Week 3 teaches teamwork, and allows team members to
distinguish between "Me" and "We" as they work toward
building their Best Community, shows members that a
Community requires teamwork to function well and helps
them to recognize self-centered behavior.

Activity #1: Human Spider Web

Objective:
To build upon the idea that community takes teamwork.This exercise is fun, and it provides an opportunity to work as a team to explore the dimensions of a compassionate community.

Procedure:
This exercise works best with small teams. If you have a larger group, divide it into groups of 6 to 8 individuals. Have each group move to a location that allows them to stand in a small circle.

Instruct members of each group to extend their left hands across the circle and grasp the right hands of another member who is approximately opposite them.

Then have them extend their right hands across the circle and grasp the left hands of one of the other individuals.

Tell them that their task is to unravel the spider webs of interlocking arms without letting go of anyone's hands. If you have one team, inform them that they will be timed (as a way to place pressure on them); if you have several groups, tell them they will be competing with other groups to see who finishes the task first.

Discussion:
• What was the most difficult part of this exercise?
• What did you learn about yourself in this activity?
• Were you a leader or a follower?
• What does this say about how you like to learn?

Conclusion of this activity:
There are different ways to accomplish the same goals and objectives. By failing to honor differences, we often make other people "wrong" or "bad" because they don't see things or do thing in the same way we do. To build a successful community, requires everyone's participation.

Activity #2: The "I's" Have It!

Objective:
There is no "I" in TEAM … or "ME" in community. This activity shows that we all may tend to be more self-centered than we might realize. It demonstrates the importance of focusing on others.

Procedure:
After a discussion about the Human Spider Web, bring up the subject of focusing on ourselves, and how impeded or "put off " we may be by feeling rather than focusing on what was going on for others.

Team each team member up with one other team member. Their assignment is to talk for the next two minutes about anything in the world they want to discuss. There is, however, one rule: They may not use the word "I." They can talk about any topic they like, but they just must not say "I."

Discussion:
• How many of you were able to talk for the two minutes without using the pronoun "I?"
• Why do so many of us have difficulty avoiding the (over) use of "I" in conversation?
• How do you feel when talking to (or listening to) someone who starts every sentence with "I?"

To download the full 9-Week Training Manual to gather even more ideas click here.