Activity 41: My Village

OBJECTIVE: Help participants be more aware of how they can count on their community of friends and family for help and advice.

TIME: 15 minutes

MATERIALS: Blank piece of paper for each participant

Colored pens or marker

TALKING POINTS: Often, we try to do everything alone. However, when thinking of ways to save money, it is important to know and think about the resources you have in your village (your community of family and friends or people who can help support you). This exercise will help you become more aware of the people you can count on and how you might be able to use their support.

ACTIVITY: Ask participants to draw a picture frame to fill the top half of their paper. It can be a simple or fancy frame, whatever they wish. Explain this is the picture frame for their community of support. Ask them to draw a picture of their immediate family in the center of the frame. While some people in the class may be very artistically talented, ensure the class that any symbol would do: They can draw faces or stick figures. Around the immediate family, ask them to draw in the people they see or talk to each day, each week, and each month.

In the bottom half of the paper, ask the class to make a list of the people whom they drew in the picture. Think of at least two ways each of these people could help the family save more money to reach your goal. This does not have to be financial support. In some cases, asking someone to give a smile and a reminder of the goal can help a long way in motivation.