I’m often involved in planning and/or conducting visioning charrettes and workshops (typically focused on sustainability and health/wellness) during the early phases of design. At BranchPattern we have multiple types of activity templates we use for ice breakers, group bonding, discovering project values and goals, and coming to consensus on them.
But as a board member of KACEE (the Kansas Association for Conservation and Environmental Education), I’ve been introduced to an icebreaker/bonding activity that I was previously unaware of, titled Where I’m From (though I’ve also heard it called I am From, Where I am From, and Where I Come From). Based on George Ella Lyon’s 1993 poem, Where I’m From, the activity is geared to help participants explore and share their cultural backgrounds, upbringing, and values. You can find a multitude of references googling it, but here’s one you can start with.
As an activity it’s probably been used most in the classroom, but it’s not hard to see the value as an icebreaker/bonding exercise for charrettes, workshops, etc. Because you can overlay a specific topic that participants then use to build their narratives, connecting their own history to that topic.
For KACEE, the board members and staff were looking at their connections to the natural world. For school boards, you could see that common thread being education. For a design charrette, that thread might be sustainability, health/wellness, or whatever the focus of the charrette might be.
Below is what I wrote as a KACEE board member.
Where I’m From I'm from books, From Pillsbury Space Food Sticks, And Atari game consoles. I'm from the grass over the septic fields, (Green, lush, and cool to my bare feet on a hot summer day) I'm from the plain’s prickly pear, The mulberry tree, whose berry abundance Afforded stained hands and grandma’s pies. I’m from farming and slim builds, From Adella and James. I’m from quiet resolve And sarcastic retorts, From 10-4 good buddy and I can’t drive 55 I’m from religion’s acceptance of science And Carl Sagan’s Cosmos I’m from Penalosa wheat fields, farm-raised beef, and well water From the heroic efforts of my great uncle Who freed me from a truck bed of wheat, My father’s recovery from a heart attack at 49. I’m from teacher workrooms, denim jackets, And the track spikes that propelled me onward, To excavations under a hot Chihuahuan sun And other places I’m now from
These are all drawn from my youth through early adulthood, and many of them have direct ties to various experiences I’ve had with the natural world. Those experiences shaped my values, including my value of environmental education.
In addition to some potentially illuminating self-reflection, participants start to learn something about each other, in general and with respect to the common thread. They learn about each other’s backgrounds, some of what has gone into influencing who they are, and what they value. They can start to see commonalities as well as important differences. It can sometimes be personal and quite emotional, depending on how much the environment/group is perceived as a safe space.
The insights gained about one another can sometimes make subsequent interactions smoother than they would have been otherwise – it can create some empathy, understanding, and patience. It can also create curiosity, leading to wanting to know more about another person. It can make us more human to one another. And in the case of design charrettes or workshops, it can facilitate the transition into activities used to discover underlying values and visions for the project in question.
Something to consider is having participants complete the exercise ahead of time, as some individuals require a bit of quiet reflection to put these formative experiences into words. Another element to consider layering onto this would be the use of photos, images, and sketches (made easier if participants are allowed to do this ahead of time). Photos depicting aspects of the poem, like this article’s image of the tractor I used to drive in my youth (now showing its age, like me), can add further richness to the exercise.
I’ll be suggesting that BranchPattern add this activity to its repertoire.
And if you’re so inclined, add your own Where I’m From poem (or poem section) in the comments below.