This question comes up a lot as groups are headed off to do service projects: how do we help them process things at the end of a long and sometimes difficult day?
Here are four examples of exercises I've used that seemed to work pretty well and could be used in many situations, not just during service projects.
DRAWING:
Have small groups or pairs draw a map of their experience during the day, then share with the whole group. Maps may be literal or symbolic depending on the day! They can get pretty creative: bridges, road signs, forks in the road, the road less traveled - they'll think of things you never would!
MOVING:
Divide youth into small groups. Ask each group to take 15 minutes to prepare a "snapshot" that tells a story about their day, using nothing but themselves. One group at a time, have them stand in the center of the circle and hold their snapshot for 30 seconds or so. Ask others in the group to interpret it, then let the group posing talk about their snapshot.
WRITING:
Have youth write letters to themselves. You can have them talk about something in particular, or have them write about what they are feeling at that moment, what they want to remember a month from now, etc. Give them envelopes to stuff and seal; have them address them to themselves. Collect them up and mail them to them in a month or so. Very cool - they love this.
TALKING:
Open-ended sentences are great. Go around the circle and have everyone finish them.
The hardest thing for me today was... The high point of my day was... I wish I had... I wanted to quit when... I got annoyed when... My motivation went up when... I was helped by... I was impressed by...I just need to complain for a minute about...I want to let everyone in the group know that... the last thing I want to say is...
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