Cover

Contents

About this Handbook. 2

Methodological approach. 3

Preparation. 3

Resources checklist. 4

Group Rule-Setting. 4

RespAct Principles. 4

Being Conscious of the Children’s Backgrounds. 4

Dealing with trauma. 

Signs of Trauma. 

Sports and Trauma. 

Implementation. 

Start of the Project Week. 

During the RespAct Project Week.

Last Day of the Project. 

Closing Presentation. 

Next Steps  

 

 

 

 

 

 

About this Handbook

 

RespAct is a methodology, used in sports and democracy projects, that enables children and young people to examine their living environment, examine political and social problems in their local area closely, and find solutions to them together. Through sports and confidence-building exercises participants gain self-confidence and work more constructively as a group.

This handbook includes three variants of the RespAct project week, each of which has its own specific focus for learning environments with children and young people affected by forced and voluntary migration. These variants are Diversity and Identity, New Literacy and Vocabulary and Environment.

This book is designed so that educators can take the right amount of content and apply it to their learning situation; the entire handbook can be implemented as a curriculum for a project week, or individual elements or units of the handbook can be applied for specific classroom goals.

RespAct is a prize-winning approach developed in challenging, inner-city areas in Berlin, Hamburg and Munich, and has a major positive impact for young people living in neighbourhoods suffering from economic under-development, affected by migration and/or ethnic segregation as well as for young people suffering from multiple discriminations.

 

DOWNLOAD THE FULL RESPACT HANDBOOK FOR FREE:

www.respact.org


Whilst the project is well suited to deal with structural and social issues outlined above, there are a broad range of other challenges facing educators and learners within the context of forced migration. For example:

  • Diversity in age, education and origin,

  • Different languages and literacy levels,

  • Physical and symbolic isolation from everyday life; for example, being placed separately in specially designed classes

  • High group turnover owing to unclear residency statuses among group members.

In order to overcome these challenges successfully, we have developed three variants of the RespAct format specifically to support educators working with newly arrived migrant children and adolescents.

 

The Diversity and Identity variant helps to build a more trusting group atmosphere, as well as to illustrate individual differences and explore the positive characteristics of difference and diversity.


The New Literacy video variant is particularly suitable for older participants who want to understand their neighbourhood better and at the same time want to learn new ways to express their own perspective.

 

We have designed the Vocabulary and Environment concentration for children and young people who are still learning the language of the classroom and are exploring their new life and school environment for the first time.

All variants are also suitable as introductory and exchange projects with local children and young people

Methodological approach

The RespAct approach is a mix of movement and games combined with reflection and discussion tasks that lead to a tangible school or neighbourhood intervention, initiated by the project participants themselves. We have remained faithful to this approach in the variations outlined in this handbook.

In order to reduce language barriers and contact anxiety, you will find a lot of speech animation tools as well as games that do not need any language throughout the modules.

Depending on your previous knowledge and group requirements, you can choose a suitable sport from the module collection to implement with your group - skipping or cooperation games, or, for experienced trainers and instructors, boxing.

In the following chapters, you will find all the information, checklists, and links required to plan a RespAct project for your group. We wish you a smooth and successful project.

 

More information about RespAct can be found in the FAQ of the handbook (pg.xx) or online at www.respact.org.

 

Why include sport in RespAct?

Sport is an integral part of the RespAct programme, and we would not recommend any educator to leave it out. Combining sport, discussion and social action is the magic formula for RespAct, and leads to increased self-confidence, better group cohesion and a lot of fun for all involved. Here are a couple more reasons why you should make sure the sport elements of the program are given appropriate amounts of time and attention:

  • Sport, movement and exercise teaches a broad spectrum of physical, mental and social skills which support the skills learned in other modules, including coordination, self-efficacy, trust, group efficacy, concentration, limit-setting, communication, negotiation, rule-setting, self-control, empathy and respect.

  • Through games and exercise young people get to know each other, their and their friend’s boundaries and their strengths and weaknesses in ways that are not possible in other forms of learning environment. A healthy emphasis on sports allows young people to demonstrate a broad range of skills and abilities.

  • Movement and exercise are integral for health and well-being, for both boys and girls with every kind of background. Young people that do not learn to move and enjoy exercise are likely to suffer from poorer health outcomes later in life.

 

Preparation

Working with newly arrived migrant children and young people requires careful preparation. In this chapter, you will find notes on all the important steps, resources and approaches for dealing with the different topics pertinent to the RespAct project. In order to successfully implement a RespAct project, it is important to bring all involved actors, such as school leaders and participating teachers and/or group leaders together and to obtain all the necessary permissions at an early stage. The schedule of your institution or organization must be taken into account; a buffer for preparation and implementation should also be planned in case of timing issues.

 

Preparation checklist for involved adults (school management, teachers, group leaders and co-trainers)

  • Create plan for project using the 3-day overview;

  • Agree with other important stakeholders the timings and rooms for the project

  • Share out tasks to all project team-members- decide on sporting activities and share responsibilities;

  • Potentially- pre-assign teams for group work;

  • Acquire and test all necessary equipment, specifically cameras

Resources checklist

  • Smartboard or projector with computer,

  • 4 cameras (with blank SD cards),

  • Letter to parents to collect their consent to images and audio recording throughout the project,

  • A4 sheets or note paper,

  • Flipchart sheets

  • USB stick to transfer the videos to the school's smartboard,

  • Printed feedback sheets for children and adults,

  • Printed worksheets for the class,

Further potential requirements, depending on the units carried out:

  • Cut out petal-shaped coloured paper

  • Note with translations and/or pictures explaining words in language spoken by participants

  • Boxing gloves and pads, skipping ropes,

  • Crepe tape for name tags.

 

Group Rule-Setting

At the beginning of the first project day, the rules for the week are set. Proposals should come from the children themselves, with a common framework usually an existing set of school rules. Rules should be written down, displayed prominently and referred back to in case of an infraction.

 

There are orientation resources for this purpose in the module outline chapters.

RespAct Principles

In order to make the project days a positive experience for all participants, there are certain RespAct principles we recommend using when dealing with the participants, parents and co-trainers:

  • Everyone takes part in all parts of the project

  • Groups are, as much as possible, mixed, gender, age, ability etc.

  • All participants should be encouraged to engage in the activities to the best of their ability

  • Sporting activities are planned according to any pre-existing illnesses or injuries amongst participants

  • tasks are adapted to include all participants regardless of physical or mental limitations

Being Conscious of the Children’s Backgrounds

Participants may react emotionally to topics discussed in the project (for example, in the case of the loss of close relatives, family addiction, experience of violence). Within the framework of the project format, please take an active role in discussions and activities, particularly if participants could feel trapped or if they react in unexpectedly emotional ways to tasks

 

 

  • It is very important to reinforce the rules: “no laughing at one another” and “no one is forced to share anything they don’t want to”.

  • Children and young people from families with histories of domestic violence often react very sensitively to being touched. Since body contact can hardly be avoided in many of the sports and exercises here, you should pay particular attention to asking permission before touching.

  • In instances where there is a reasonable suspicion that a child’s immediate welfare is at risk, it is imperative that local national guidelines are followed, and the appropriate authorities are invormed.

 

Dealing with trauma

People who have experienced situations of extreme stress, for example forced migration, may be suffering from trauma. Even though it seems that a child should recognize that they are safe in a classroom, new school, new town or country, the child’s body and parts of the brain are still in fight, flight, or freeze mode.

Signs of Trauma



When you spot these symptoms or signs, you should immediately inform the school counsellor or other mental health professionals or school leadership team of your observations. Otherwise, the role of the project leader should be to support young people suffering from trauma, for example by being a listening ear if requested.


Sports and Trauma

Sports and physical activity are important to help a child heal from their traumatic experiences. As a coach or a trainer, it is important to take trauma-informed approaches while working with these children, i. e.

  • Create an emotionally and physically safe space

  • Supportive Structure

    • Structure can be seen through program rules, a predictable schedule of activities, and a reasonable coach to participant ratio, and maintaining a secure and safe environment.

    • This can help the youth to feel safe, secure, and gives them a sense of control.

  • Cultural Background

    • It is important for the coaches or trainers to understand where the children have come from and what they go home to.

    • It will support integration if teachers and trainers have similar linguistic or cultural backgrounds as participants

    • By understanding the child’s cultural background and adding cultural practices to the sport, it helps create familiarity and helps the coach to understand how the child is handling their grief/trauma.

    • Building Relationships and Trust

      • Coaches or trainers need to create supportive relationships with the children.

      • This is important and building trust with the children and gives them a safe environment to be themselves.


Implementation

In order to accommodate for the broad spectrum of language abilities in the group of newly-arrived migrant children and youth, we have developed various differentiation options into the module descriptions. As a result, you can tailor your RespAct project individually to your target group. In each of the three Project Weeks, there is an orientation guide to explain which modules work for different groups.

The various modules can be combined, shortened or omitted, as long as it is appropriate for your target group and fits into your schedule. Ideally, classes of non-refugee participants are integrated as much as possible in the project week. As a minimum, they should be engaged and involved in units that focus on the school community and improving the school for everyone.


Start of the Project Week

The RespAct Project begins with a welcome session and an introduction to the topics. If you are additional people from outside the learning environment in your project, you can take this session as an opportunity to introduce them to your group.

 

    • Depending on your group, now is a good opportunity to play a warm up game or an ice breaker.

    • Introduction to RespAct: Show the RespAct Film and discuss it with the participants; What is RespAct? What is a neighbourhood? Are there any difficult words?

    • Briefly outline the plan for the week’s activities.

    • Remind participants about the presentation at the end of the project and that they need to bring their letters of consent.

    • Collect any signed consent forms at this time.

    • At the close of the session, the group rules should be established or repeated.

During the RespAct Project Week

Warm up games

For this, choose from a range of game proposals from the modules outlined in this handbook.

Movement modules
Sport and exercise are an integral part of the program every day and account for about a third of time you will spend on the RespAct Project. You can choose from different movement modules such as boxing, skipping and competition games.

Closing Session and Feedback Round

At the end of each project day, a summary is prepared to give an overview of the results of the day and to clarify what the next steps will be. This can also be connected to a game.

Last Day of the Project

On the last day of the project, the participants will make their contributions to the final presentation. In doing so they strengthen their skills in presentation situations. Something that guests typically find particularly impressive is a short presentation of their movement or sport. A RespAct final photo is taken.

Closing Presentation

The participants present their results on the last day of the project in front of teachers, parents or a parallel class. The final presentation is intended to stimulate a lively discussion on current topics in the personal environment of children and adolescents.


Procedure for the Closing Presentation:

 

  • Short welcome and introduction by the project leader (Key questions: What is RespAct? What has happened during the Project Week? How did participants react to the project? What are the next steps?)

Small groups present the results, with flipcharts, videos, drawings and movement or sports demonstrations as appropriate.

  • Include the guests in the presentation. How did they find the presented ideas? What, if anything, was surprising to them? Do they have any other ideas or questions?

After the presentation, the guests are invited to take a ‘Gallery Walk’ where they can view all the posters up close. Selected children and young people should be made available for individual questions.


Next Steps


You will have taken all the preparatory steps to implement your school or district activity so that you can implement it without problems during the project week. Please think about how to document the event through photos, contributions in the class or school newspaper, in line with the motto "Do good and talk about it". Other points that you should think about are:


• Archiving the results and consent forms, for example for participating partners and the RespAct team.

• Evaluation of the project with the school management and, if necessary, external trainers (project success, satisfaction, cooperation, next steps).

• Possibly planning further excursions or teaching units on the topics that arise during the course of the project.

 

 

 

 

DOWNLOAD THE FULL RESPACT HANDBOOK FOR FREE:

 

www.respact.org

 

 

Thank You

 

Your Camp Group Team

 

 

 

 

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Texte: Camp Group gGmbH
Tag der Veröffentlichung: 01.02.2018

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