Life Skills & Leadership: Unit 1, Session 2: Stages of Adolescence | Page 19 of 95- Give participants about 1 5 minutes to do the activity.
Note: If participants are getting stuck on one story, you might want to give them time cues to keep them moving, such as
“By now you should’ve read your story and identified at least one change the person is experiencing.” Alternatively, consider
modeling the activity and discussion by discussing one of the stories as a whole group; then, you might reduce the number
of stories or extend the time allowed.- Move among the groups and listen to the conversations so you can choose the most relevant
discussion questions when the groups get back together. When a majority of the groups have
completed the activity, form a large circle for a discussion. Select from the following questions:
Note: There are no “right” or “wrong” answers for this activity because there are no firm lines between the stages of
adolescent development. Stories have intentionally been written to leave room for participant interpretations and to
encourage participants to see connections to their own lives. Facilitators can use the notes in Trainer 1: Personal Dramas
Answer Key to provide additional insights during the discussion, as appropriate.Do any of these stories sound similar to people you know? Which one(s)? What is something one
of the characters experienced that is similar to things you have experienced?
Which people in the stories are dealing well with the changes they are experiencing?
Which people in the stories have made the most progress toward adulthood?
Which people in the stories have made progress in one area but not as much in another?
To what degree do you think the people in the stories are aware of the changes that happen
during adolescence?
Choose one of the stories your group talked about the most. What assets would be helpful for
the individual in that story?
Of all the changes during adolescence, which do you think are most difficult to deal with and
why?Note: These discussion questions serve as an assessment of Objective 1. However, avoid putting participants on the spot by
insisting that everyone answer all the questions. Keep the discussion focused on the characters in the stories or on “what
most people might do” during adolescence. For some questions, you might just ask people to sit quietly for a moment and
think about how the question relates to them.B. Summary
Conclude the activity by saying:
“We may not be aware of all the complex changes going on inside ourselves, just like we may not know
what is happening in each room of a house at any given moment. Becoming more aware of the changes
that might be happening inside helps us anticipate and keep our ‘house’ in order. We can use our
assets, and develop other assets, to help.”