What to do: We opened the program with a small video on values. The video was about 5 minutes long and talked about the basics of personal values and how they shape our personal identity. We then gave each attendee 5 slips of paper (You can give more if attendance is lacking) and asked them to write one of their top 5 values on a slip of the paper. We put up a list of values on the screen to give attendees an idea of different values to get them thinking. Hanging on the wall, we have a large sheet of butcher paper. Before the program, we sketched out the outline of the words “We Are.” As residents finished filling out their sheets, we began taping the slips of paper to the butcher paper in the outline. Each sheet of paper comes together to write out “We Are” with a wide array of different values. After the activity, we lead a small discussion again on values after the activity, why we decided to make it spell out “We are,” and asked which values surprised attendees. We also discussed how even though we may not hold a value close in our personal lives doesn’t mean we shouldn’t respect that value in others. To keep the pun in the name working, we then made s’mores.
Cost: $30, we bought graham crackers, chocolate, and marshmallows (You can get a enough food for about 100 attendees for that amount). We used construction paper from our RA office as the slips.
Submitted by Luke Baker, North Carolina State University