Lowering Our Shields

Facilitation Guide: Lowering Our Shields | Saturday, September 2, 2023 6-8 pm Note: It is more than okay and encouraged that you have this facilitation guide in front of you when your group is in your Lowering Our Shields session! Location and set up: • Find a location on lower campus o You should not be close enough to another group to the point where you are able to hear them talking. o Select a spot that is out of the way of any walking routes to avoid interruption from groups that are done sooner than yours. • Sit in a circle in which everyone can see each other and place the lantern switched on in the center • Ask that everyone put their phones on Do Not Disturb to avoid any interruptions Materials needed: • Lantern • A timer (phone or watch) *use chimes timer noise* Session Guide and Instructions: • Lowering our Shields presentation mini debrief: Take an opportunity to connect with your group about the full group session in which Lowering Our Shields was introduced and O-Team members shared their stories. o Consider asking your Baby Falcs thoughts on any of the following questions to prompt responses: ▪ Was there anything that resonated with you from the stories that were shared on stage? ▪ What is something you admired about those who shared their stories? ▪ After being in that session, what are your expectations or feelings about doing this ourselves? ▪ Why might you think we do this during our Orientation program? • Explain O-Group Lowering Our Shields: o Explain the goals, meaning, importance, and purpose of Lowering Our Shields: Feel free to pull from any of the talking points below or speak to it in your own way! ▪ Lowering Our Shields is a way to embrace vulnerability, be more open with one another, share our lived experiences, and as a result, develop stronger and truer connections. ▪ Tonight, you may learn something about someone that you may not have otherwise known unless they were given this space and support to share their story. Be the person who gives others the space and opportunity for their story to be heard and their identity celebrated. ▪ Oftentimes we can be quick to make snap judgements of the people around us before giving them chance and learning about them and their story. We hope that in being a part of this session today, we start our Bentley journey off on the right foot, setting a precedent for how we approach our interactions and relationships at Bentley in beyond. Everyone’s story deserves to be listened to and valued. We are going to do