COMMUNITY ACTION INQUIRY
Planning Your Action
DAY 2 ACTIVITY
15-20 Minutes
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Explore an example (called a case study) of an uplifting action
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Create an “Action Plan” for your own “Uplifting Action” that encourages and brings joy to others in your community
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Paper or notebook
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Pencil, pen, or other writing tool
THIS WEEK
We’re thinking about
the question:
“How can we support and encourage our community during difficult times?”
Your challenge this week is to design and perform an “Uplifting Action” to support and encourage your community.
Let's Get Started!
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See: What observations can you make about this image?
Think: What do you think this means? What evidence makes you think that?
Wonder: What do you wonder about this? What questions does it raise for you?
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Miss You, Love You, Wash Your Hands (MYLYWYH) is a community-inspired, interactive public art project in Davis, California, created by artist and educator Kyle Monhollen.
The spark for this project was Kyle’s desire to give each person “a simple reminder that you are missed and loved, and that the people who miss and love you want to keep you safe.”
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To do this, Kyle created hundreds of signs with the MYLYWYH message, each with one of 50 different QR codes.
Scanning the code launches a song from a crowdsourced playlist designed to spread empathy and “lighten the load.”
Kyle posted the signs on fence posts, benches, and trash cans along community paths to bring joy and connection to walkers and bikers practicing social distancing!
In this video, Kyle shares a few words about how and why he created his public art.
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The project has inspired others. MYLYWYH posters have gone up in other Northern California towns, as well as in places as far as Lexington, Kentucky; Portland, Oregon; and New York City.
Kyle is making his work freely available, through the MYLYWYH Facebook page, to anyone who wants to bring messages of kindness and connection to their own community.
Think or discuss:
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How did Kyle respond to what is happening in the world?
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How did he use his passions (what he loves) and his skills (what he’s good at) to encourage and uplift others?
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How did he perform his action using things he had available while following the rules of staying separate from others?
So how can young people get involved in a community project?
In this video, Kyle shares his advice!
Young people are making a difference, too! Look at the pictures below of other uplifting actions taken by young people across the country.
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Can you guess what these kids think their community needs right now?
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What passions and skills do you think these young people are using?
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What do you think their limits might be? How did they address these limits?
Remember your challenge this week: Design and perform an “Uplifting Action” to support and encourage your community.
Today, you will create an “Action Plan” to help you meet your challenge and perform your “Uplifting Action.”
Look at your brainstorm from Day 1 and then:
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Circle 1 or 2 favorite passions (what you love).
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Circle 1 or 2 skills (what you are good at) that you can use for this challenge.
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Circle 1 or 2 needs that your community has right now.
Now get out a new piece of paper (or use the “Action Plan” handout if you like).
Create your “Action Plan” by filling in the blanks below with the passions, skills, and community needs you circled on your brainstorm paper. Don’t forget to create a drawing, too! It should show details about your “Uplifting Action.”
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I will use my love for or my skill at (circle one) _______________________
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to take the uplifting action of ______________________________________,
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so I can meet my community’s need for. ________________________________.
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Now draw out your idea!
Want to find out how to overcome limits and create something amazing? Check this out!
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Watch “The Power of Creative Constraints” video from TED-Ed to learn more about how constraints can fuel creativity.