Life Skills & Leadership: Unit 1, Session 4: Choosing Positive Values | Page 49 of 93If we did this activity again, what might you do differently? (Possible responses: I would ask more
questions before giving up a value; I would refuse to give away as many values; I would find ways
to group several values under the heading of one value)
Knowing what you know now, how might you react when someone asks you to do something
against your values? (Possible responses: I will think about what values are most important to me;
I will consider whether I have to give up a value in order to go along with that person; I’ll think
about how it will make me feel; I’ll wonder whether it’s worth it)- Think – Pair – Share: Ask participants to each quietly think for a few moments about a situation where
it may be important to “give up,” reconsider, or compromise, one of their values. Ask participants to
briefly share their thoughts with another person sitting next to them or in a group of three.
B. Review
Review concepts by saying:
“This was just a simulation and of course, you have all your values all the time. But, having our values
symbolically taken away gives us a chance to talk about what it’s like to give them up in real-life
situations. It’s never easy to compromise our beliefs, but sometimes we may feel there is no other
choice. That’s when we need to focus on the values that are most important to us.”- Help participants make connections between their values and the view they have of themselves, as
expressed in their personal posters. Say:
“Look at your original Handout 1: List of Values. How do the five values you originally chose fit together
and complement each other?”- Listen to two or three examples that participants give, then choose from among the following
discussion questions to engage participants in a learning conversation:
Give an example of how your values have helped you make an important decision.
What challenges do young adults have in staying consistent with their values?
How do your values fit with your personal posters [made in the Assessment section (“My Life as
Art”) of Session 2]?
Add words, drawings, or pictures to your personal poster to represent two of your most treasured
values.Note: The last two bulleted discussion points of Step 12 also serve as an assessment of Learning Objective 1.
Note: Be sure to collect the participants’ personal posters because they will be used again in the Application section of Session 7.C. Summary
Allow time for participants to make additions to their posters before you summarize. Conclude the activity
by saying:“Each time we feel our values being tested, we have an opportunity to re-evaluate what is really
important to us. As this happens, we become clearer about who we are. The picture we have of
ourselves becomes more complete and the house we are building for our future is that much stronger.”