Nametag Activity

After our first day on site, in which we took a tour of the settlement, we needed a way to break the ice with our new co-researchers. The first activity we tried in Flamingo to further introductions involved creating nametags with community leaders, a CORC representative, and city workers. We distributed materials such as paper, stickers, and markers to make creative nametags that in some way defined an aspect of ourselves other than our names. This activity made learning names easier and allowed the team and co-researchers to get to know each other.

An inside view of the name tag activity.

As participants began to draw phrases and pictures that had meaning in their lives, we took turns explaining our creative nametags. This activity worked to show the community leaders in Flamingo our team’s true colours; we shared backgrounds, struggles, and hopes together. By having an activity that naturally brought up these important and serious conversations, they were discussed deeply and genuinely. On only our second day in Flamingo, we had learned about the struggles Flamingo Crescent faced and the opportunities this project represented for the community.

For more information, read this scene about implementing this activity in Flamingo Crescent.