Place Visualization

OVERVIEW

In this activity, participants think about a place that is important or special to them and share that with a partner.

This can be done anywhere, but is special to do outdoors or in a quiet place where partners have enough space to spread out.

STEP-BY-STEP FACILITATION GUIDE

Ask participants to partner up.

Ask each participant to think about a place that is important or special to them. You can specify the question to think about a place that is outdoors. Maybe it’s somewhere they go often in their life currently, or somewhere they have visited in the past. Maybe it’s somewhere they have only been once but it left an instant impression on them.

Ask prompting questions: When sharing about your place, think about the senses. What is the first thing you notice as you arrive there? What does this place look like, smell like, feel like? How do you feel when you are there?

Sharing: Partner A will describe the place they were thinking about. Partner B will have their eyes closed (if comfortable), and will listen without talking, visualizing the place they are being introduced to in their minds.

Give a time limit (2-3 minutes), and ask Partner A to try and keep talking for the whole time.

Switch, so Partner B shares and Partner A listens.

REFLECTION

You can debrief by asking a few people to share with the larger group what place that they talked about. Ask about the experience of both sharing and listening. When did you first visit this place? Is this a place you still have access to? Has the place changed over time?