By gabrielle farrel, natalie fenimore, and jenice view

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  Chalice or LED/battery-operated candle
  
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  Large, round mirror to hold the chalice
  
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  Reflective materials, such as beads or pieces of stained glass
  
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  Newsprint, markers and tape
  
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  Opening Words Basket and opening words (see Session 1, Leader Resource 1 (included in this document) )
  
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  Optional: A copy of the Unitarian Universalist hymnbook, Singing the Living Tradition
  
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  Optional: Bell , chime or other sound instrument
  

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  Set up the chalice on the mirror to enhance its reflection. The chalice may be filled with reflective materials, such as beads or pieces of stained glass, to represent the idea of light, reflection and mirrors.
  
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  Write the words to "Spirit of Life," Hymn 123 in Singing the Living Tradition, or another hymn you prefer, on newsprint, and post somewhere everyone can see it.
  
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  Obtain a basket to hold numerous slips of paper with opening words. Print Session 1, Leader Resource 1, Opening Words for Basket; cut out the short readings and place them in the basket. Of course, feel free to add your own.
  
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  Prepare to lead the group in singing "Spirit of Life," or another song commonly sung in your congregation. Optional: Arrange to have someone else who is musical lead the singing, perhaps with instrumental accompaniment.
  

This ritual welcoming reminds participants of the relational nature of the group experience. Gather the children in a circle around the chalice. Invite them to take a deep breath and release it, and create a deep silence for a moment.

Ask a volunteer to take a reading from the Opening Words Basket and read it aloud. Invite another volunteer to light the chalice. Then, lead a greeting:

Now we will take a moment to greet the people next to us. If you are next to someone who is new to our group, offer a welcome, tell them your first and last name, and learn their name.

Lead the group in singing the hymn you have chosen. Singing a congregational favorite helps children grow in their sense of belonging in congregational life.

If you choose not to sing, use a bell to signal the group to still themselves for another moment of silence.

Ask the child who lit the chalice to extinguish it. Ask the child who read the opening words to return the reading to the Opening Words Basket.

Including All Participants

If you have a non-sighted participant who reads braille, obtain the braille version of Singing the Living Tradition from UUA Bookstore. The bookstore orders from an outside publisher, so order several weeks ahead.

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  Copy of the story "Henry Hampton (included in this document) "
  
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  A bell, chime, rain stick or other musical noisemaker
  

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  Read the story a few times and practice telling it, perhaps dramatically. The stories here are written for a Story for All Ages moment—part performance, part ministry.
  
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  Review the questions and choose some you think might resonate with the group and help these particular children interpret the story and relate it to their own lives.
  
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  If the group is very large, plan to form smaller groups for discussion. Each group should have at least three participants and an adult facilitator.
  

Ring the chime (or other noisemaker), make eye contact with each participant and read or tell the story.

Sound the chime (or other noisemaker) again at the end. Invite participants to think silently on their own about the story. Say:

Now we are going to practice listening and discussing skills—both are needed to better understand the story from multiple perspectives as we find out what one another thought about the story.

Ask everyone to use "I think" or "I feel" statements. Remind them not to assume others see or feel the same way. You may suggest that a brief silence be maintained after each person's comment.

Invite the participants to retell the story, briefly, in their own words. What participants recall and relay tells you what they found most meaningful or memorable. Then use the following questions to facilitate discussion. Make sure every child who wants to speak has a chance.

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  How do you think people's ideas about our country would be different if only white people made newspapers and television shows?
  
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  How do you think it might have felt to be an African American child reading a magazine or watching a television show in those times?
  
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  How do you think it would have felt to be a white child?
  
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  What ideas might those children have about their world?
  
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  How do you think Henry Hampton changed how people viewed African Americans? Why did Henry Hampton see a different picture of America ?
  
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  Why do you think Henry Hampton thought Eyes on the Prize needed to be made and viewed?
  

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  Read the description of this variation of the traditional game, Mother, May I? so you are prepared to lead the game
  
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  Find a large, open space where participants can move unobstructed for at least 20 feet in all directions.
  

In this session, lead this variation of the game Mother, May I? to reward participants serving as allies to one another.

Gather the children so they are lined up across one end of the open space. Stand at the other end. Ask them if they have ever played the game Mother, May I? Tell them you will play a different version of the game called Mother, May We? and you will be the leader.

Mother, May We?

The children's goal is to advance toward the leader by following the leader's instructions — but first, asking permission. Tell the children that they need to ask permission, together with the partners who will move with them, by saying in unison "Mother, may we?"

You may address instructions to an individual child by name, to a portion or the group or to the whole group. Each time, make a demand that requires two or more players to move together. For example:

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  Luke, take a partner's hand and skip two steps together.
  
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  Dana, find two people with sneakers on, say their names, and all of you take one hop forward.
  
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  Li Ping, go over to someone who lives in the same town as you and take two baby steps together.
  
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  The three children who are furthest back, gather in one place and take a twirly step forward together.
  
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  Everyone who is wearing jeans, find someone who is not wearing jeans and take one step forward.
  

Respond to "Mother, may we?" with "Yes, you may." Only then can the children move forward as you have instructed them.

To make the game more challenging, when children say "Mother, may we?" you might respond, "No, you may not... But you may take two giant steps together (or some other suggestion)." Then they need to ask "Mother, may we?" again. Children and their partner(s) will need to listen for your response before moving forward.

In the traditional game, the first child across becomes the new leader. In this version, when children reach you, invite them to move to the sidelines and coach the remaining children to help them all get to the finish line.

When all children have reached the finish, the game is over. Gather children and process how it felt to play this way instead of individually. Point out that by helping one another and working together, in this game everyone moved forward.

Including All Participants

Be mindful of accessibility issues involving participants and/or leaders. Opt to play the game with hand gestures rather than movement so as not to exclude anyone from playing. As a gesture is accepted, give that participant a check; the first person who gets five checks wins and can now become a "coach" to help the others cross the finish line.

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  Newsprint, markers and tape
  
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  Magazines and newspapers from a wide variety of sources
  
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  Local and national mainstream newspapers and magazines with photographs
  
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  Minority-owned newspapers and magazines (look for photographs of African Americans, Asians, other racial/ethnic minorities and people with visible disabilities
  
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  Optional: Video clips from local newscasts, streaming news video, other online news media and appropriate player(s)
  
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  Optional: Data from a recent census (at www.census.gov/) that documents the percentage of population in your community that are Native American/Indigenous, African American, Latin American, Asian American, Arab American and/or immigrants from other countries
  

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  Gather magazines and newspapers from a variety of sources. Ask parents and congregation members to bring in magazines and newspapers several weeks before this session; Leader Resource 1 provides a sample email or handout. Try to obtain as many images as you can of all of the racial and ethnic groups represented in your community so participants can consider the full range of who lives in your community, including people of European descent.
  
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  If you will use technology to share images, test equipment in the meeting space before the session.
  
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  Gather enough examples of print or video media for participants to view each example alone or with just one partner.
  
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  Optional: Gather census information that shows your local demographics as well as national demographics by minority group status.
  

The Mirror question for this session is "What do I understand about my place in racial/ethnic diversity in my world?" The Window question is "What do I understand about my world's diversity?"

First ask the participants what kind of people live in the community: Are there people who speak different languages? People who sometimes wear special, cultural clothing? People with different skin colors? People who eat different foods? While many of these are indicators of culture—as opposed to what we typically think of as racial or ethnic diversity—these questions are a way to circle around "race" and ethnicity before zeroing in on the presence of people in your community who are Native American/Indigenous, African American, Latin American, Asian American, Arab American and/or immigrants from other countries.

Lead the children to look at the community where your congregation meets, through images in the local media. The objective is not to conduct a media critique, but to elicit observations and build awareness. Ask children, "Who do you see in the images? Yet, who actually lives/works in this community?" and "What are the people doing in the pictures? What does that say about people who belong to the same racial/ethnic group in our community?" Share with the participants whatever facts you have about populations represented in your community (percentages of community population, neighborhood location, country of origin, and so on). Ask participants why they think the local media do not have many (or any) images of these groups.

Finally, ask "How true do you think the impression is that we get from our local media? What could be done differently in our newspaper/magazine to make the pictures look more like our real community?"

Next, invite children to look at national media samples. Encourage them to compare the mainstream media with examples you have brought of magazines/media owned by minorities. Ask participants to note differences and similarities. Of particular images, you may like to ask:

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  Who are these people? What are they doing/where are they going?
  
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  Are any of us here members of this group?
  
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  Does anyone have siblings, parents, teachers or friends who are in this group?
  

Conclude this activity by asking the participants how we can learn more about the racial/ethnic groups in our community. Ask what they think could be done so the media are more true and fair. Record their responses on newsprint. Say:

We can all be social justice, anti-racism allies. We can let the publishers and reporters and newscasters know the problems we saw in the media images here today.

Make a commitment to convey some of the children's observations or suggestions to the correct person at a local newspaper, television station or other media outlet. Be sure to follow up and tell the children when you have done so and let them know if you receive any response.

If the group will do the Faith in Action activity, Congregational Audit, tell them they can come up with more ways to be allies later.

Including All Participants

Avoid making any child feel self-conscious, especially if they are a racial or ethnic minority in the group. If the group has only one Asian Pacific Islander child, focus on representation of another minority group in your community. If a child asks, "Why aren't there any images of (my people)?" you can respond, "For some reason, I could not find any images. That isn't very realistic, is it? How can we all make sure that in the future more of (your people) are in the media?"

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  All participants' Window/Mirror Panels
  
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  Magazines and newspapers from a wide variety of sources
  
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  Adhesive or double-sided tape to create collage on window/mirror panels
  
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  Basket(s) of Window/Mirror Panel materials
  
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  Sheets of Mylar in several colors, shiny gift wrap, aluminum foil, and other reflective paper
  
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  Sheets of plain or construction paper
  
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  Scraps of fabric
  
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  Color markers (permanent markers work best on Mylar)
  
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  Glue sticks, tape (including double-sided tape) and scissors (including left-hand scissors)
  
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  Optional: Stick-on sequins, a hole-puncher, yarn, ribbon and a variety of magazines to cut up
  

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  Gather magazines and newspapers from a variety of sources. Ask parents and congregation members to bring in magazines and newspapers several weeks before this session; Leader Resource 1 provides a sample email or handout.
  
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  Prepare to distribute participants' Window/Mirror Panels and the baskets of Window/Mirror arts and crafts materials while children are looking for images in the publications.
  
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  Make sure pencils are sharpened.
  

Ask the children to think about the media audit they just did (Activity 3). Now they will have the opportunity to do a similar audit of the media, except now they will look for images where they see themselves. Say something like:

Look through the magazines and newspapers here and find images where you see yourself. Think about not only your physical image, but also images representing your interests, hobbies, and activities. For example, I may like to play baseball, however as a female (if you are a female) I do not often see media images of females playing baseball. I may choose to cut out a picture of a male baseball player anyway.

Keep instructions brief. Explain that they have a very short time to complete this. Encourage them to not to "over think" and, as the Nike ads say, "just do it."

Let them know they will add these images to their Window/Mirror Panels. As children finish, distribute their Window/Mirror Panels or invite the children to get their panels from where they are stored. Allow them to choose where the images should go on their panels and help children attach them.

You may wish to say, in your own words:

By making and displaying the panels, you are assembling media images that represent you. It is for you to see as a reminder, as well as for others who were not on our "journey" through the congregation to see. It is all part of the sharing that makes a fabric of faith community. Perhaps someone else will find their media image in your panel.

Invite the participants to share their panels and talk about why they chose the images they did.