Life Skills & Leadership: Unit 1, Session 3: Building Self-Confidence | Page 29 of 93Say:“Please write each concern you have on a separate slip of paper. You do not have to worry about
using proper spelling, grammar, or complete sentences. You do not have to write on all your slips of
paper, but if do you want more, just ask. Feel free to write whatever is on your mind because no one
will know who has written which slip of paper. However, do write so what is written can be easily
read and understood.”- After three to five minutes for writing say:
“OK, you’ve identified several concerns or things you are worried about. Wouldn’t it be nice not to
worry about them; to be able to let them just fly away? I’d like you to crunch each slip of paper into
a ball, even the ones you have not written on, so that you have several wads of paper. Then we’ll
imagine that a mighty windstorm has come upon us. When I give the signal, throw your wads of
paper toward me and let the wind blow them away from you.”- Give a signal, watch the concerns fly.
B. Summary
Conclude by saying:“When we build a house, it has to have the strength to withstand violent winds that blow sand, rain,
and debris and can damage the structure. It’s the same for us as people. We need to rely upon our
strengths and assets to survive the criticisms and putdowns people sometimes throw at us. In fact,
sometimes our own personal doubts, worries, and negative things we say about ourselves are
hardest on us.“Today we’ll focus on additional strengths, such as self-confidence and self-esteem, and we’ll
discover some ways to keep our ‘house’ strong in the face of stormy relationships with friends,
parents, other adults, and even ourselves.”II. Information (30 minutes)
Materials:
Flip chart or large paper; markers or crayons
A. Stormy Weather (Continued)
Participants identify resources to address the concerns they have as adolescents.
- Divide the participants into groups of three to six people. Ask participants to group by the weather
condition they like the most and point to an area that represents the meeting place for each condition.
Say: