Wednesday, December 13, 2023

Regional Workshop December 15, 2023

Mashantucket Tribal Community Center

8:05     Groton STA bus picks up New London High students at Jefferson Ave entrance

8:25     Groton STA bus picks up Fitch High students

8:30     Ledyard STA bus picks up Ledyard students 

8:45     Arrive at Mashantucket Tribal Community Center

 

8:50 Icebreakers

  • Movement games/ Name games

Group challenge:  Quick Line-up - Have the group make lines of 8-10. If you have more than one line, they can race to line up in order of:

  • Alphabetical city where you were born.

  • Height, shortest to tallest

  • After area code, first three numbers of phone number, least to greatest 


9:20 Mission Review:

  • More Than Words is a group of student leaders from Fitch High School, Ledyard High School and the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, and New London High School Multi Magnet Campus High School.

  • The mission of More Than Words is to promote resect for diversity, facilitate communication and build trust among members of our community. Goals: develop a group able to respond to crises, work proactively to prevent problems and celebrate diversity. 


9:30  Mystic Chamber of Commerce invitation:

  • Feb. 3, 2024 Celebration of Black History Month 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM

  • Chamber would like to add student voices to the celebration. 

  • Kevin Booker – Union Baptist Church and Mystic Seaport 

  • Student-led panel discussion - Possible questions:

    • Many people say that Black History Month is not very effective, how could we make the month a better learning experience?

    • Knowing that major aspects of Black history have not been incorporated into our history; what would a meaningful Black History Month look like?

    • Should the focus of Black History Month be primarily aimed at the African Americans community or the larger society? What benefits are derived various segments of the population?

    • Does celebrating Black History month advance the cause of social justice?

    • Development of strategies for panel discussion 


10:30 Orientation to More Than Words outreach: Middle school workshop 

  • Topic: How to respond to negative talk like hate language, disability put-downs, antisemitism, Islamophobia

  • Last spring workshop for More Than words students 🡪 Scenarios – how to respond to negative situations in various environments. Groups will respond to each scenario in three ways: (1) with buddies or allies, (2) in a mixed group and (30) in a potentially unsafe environment. 

  • You hear homophobic joke and someone you thought was an ally, laughs and walks away.

  • You are on bus and student displays swastika and gestures the Nazi salute.

  • You hear a student say, "that's so r-slur" or "I'm so r-slur" or "They're so r-slur" (or you can substitute the f-slur here).

  • In an academic situation, an academic word is used with a prefix of trans- or homo-, like transcontinental or homologous, then students start laughing and saying "homo" or they crack trans jokes.

  • You are in a group setting and you think you heard someone say a slur and you want to say, "wait, what did you say?" but you are hesitant because of the group.

  • A teacher that some students don't like get made fun of because of their physical disability. (While other students can empathize with not liking the teacher, making fun of them because of their disability is over the top.)

  • After one student says something in class, another student makes fun of them by using the hand gesture for the r-slur (we can explain this one) so other students chuckle.

  • You hear a joke that is just over the top (for making fun of a group).

  • How to be a positive bystander - skits


11:00 Middle school workshop organization

  • Facilitation skills

  • Partners presenting the topic to middle school classes


11:30 Lunch


12:00 Amistad Leadership Academy – Reeshemah Norfleet, Discovering Amistad, April 2024


12:30 Opinion Continuum- Possible statements:

  • Should schools allow free speech that some consider anti-Jewish or anti-Muslim 

  • Social media has a negative impact on my peers

  • I feel heard in my school.


1:20 Fishbowl 

  • How to promote school spirit

  • Bathroom access alternatives

  • No sabo kids


  1:45    Bus departs Tribal Community Center

  2:00    Bus drops off Ledyard students

  2:05    Drop off Fitch High students

  2:30    Drop off New London High students


Tuesday, October 31, 2023

Regional Workshop November 2, 2023

New London High School STEM Lecture Hall

 

7:45     Groton STA bus picks up Fitch High students

8:00     Groton STA bus picks up Ledyard High students

8:30     Arrive at New London High STEM Program Lecture Hall

 

8:45 Icebreakers:

  • Name games – Cold wind Blows, you, me, left, right 
  • Movement games – blog tag with three-people teams base, single person with three-people base

9:15 Beach ball tower construction Team building.

  • Assign kids to a group for the day
  • Sheets of newspaper and scotch tape 

9:45 Mission Review:

  • More Than Words is a group of student leaders from Fitch High School, Ledyard High School and the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, and New London High School Multi Magnet Campus High School.
  • The mission of More Than Words is to promote resect for diversity, facilitate communication and build trust among members of our community. Goals: develop a group able to respond to crises, work proactively to prevent problems and celebrate diversity. 

9:50 Camp Hazen trip review: 

  • Best aspects of trip?
  • Parts of experience we should skip next time?
  • Did the Camp Hazen trip support the goals of More Than Words?

10:00 Break


10:25 Leadership Discussion: 

  • “Victims are spectators in their own lives and leaders are players in the human drama around them.”
  • Definition of leader small group dialogue and write brief definition on newsprint.  

11:00 Ledyard and Fitch incident explanation Who were the leaders, allies, bystanders and how do we make sure leaders honors their safety? 

  • Small group discussion:
    • What part of the stories do you find most important?
    • What is the role of leader and the ally? 
    • Where do the bystanders fit in? 
    • Did the leaders face possible threats to their safety?

 11:45 Lunch


12:15 MLK Scholar Recognition 


12:30 Fitch High School student-developed Anti-Bigotry Policy.


  • Policy elements how developed
  • Why policy is important to school community
  • How do we ensure everyone knows about the policy and follows the guidelines?

1:00 Wrap up activities, social sharing


1:15     Bus departs New London High

1:45     Drop off Ledyard High students.

2:15     Drop off Fitch High students.

Tuesday, May 23, 2023

Regional Workshop May 25, 2023

Mashantucket Tribal Community Center

7:45     Groton STA bus picks up New London High students

8:10     Groton STA bus picks up Fitch High students

8:30     Groton STA bus picks up Ledyard High students 

8:45 Arrive at Mashantucket Tribal Community Center

 

8:50 Icebreakers

  • Movement games

  • All Aboard – with three groups (Set up three groups for this and scenario activity)

  • Name games

  • Close loop on New London middle school Arts Program transition

9:30  Pequot Massacre May 26, 1637 Recognition 

9:45 Mission statement and goals – hand out 

  • Read statement: 

  • Feedback from large group: what does the statement and goals mean to you? 

  • How does the statement focus our efforts to move forward?

10:15 Scenarios – how to respond to negative situations in various environments. Groups will respond to each scenario in three ways: (1) with buddies or allies, (2) in a mixed group and (30) in a potentially unsafe environment. 

  • You hear homophobic joke and someone you thought was an ally, laughs and walks away.

  • You are on bus and student displays swastika and gestures the Nazi salute.

  • Ledyard scenarios - ?

11:00 Lunch

11:30 Refocus activity: Fish Bowl : 

  • Can a student leadership group like More Than Words make a meaningful difference in the school community? Can student leaders really affect change? 

12:00 Councilor Crystal Whipple 

12:15 Senior recognition

  • Post-secondary plans

  • What would be hope or future of More Than Words…recommendations for the future.

12:45 School Groups Meetings:

  • With missions and goals in mind, what should be our focus for next year?

  • Camp Hazen in the fall?

  1:15 Free time


  1:30    Bus departs Tribal Community Center

  1:50    Drop off Ledyard High students

  2:15    Drop off Fitch High students

  2:45    Drop off New London High Students