Download Yarning Circle Part One

RSAS Activity
RSAS Yarning Circle – Part One
Goal:
To demonstrate that words can have multiple meanings to
different people
Purpose:
This activity is used to train teams that they need to be openminded in how they think (perception) may be different to
others. It is to show that everyone has different experiences
and may see things differently to you.
Resources:
To complete this activity you will need a whiteboard or
butcher’s paper with pens/markers.
How to complete the activity:
Tip:
The concept of a yarning circle is to facilitate conversation and ask
open-ended questions to encourage conversation from the
participants. This can be done as a whole team, but works best in
smaller groups.
Instructions:
1. Give a piece of paper and a pen/ pencil to each participant and write down
or say an object or something we use in our everyday lives. Some examples
of words can be:





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House
Water
Trees
School
Food
Partner
NESA RSAS Toolkit 2016: Activity – Yarning Circle – Part One
Give the group some time to list their five top words or pictures that relate to
the chosen word. For example:
 Water could show - a tap, water boat, glass of water, fish in the water
and rain. (This can be personal and doesn’t have to be shown to anyone)
2. Once everyone has had a chance to come up with five words, hold a
discussion around what the words mean to the individual.
3. This is to demonstrate that when we mention different words, they have
different meanings to each person and therefore communication is already
a challenge.
4. For example, if we use the word school, someone may have their top answer
as education, however another person may have bullying due to personal or
family experiences.
5. If the group is comfortable they may choose to share words voluntarily or
you could ask for people to nod if they agree.
6. At the end of the activity as a group have a general discussion on key lessons
learnt and how this may impact your role as a RSAS worker
NESA RSAS Toolkit 2016: Activity – Yarning Circle – Part One