December 10th, 2007

Session 3: Writers as Observers

Energizer
Human Knot: Form a circle and extend your right hand into the center of the circle and grab a persons hand across from you. Now extend your left hand into the circle and randomly grab another person’s hand. Now the group must form one big (untangled) circle without letting go of any one’s hands.

Pupose: Teambuilding. Working as a Group. Building Accountability. And Trust.

Remind youth to recall their Para Maps. And one’s personal relationship with their para.

Activity One: Bow Bazaar and Me Vignette (continued from Session 2)

Remind everyone how we left off at writing what our neighbourhood means to us personally. Read the Poddar Nagar poem to remind the participants how we invoke our neighborhood. Now, tell them that they too will invoke their neighborhood through sensorial details.

Have everyone close their eyes and go around the room and think imagine Bow Bazaar from a personal gaze in terms of the Four Senses.
• Sound
• Smell
• Sight
• Touch

Orally go over each sense. Ask each participant to share their Sight, Sound, Smell, Touch of Bow Bazaar. Go around the room with each sense, one at a time. Take time to comment (trim, refine) sensorial description. After each participant has shared their description, have them write their spoken line into their notebook in the form of a poem. On the board write the structure of the poem.

Bow Bazaar Means….
A sound
A Smell
A Sight
A Touch

Activity Two: Neighborhood Outing and Writing.
Now we will go outside as Para Journalists and write about the following:
What do you think is Bow Bazaar’s Landmark?

Keep in mind the Five Senses: Smell, Sight, Sound, Touch, Taste
Also, keep in mind you Gaze – you are Para Residents

Pass out Prompt Sheet:
1) Describe your chosen Landmark (What do you see? What do you smell? What do you hear? What does it feel like?)
2) Why is it Bow Bazaar’s landmark for you?

Take-Home Assignment: Research your chosen landmark and write about its history. Ask friends, families, acquaintances about your chosen place and what they think about it, what they know about it, what personal/significant stories are related to it. Try to uncover any local stories, histories surrounding your chosen place.

Check Out
How was this session like? Good/bad/okay okay?
How do you feel about participating in the coming sessions? 1 word