Activity #1 – Co-creating Safe and Brave Spaces (The Lesson)

We just spent some time creating Our Community Shape where we learned a lot about how we want this space to be different than what we might have experienced in other spaces like school. And now that we’ve done that, let’s go a little deeper.
On the board, write two different sets of words: “safe space” and “brave space.” Ask the group: What’s the difference between the two?
If you are met with a long silence and shrugs, these follow-up questions might be useful:
• Define “safe.”
• What would a safe space feel like?
• Define “brave.”
• What would a brave space feel like?
• What would a space that is both safe and brave feel like?
Let’s read something quick that talks about this and see how it might expand or enrich our thoughts about safe and brave spaces.
Pass out John Palfrey’s post, “Safe spaces are fine, but students must also be brave.”
Whatever you decide, explain the following: As we read, we want to be sure to digest the text and story. To do this, let’s also take a look at our Annotation Guide . This will help us keep track of what we like (or don’t like), what confuses us, what we notice and want to discuss, and anything else.
Begin reading with your group all the way through and then give everyone a few minutes to make any additional annotations or write down thoughts outside the margins.
Once you finish the post, lead them through some of the following questions (and some of your own):
1. In your own words, what was the author’s main message? Why are safe and brave spaces needed?
2. If you had to choose between one over the other, which one would you prefer and why?
3. How can we make this space we are in together both safe and brave?
4. What might we need to change or add to make this space the best of both worlds?
Also, let’s take a look at some of the things you underlined and found confusing.
1. Throw up a fist if there was something you didn’t understand or maybe even something you
might have disagreed with.