How might we empower fourth through sixth graders at the Boys and Girls Club to independently address social conflicts?
The Take A Lap: Don’t Be A Drama Llama teamed up with the Boys and Girls Club to solve a real problem for their staff and kids. Anne Westfall, Program Director for the Boys and Girls Club of Ada County, came to the team with a problem: “Kids need healthy methods of conflict resolution, and staff aren’t always available to help them.” To understand and empathize with the problem, the team conducted interviews and multiple site visits at the Boys and Girls Club to gain insight into the issues of students in fourth through sixth grades. The team further researched the problem. During the ideation phase, in which the student team developed multiple solutions, the team solidified their solution into a plan called, “Take A Lap.”
Take a Lap is a four step process which fourth, fifth, and sixth graders can use to independently resolve conflicts without seeking a staff member’s help. The four steps are stored in a mobile cart that kids can easily access when needed. The four steps are:
Take a Breath – kids take a moment to think and reflect on the conflict.
I Feel – kids identify the way they feel and why, AND think about how the other person might feel.
Cup It Out – kids communicate their feelings and discuss the conflict through a cup phone.
Solutions – kids work together to come up with a final solution that they agree on to present to one of the staff members.
Each step in Take A Lap was prototyped with the Take A Lap team as well as a focus group of fourth through sixth graders.
Outcomes
Take A Lap was first implemented in the spring of 2018 by training the Boys and Girls Club staff on how and when to use the Take A Lap cart. The team then showed the kids at the Boys and Girls Club how to use the Take A Lap cart with success. Students and staff members were evenly engaged and excited to see it function in their space, and apply it to themselves!
