Concord School sixth graders spent a day at the Lyndon Outing Club engaging with UP for Learning and other community partners in community building activities. This opportunity arose from work UP started last school year with the Concord School working with the student council on school climate and community.
UP Program Director Jackie Verley led the group in a version of the identity iceberg activity. In a more traditional setting, students think about their identity as an iceberg – thinking about the elements that can be seen, those above the waterline, and those that are hidden or less visible, those underwater. In the spirit of the day, the group worked on the identity of their youth-adult community. They used pictures cut from magazines to create a mural. Students also created individualized name tags.
During the day, youth enjoyed the games and outdoors with the Lyndon Outing Club, made pizzas with the After school community, and connected with each other and school-based adults. Jackie described the day: “By the end of the day, students were more comfortable sharing about their art and themselves. This is the first time this 6th grade event has taken place in this way, and I think in the future, we could create even greater connections between the students and their teachers, and the adults representing the other community partners.”
UP’s work with the Concord School 6-8th grade Student Council began last winter. Last school year, the student council and UP discussed ways to create connections. This year, Jackie, the two student council advisors, and the youth will build upon this with some additional data collection from the middle school students, meaningful community dialogue resulting in meaningful change.
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