What inspires you?

The following project and teamwork aims to examine the products / services / good causes / projects which could be so important to us that we even spend money on it. After examining these, we aim to work on our own product / service / good cause / project, we aim to develop it and to communicate in a presentation.

Practitioners:

Fanni Szemerédi has an MA in cultural management and an MA in teaching literature. She has worked in several cultural programs and drama projects for youth in different theatres in Hungary. Since 2016 she works for a professional independent theatre in Budapest as a program coordinator and also contributes to the youth program of the theatre as a drama teacher working with both adults and teenagers.

Objectives:

In our consumer society we often forget to pay attention to analysing our consumption and to being aware of spending money. In the following teamwork we try to become more conscious of our consumption. After that we are going to find our own product / project to work out.

Structure of the process:

Materials: big sheets of paper (3 sheets per group), 10×10 unit of money to each participant, pens, markers, self-evaluation form for every participant, blu-tack, if possible cell phones with internet

1ST LESSON (45 MIN):
Raising consciousness of our consumption

1. What inspires you? – small group discussion – 10 min
Make small groups with 4-5 members! Grab a big sheet of paper!

a) Think about your physical and online surroundings!

What are the products / services / projects / good causes that you like, that inspire you and which are made by small- and medium sized enterprises, start ups, NGOs, or sole traders! They can be local / national / from abroad, but it’s important that they have to be made / initiated by small businesses and organisations, not big factories
or multinational corporations. Which products / services / good causes / projects would you actually buy or donate to? Collect every idea that comes up in the small group! Write down the name or brand of the product / service / good cause / project and draw a pictogram next to each of them which helps to capture them!
Thinking through the everyday consumption and preferences of yourself or your family might help.

b) The reason why.

Ask yourself: what makes you choose a particular product / service / good cause / project? Is it useful? Looks good? Makes you look good? Is it about convenience? Is it important for you to help people or issues by donating to them? Do ou want to make someone else happy with a present? Is it environmentally friendly?
Sharing – 8 min

Stick the big sheets of papers on the wall or leave them on the floor, and discover the collections of the other groups. Let’s go for a walk in this gallery!

2. Spot / site – 12-15 min (2-5 min preparing + 10-12 min sharing)
Go back to your group please!
Let’s examine the places where we can get these products / services or donations to a good cause / projects! Is it a physically existing shop / market or is it a webshop, website available online only? What do they look like? How can they attract your attention? What makes them visible and desirable? What are the main attributes?

Discuss in small groups.

If possible, you can show websites to others. You have 12-15 minutes: please be aware that everyone should have their own 1-2 minutes of showing something.

3. Closer look – analysis – 12-15 min

Choose one of the products / services / good causes / projects in each group! Come to an agreement, a common thing. If needed, you have to persuade each other, you have to advertise and “sell” your product. Why is it good for others? Why is it worth the attention? Why is it worth spending money on? Consider also if the shop / market / website is available to be examined, maybe even the owner / self trader / organization is accessible to be interviewed.

Examine the product / service / good cause / project in detail! Make notes on a big sheet of paper.

a) Supporting questions and aspects:
> Describe the product / service / good cause / project!
> What kind of goal does it aim to achieve?
> Who is the target group? Who is it made for?
> What is the price?
> Are there any similar products / services / good causes / projects nearby? Compared to them, what makes the difference? Why is the one we chose better? Why should a customer choose this one and not the other ones?

b) Communication
> If it is available in a physically existing shop or market, describe the surroundings. If it’s online, examine the site(s). What do they look like? Pay attention to design, colours, shapes, fonts, lay-out / set-up, style…
> What are the channels to reach the target group?
> What are the messages?
> Is there a catchy phrase, a buzzword?

4. Homework – research: approx. 60 min

In small groups:

1) If possible make a short interview with the owner / organization / entrepreneur.

Supporting questions:

How did the business / project start?

> What was the original idea at the beginning?

> What were the difficulties to deal with along the way?

> What is their mission, vision?

> Are there any innovations nowadays?

> What are their plans for the near future? etc.

2) Browse! If there is already an interview with
them, read it!

3) Make a 3-minute presentation for the others!

2ND LESSON – APPROX. 45 MIN:

1 ) Sharing the result of the 1st lesson and the research made at home – 12-15 min

2) Our own project / product – 15 min

Small groups:
> Create your own product / service / good cause / project! What inspires you? What do you do with passion? What would you change in your life / surroundings? Collect ideas together in a small group and then choose one from the ideas!
> Make a presentation to introduce your idea!
You can make notes and draw on a big sheet of paper.

> Supporting questions:
• Describe the product / service / good cause / project!
• What kind of goal does it aim to achieve?
• Who is the target group? Who is it made for?
• What is the price?
• Are there any similar products / services /good causes / projects nearby? Compared to them, what makes the difference? Why is the one we chose better? Why should a customer choose this one and not the other ones?

c) Communication

> What are the channels to reach the target group?
> What are the messages?
> Is there a catchy phrase, a buzzword?
> What should a website look like? Pay attention to design, colours, shapes, fonts, lay-out, style…
> It may help to examine the profiles / sites of various projects on https://www.indiegogo.com/ / https://adjukossze.hu/ / https://www.patreon.com/ / crowdfunding website. How do they communicate?

1. Presentation – sharing and marketplace – 12 min

Everybody has 100 (10×10) units of money which can be shared among the projects. Go around and leave the amount of money you want for the projects.

2. Self-evaluation / reflection – 5 min

Fill in the following form individually.
> What kind of tasks did I take?
> Which tasks were difficult for me? Why?
> Which tasks took more time than expected?

Scales – rate your work from 2 to 5 according to the following sentences.
> I’ve worked hard.
> I’ve concentrated on the task all along the team work.
> I’ve managed to ask for help when I needed to.
> I’ve been constructive when giving criticism.
> I’ve found my part in the team.
> I am satisfied with my work.

Your Approach:

The project work above provides an opportunity for the participants to experience working in teams, finding the ways of persuasion, making presentations. It also gives possibilities to practice one’s creativity, initiation, needs analysis and evaluation. Self-evaluation also gives scope for identifying one’s strengths and weaknesses. These skills and attitudes above are part of the competence Sense of initiative and entrepreneurship. The facilitator should always ask open questions to bring the ideas of the participants forth. There are no right or wrong answers, ideas. Every idea should be listened to. The one the small groups agreed to work together on is the one to elaborate and improve. This aim can be achieved with open questions and suggestions. However, the idea and the work should come from the participants. The facilitator gives the place and the frames for collective thinking. The facilitator stimulates, inspires but never does the task instead of the participants, and never insists on their own ideas

Source/Acknowledgments:

Fanni Szemerédi, InSite Drama, Hungary

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