ACTIVITY 7: CLOSINGS

The method for closing depends greatly on the goals and tenor of the workshop or presentation. The following are a few ideas:

Ball Toss: Participants toss a ball from one to another. Each person who catches the ball states one thing she or he learned or can use from the workshop.

Collective Summary: Pose a summarizing question (e.g., "What remarks that you have heard here today will you especially remember as meaningful?" or "What idea can you take home to use in your community?") or an open-ended statement (e.g., "Try to think of a word or phrase that sums up your feelings at the end of today's session" or "I still wonder..."). Ask participants to respond in turn.

Group Still Life or Installation: Each participant in turn removes the object from a group display and explains what he or she is taking away from the workshop.

Releasing the Dove of Peace: The facilitator mimes holding a significant object (e.g., bird, newborn baby) and invites each participant to say something to it as it is passed from one participant to another. After the "object" has been passed to everyone, they draw into a tight circle and collectively let it go.

Slide Show: The facilitator has taken photos of the session, including each participant. As a reflection on the Human Rights Learning Community, a brief comment on the contribution each participant has made in unison with the slide presentation is given.