Workshop 1

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CHAPTER 1 

Workshop’s duration// 45-50 min.
Location// indoor, in the classroom
Equipment needed// chairs for all the participants, an image with the Olympic flag (attached) or pen and paper to draw it yourself 

Learning objectives 

  1. Identify the importance of taking the responsibility for your own actions

  2. Explore how each individual’s decisions/actions affect the whole in

    achieving or not a goal

  3. Demonstrate teamwork spirit/behaviors

  4. Develop a common efficient strategy

core competencies// self improvement, participation, self-control, cooperation
keywords// teamwork, strategy, individual/group responsibility, communication 

Energizer (5 min.) 

The Olympic rings 

All the students stand next to each other, forming one circle, a ring.
Explain to your students that this ring is a part of the Olympic symbol. You can also show them a picture of it, or draw the Olympic symbol on the school blackboard. Point out to them that the five rings symbolize the union between the five
continents, Africa, Asia, America, Europe and Oceania.
The colors of the five rings are: black, yellow, red, blue and green. 

Although the rings have different colors, they are interconnected. This connection is their secret power! Having this in mind follow with your team, the steps bellow: 

  1. Invite your student to choose one of the five colors they like best.
  2. So now each of them represents an Olympic ring and for the needs of the game we will call it player/ring. 
  3. Ask for a volunteer. This person will be the saboteur and will stand in the center of the circle.
  4. The saboteur has one mission: to break the Olympic unity. To do so, each time he tries to catch one player/ring from the circle (with a single touch).
  5. The mission of the rest of the players is to maintain unity and safety between them. 

 To achieve it they have to quickly pair up and hug with another player when the saboteur attacks. Once they are hugged they are safe.
If a player cannot find a mate while the saboteur is attacking, is trapped and becomes the new saboteur! 

Tips: –  Remind your students that they are safe only if they create a group of 2!
–  As this game is fast, we recommend you try 7-8 rounds.

Preparation activity (10 min.) 

The 6th colorful ring 

The group maintains the circle, this ring. 

Εxplain to your students that due to saboteur’s attacks, the 5 Olympic flag colors have been totally mixed and the result is a new colorful ring. In fact, this 6th ring is truly special as it includes the other 5 and symbolizes not only unity but
also cooperation. So, in this new ring all players are like the pantheon of cooperation.
All together follow the steps below: 

  1. Each player has a personal goal, to exchange as many places as possible with all other players.
  2. Players should not speak or use signals. They communicate only by using eye contact. In particular, when one participant has eye contact with another, it means that they silently agree to walk to the center of the ring and exchange positions.
  3. At the same time they have the responsibility to control their body so that they do not fall on another participant while moving.
  4. The aim of the team is to always maintain the shape of the circle. Cooperate with as many players as possible and always move at a calm rhythm without talking and without touching. 

Tips:
– If your team is advanced, you can offer them an extra level: players should maintain eye contact with their partners throughout the exchange of positions.

 

Main activity (15-20 min.)

The best sabotage strategy

For this game you will need as many chairs as the participants.
Follow the steps with your students to place the chairs in the free space:

 – chairs should be spread all over, not in a circle or line 

–  there is always a corridor between them, so that everyone can walk among them 

–  chairs must be far enough from any obstacle so that players can easily stand up

Then, 

1)  All players take a sit
2)  Ask for one volunteer who will stand up from his/her chair. He/she is the saboteur.
3) Explain to your students their different roles:

The saboteur has come back with a new and sneaky strategy! Νow, he/she wants not only to break the Olympic unity but also the power of the 6th colorful ring, the cooperation power. How?
There is an empty chair in the space, the one where the saboteur was sitting at the beginning.
Saboteur’s purpose is to sit in the empty chair. If he/she succeeds wins.

But they are some rules: 

–  He/she starts from the most distant point in relation to the empty chair.
–  He/she can not push, hold, pull any of the players.
–  He/she moves in a slow rhythm.
–  Every time he/she moves towards the empty chair.

On the other hand, the team’s goal is to keep the saboteur upright for as long as possible. To succeed the players have to sit in the empty seat themselves.
But, they also follow some rules:

–  Players stand up and move only to sit in another chair.

–  There should be only one empty chair at a time.

–  Players are not allowed to push, hold, pull the saboteur.

–  Players can’t speak to each other, they play in silence.

–  They move quickly in space, no running

4) Once the saboteur sits during the first round, the group has the opportunity for 2 min. talk in order to form a strategy in secret (the saboteur is not listening). 

Tips :
–  If you see that the player’s strategy is not working you can give them the chance to have another 2 min. talk to upgrade it.
–  Repeat the game until the team holds the saboteur for at least 1min30 or until they have tried 4-5 rounds.
–  We recommend you join the team from the beginning of the game. Also, it would be very interesting to be the last saboteur and change the situation a bit by making sounds with your mouth while moving (like ‘monster’s’ noises). This distracts the team, causes laughter and makes the game harder (increases the difficulty level).

Reflection time (10 min.) 

Create a circle with chairs and ask your students to take a seat. Τhe following questions stimulate discussion: 

  1. In the last game, what can we do to help the team win?
  2. Why did this 2-minute strategy make you succeed more in the game?
  3. What happens when someone doesn’t follow the common strategy?
  4. How would you feel if someone’s choice caused you to lose the game?
  5. Imagine you make a decision that allows the saboteur to sit down. How does it
    feel? 
  6. What was each player’s responsibility? Did everybody have the same responsibility all the time?
  7. In everyday circumstances are there situations where we have to share responsibilities in order to do something all together? 
  8. Name a situation in everyday life where you have to share responsibilities. 
  9. What can you do to create strategies in those cases?

Conclusion ritual
Hands together in the center of the circle. Then all together scream “1,2,3 Olympic power team” by shaking hands.