In order to have engagement when working with a group of young people you need to be creative. Often people say that you are creative or not…Well I believe everyone is creative, in one way or another. To be more specific, you might be the creator, the ideas person, the thinker, or the questioner, the maker or the go getter. There are many parts to the creative process, each as important as the next.

When we were putting the Dynamic Youth Coaching course together, I wanted there to elements of creativity within it, but in a way that anyone would be able to follow, would be able to be creative with. But most importantly It had to be something that I had used, had been successful and was repeatable.

So we created C.R.E.A.T.E.

• Create Curiosity
• Remember your outcomes
• Enquire (what might the YP want/need?)
• Alternatives and Actions
• Time frames
• Encouraging reflection/Ending of session

Create Curiosity by beginning a session with questions. This works really well with groups as it gets discussion started. And the questions can be focused to the areas you are working on, or used as a way of finding out about the group. If it’s to find out about the group, you might want to play “Change Chairs if” A great drama exercise that enables you to find out about the group as well as getting them moving. Sit the group on chairs in a circle, you stand in the middle and ask questions. I always begin by saying they have to be true of you, that way it’s an easy start that you can develop later. So you might say “Change chairs if you are wearing black shoes” and all those wearing black shoes change chairs with someone else in the circle. With the aim being that you try and sit down too, leaving someone else standing who will then ask the next question.

Remember your outcomes as this enables you to stay focused, often we can get so involved in being creative that we can forget the aim of the session. Also by sharing the outcome with the group, you all become responsible for making it happen. This begins the shift of accountability. Later, once rapport has been generated, you can get the group to create their own outcomes for the session.

Enquire, what the Young People might want or need? This can be done before the session, or during. The aim being that you align the session with the needs of the group. Often sessions are prepared without any thought for what the Young People are interested in. This can be mixed with the “Change Chairs if” exercise, where you use the exercise to find out the Young People’s interest, adapting your session to meet their needs.

Alternatives and Actions. Always have a Plan B in mind, extra exercises, games,  questions or even your Personal Story. And the Actions are the steps for the group before your next session. You don’t always have to have actions, especially on the first meeting, where you are developing rapport.

Time frames are simple but important steps to remember when putting your plans together. You want to work out your timings for the session, how long you want to spend on introductions, how long each game should last, always leaving time for questions. When I’m putting sessions together, I just do rough timings, which enable me to move things around and respond to the groups needs.

Encouraging reflection and Ending of session. I often ask the group to write down what they have learnt from the session or any ideas they have had. If I am working with them over a number of sessions, I will request reflection journals, where the Young People can place all there ideas and thoughts. The have a clear end of session, where they can ask any question about what has happened, and about what might happen next.

Following these simple steps will enable you to develop your own creative sessions. Let me know how you get on, and please share any ideas for session frameworks.