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Description

Explore the theme of homelessness, and why people could become homeless, in this interactive bridge building activity.
See: https://www.scouts.org.uk/activities/a-safe-bridge/ (taken from The Great Outdoors badge requirements)

Resources

You will need:
Access to water
Sticky tape
Permanent markers
Craft materials (for example, tissue paper, pipe cleaners, stickers)
Something to protect surfaces (for example, newspaper or tablecloths)
Paper cups (one per person)

Other resources:
Watch this video(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5gv8sTD8UY) about how we can be the generation to end homelessness.
Read Crisis' interactive plan to end homelessness (https://www.crisis.org.uk/ending-homelessness/plan-to-end-homelessness/).
Listen to Sharon's story (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJ1jsw3imtU).

Instructions

Before you begin:
Explain that we’ll be exploring the topic of homelessness. There are no right or wrong answers today and everyone should be listened to and respected throughout the session.
[If there’s anyone in the group that might find this session challenging because of personal experience of homelessness, work with their parent/carer to discuss how best you can support them to be involved.]

Everyone should get into small teams of the same number.
In these teams talk about these questions:
* Why do you think people and families can sometimes become homeless?
* Do you think homelessness should exist? Why/why not?
* What types of homelessness are you all aware of?
* Who should end homelessness and why?

Play the game
1. Hand out the pens, cups, tape and paper clips to each team. Make sure everyone has a cup.
2. Ask everyone to think of their cup as a home.
3. Explain that we all deserve a decent home. This is more than the basics of somewhere dry to live. Ask the team to call out something that’s important in a home and why?
[This might be a cosy sofa to sit on, loved ones in their home, a washing machine to wash clothes.]
4. Everyone should write four or five things on the outside of their cup that they think are important in homes. It doesn’t matter if these are similar.
5. Now that they have their ideal homes, challenge each group to create a bridge to hold as many paper cups on it as possible.
* The bridge must be at least 20cm above the surface it’s on.
* It must be self-supporting using only the materials provided.
* At the end of the task the bridge must stay standing.
6. Explain that the bridge now represents a stable home life and that water is going to be poured into their cups to fill them up to indicate what would happen if suddenly, the bridge met extreme pressure.
[The water represents unpredictable problems that can create pressure such as falling seriously ill, losing a job, a significant increase in rent, family breakdown.]
7. Each team places their cups on their team’s bridge and gradually fill each individual cup a quarter of the way, then half, and then to the top.
8. If a bridge collapses, explain that if lots of pressure builds up, a worst-case scenario is that someone could become homeless.
[Make sure you wipe up any spilt water.]
9. If a bridge doesn’t collapse, explain that with the right support and structures in place it’s possible to deal with difficult situations (but this isn’t always the case).
10. Using the facts about 'Ending homelessness' below discuss what support is available to help us achieve the goal of ending homelessness?
(see https://www.scouts.org.uk/activities/a-safe-bridge/)

Tags

• A Safe Bridge
• community awareness
• Homeless

Badge Links

• Community Impact - Identify
• Community Impact - Learn
• Diamond - Activity 1
• Platinum - Activity 1
• The Great Indoors - Community engagement