1. Schoharie County Youth Bureau
113 Park Place, Suite 4
Schoharie, New York 12157
 Phone: (518) 295-2057
 Fax: (518) 295-2094
George McDonnell, Director ………………..…………………georgemcdonnell@co.schoharie.ny.us
Nancy-Jo Brumaghim, Program Coordinator…………nancy-jo.brumaghim@co.schoharie.ny.us
JoAnne Jorgensen, YB Assistant………….…..…….………………….jjorgensen@co.schoharie.ny.us
Middleburgh Central School Awareness Day
Event Title: “Think Before You _________________”
Date: June 3, 2011
Time: 10:30-2:30
Program Objectives: Making Better Choices/ Consequences for their actions
Work Shop Participants: Students in Grades 8-11
Number of session: 5
Workshop by: Schoharie County Youth Bureau
Facilitators: George McDonnell- Youth Bureau Director
JoAnne Jorgensen- Youth Bureau Assistant
Workshop Proposal
Workshop Title: “Think Before You Act.”
“Seek First to Understand, Then To Be Understood”
Length of Workshop: 40 Minutes
Number of Workshops: 5
Workshop Description: We will take “Think Before You Act” to the next level by
incorporating the habit, “Seek First to Understand, Then Be
Understood” from Sean Covey’s book “The Seven Habits of
Highly Effective Teens”.
We will utilize team building activities as well as experiential
learning techniques to help participants become more aware of
the impact they have on others, how they choose to treat others,
and the consequences of their actions or in-actions. All of the
team building activities will require active participation from
the students. The activities are low energy which will allow
everyone to participate. We do utilize Project Adventure’s
principle of “Challenge by Choice”, where participants set their
own level of participation based on their own comfort level.
Skills/Knowledge: In this workshop students will work on listening skills and social
skills to develop a better understanding of the impact they have on
others.

2. Workshop Objectives: Increase participants’ awareness and appreciation of:
 Individual differences
 How our actions or in-actions affect others
 The importance of diversity and changing negative attitudes
Agenda and Activities:
Students arrive/ Introductions/ Overview of workshop/ Ground rules- 5 minutes
Activity 1: Card Share- 10 minutes
Purpose: Icebreaker/ commonalities & diversity of each of us
Skills: Listening skills/ Social Skills
Description: Each student is handed 1 playing card. At the start of the activity they must find a
partner. They will then share interesting facts about themselves with their partner
based on the value of their card. They then switch cards with that person
and find a new partner.
Debrief: Did you find out an interesting fact about someone that you did not know?
Did you find someone who had something in common with you?
Activity 2: Rejection- 10 minutes
Purpose: Diversity/ Dealing with rejection/ How our actions affect others
Skills: Listening Skills/ Social Skills/ Resiliency
Description: Each participant will be given another playing card. This time they will find a
partner with a card that has something in common with their own. They will
discuss different topics with that partner before moving on to a new partner with a
card that has something in common with theirs. What will be unknown to the group
as a whole is that certain cards will have different instructions on how the game is
played. For example, someone with a diamond will not talk with anyone who has a
heart, even if they have cards with something in common.
Debrief: What? So What?, Now What?
Questions to be developed prior to workshop
Activity 3: Poker face- 10 minutes
Purpose: To show the affects of judging someone on only one characteristics and how
exclusion will have a negative impact.
Skills: Social/ Character Building
Description: Every participant will receive a new playing card. They are instructed to
not look at the card. At the start of the activity they will be instructed to put
their card on their forehead, so everyone can see their card but them. They
will have to get into groups based on the value of their card, with the face
cards being the highest social value. The group will have to decide who is allowed
to join what suit.
Debrief: What?, So What?, Now What?
Questions to be developed prior to workshop
Closing/ Final Debrief: Review what we did in the workshop and how these lessons can be
transferred to their daily lives . -5 Minutes
Logistics/ Material: An open area that will allow the number of each group to freely move
around. Large playing cards (3 decks)
~ Promoting the development of happy and healthy youth ~