Helping a Group Support Each Other
I recently had the privilege of supporting a diverse group of thirty-three university students, from across Canada, on a trip to Berlin and Poland. The goal of the trip—called the March of Remembrance and Hope—was to teach them about the Holocaust and help them become allies against it ever happening again to any group.
Traveling with guides, educators, and a Holocaust survivor, the group visited three concentration/death camps and many memorials and historical sites related to the Holocaust. My role was to provide the “mental health” support. As you can imagine, there were many feelings on a daily basis, and I couldn’t provide support to thirty-three young adults on my own. But it was my second time on the trip, and I had a more extensive plan this time for teaching them how to listen to and support each other.
We began in the orientation. Over two days we set the stage for how they would support each other as a group. We made “community commitments“ for how they would be together and about confidentiality, including not gossiping. I had them do mini-sessions and taught them about taking turns and listening without interrupting. (We started with three minutes each, and by the time we left for Europe, they were doing seven minutes each in quite a lively way.) We discussed what it meant to pay complete attention and how to communicate caring. If they had a question they wanted to ask as counselor, we tried to notice who the question was for. Was it something they wanted to know, or was it useful to the client?
Once we began traveling (mostly on a bus), we did mini-sessions every morning and four-ways after visiting more challenging sites. We also did minis during evening debriefs, to help us decide what we wanted to say in the larger group. And people began doing them on their own in their free time. Many commented that before the trip they had thought they were good listeners but realized now they were not. Others said they were going home with new listening skills.
I embedded the skills into the structure of the program, so even if I can’t attend next time the program leaders will understand how to use them.
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Reprinted from the e-mail discussionlist for RC Community members
(Present Time 198, January 2020)