Keywords |
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| citizen participation, community groups, dialogue, planning, co-operative, committee, visioning, back casting, assessment, history |
The main purpose of this activity is to reflect on a shared experience. Individuals will gain an idea of what the group has been through together. Use this exercise at the end of a project, program, or as a debrief as a way to draw-out learnings, celebrate highlights, and create closure. This method can be run both face-to-face and online.
Access a ‘History Map’ guide (opens off-site)
Target Audience: Sustainability Committee Members, community groups.
Step 1:
Roll out a long piece of paper (5-10 meters) on the floor or on a wall. Draw a timeline representing the period of a project or team experience. Include months and a couple of key events such as highlights and lowlights. If the project is very long – consider including the last 3-6 months.
Step 2:
Have participants capture their experiences. They could include their highlights, lowlights, learnings, challenges, successes, and anything else that was important to them. Give enough time for people (15-30 min) to capture their top experiences and place them on the timeline.
Step 3:
After the map has been created, ask participants to share their top (1-3) Highs and Lows. The number of Highs/Lows they share is up to the facilitator. It depends on the group size and the time you have.
Step 4: Optional Final Step
Have the participants reflect individually, in silence, on the experiences they have just shared and heard and chose the most important moment for them. Give about 2-3 minutes for this step.
Then, one-by-one, participants place a sticky note on the moment that has been the most important to them and have them briefly describe why.
Continue until all participants have placed a note and shared.
More Resources
Hyper Island Toolbox