This activity will make students reflect on themselves and on their aspirations for

the future, by representing their life moments through arts.

Preparation:

• Give each participant a large sheet of paper.

• Explain they have to draw a winding pathway and a circle at its middle.

• On the left, they will write: “road already travelled”.

• On the right, they will write: “the path yet to come”.

• Now, give them some guidelines, following the 4 steps below (you can also download/print them from Annex I.)

 

Step 1. Your past (30 minutes)

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Ask your students to:

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• Reflect on themselves: who they are, where they come from, their language, their culture, their spirituality, their family, friends and on obstacles that they had to face.

• Draw/list some of their favourite places where they have been.

• Draw two milestones on their journey: two key happenings in their life.

• Draw a mountain and a river, that represent two important obstacles.

• Reflect on how they overcame them.

• Write a survival kit at the top of the page: identify the elements that helped them during difficult times (people/ values). Link the survival kit to your past timeline.

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Step 2. Your future (30 minutes)

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Ask your students to:

 

• Write their wishes and hope for the future (for instance, over 30 years) to be placed at the end of the path.

• Mark on the pathway the place they still want to visit.

• Identify three future milestones: three key goals they would like to achieve in the future.

• Draw a mountain as a symbol of a future obstacle they think they will face in the future.

• Identify a song that will accompany their life and reflect on its meaning for them. Link the survival kit to your future timeline.

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Step 3. Reflecting on your journey (10 minutes)

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Ask your students to:

 

• Reflect on their journey and identify some positive events and mark them as stars along their journey.

• Reflect on a lesson learnt during their life.

 

Step 4. Share your journey (30 minutes)

 

Ask your students to:

 

• Look at the other participants’ “Journeys of Life”.

• Form a circle and ask volunteers to share their story.

• Discuss with all participants:

• How did you feel?

• What were the most difficult elements to identify?

• Did you discover something new?

• How did you feel while sharing your story?

• How did you feel listening to the other participants’ stories?

• With whom are you going to share your ideas about your future?

• What is your next important step?

Go to the goal planner life and school, available in the Guide for strength-
based learning: https://www.teachmi.eu/strength-based