Reach for the Stars

Read Below to play Reach for the Stars, one of the activities on the Kikori App by this weeks featured creator, Play for Peace®. This is the perfect activity to celebrate World Interfaith Harmony Week with your students.

Reach for the Stars: A sharing activity that allows participants to discover who others are and how similar or different they might be from themselves. Focuses on religion and understanding different faiths.

Prep: No major prep is needed for this activity; facilitators should assemble the paper and writing utensils needed for this activity and ensure that the group has adequate space to write and talk in a circle.

Steps 1. Have each participant draw a star with five points, writing next to each point...

I. Their religion or faith II. A quote about peace from their faith III. The place that means the most to them IV. The person who is most important to them V. Their favorite activity

2. Once everyone has drawn and labeled their stars, gather the group together in a circle and have each person share and explain their answers. As each person shares their responses, they should also highlight something they have in common with someone who already shared.

3. Once everyone has shared, have the group mingle and discuss in pairs. Have each participant find the person who they had something in common with and ask them to learn more about what they have in common with them and also how they are different.

4. Gather the group back together to discuss what was learned from these pair conversations and to talk about what was learned during the activity (see "Learn").

Connect: -Why do you think the star was used as a symbol during this activity? How are we as individuals similar to stars? -How does this activity relate to diversity?

Grow: -What are the things that make you unique? Other people? -Why is it important to see other people from inside (their true selves, their identities) and not just the outside (how they appear)?

Variations: Facilitators may vary the questions participants respond to based on the needs of the group. Questions should relate to participants' identities in whatever way is meaningful for the group.

Play for Peace is a global organization dedicated to using cooperative play to bring youth together in areas affected by conflict. Through laughter and compassion, they help to create a more peaceful and accepting world! Learn more about them at their website (https://www.playforpeace.org/) and check out many of their amazing activities on the Kikori app!