each other:
TAKING IT HOME
It is far better to see the same place through 100 pairs of eyes, than 100 different places through the same pair of eyes. — Marcel Proust
Examine your notes, artifacts, and photos from the field trip and reflect on new insights you have gained. Prepare to share three new insights at the next workshop meeting.
BUILDING THE WORLD WE DREAM ABOUT: WORKSHOP 18:
HANDOUT 1: FIELD TRIP AND COMMUNITY WALK
During your community walk, observe and gather information. If the group chooses to go to a restaurant or a coffee shop, make sure the establishment you select is wheelchair accessible.
What explicit and implicit values are conveyed by how the neighborhood is designed? What is important? Who is important? For example:
Collect artifacts (such as brochures, advertisements, or natural objects). Take photos or video images of where you go.
Do quick interviews of three to five people who seem representative of the neighborhood. As questions such as:
Gather together your artifacts, field notes, and images. Each person should be prepared to share three fresh insights at our next workshop.
FIND OUT MORE
The UUA Multicultural Growth & Witness staff group offers resources, curricula, trainings, and tools to help Unitarian Universalist congregations and leaders engage in the work of antiracism, antioppression, and multiculturalism. Visit www.uua.org/multicultural (at www.uua.org/multicultural) or email multicultural @ uua.org (at mailto:multicultural@uua.org) to learn more.