Be in the Service of Humanity is part of the Field Guide to Service.
Why?
Developing your own reflection exercise is a great way to stretch yourself creatively while simultaneously exploring the questions and themes that came out of your experience. It also offers you the opportunity to create a tool you can use to connect and start conversations with others.
How?
To start crafting your own reflection tool, think about what you want to accomplish.
- Are you looking to gain more insight about yourself?
- Do you want to take a closer look at a particular element of your experience?
- Are you looking to explore how what you did fits into the bigger picture?
With your end goal in mind, it’s time to pick a method of reflection that matches and challenges you. Some methods of reflection to consider are:
Oral Reflection
- Talk it out with a friend
- Record your thoughts and feelings via video or audio
Written Reflection
- Journal about your experience
- Free associate—jot down words, thoughts and feelings
Visual Reflection
- Go it alone or in a group
- Get creative—draw or sketch it out, build a collage, the options are endless!
Activity
Using the activities in this Field Guide to Service as a model, here are three steps to help create your own reflection tool.
Identify Your Goal
Develop a goal in one or more of the following categories:
- Insight About Yourself
- Take a Closer Look
- The Bigger Picture
Develop Your Method
- What method are you drawn to?
- What is most outside your comfort zone?
Brainstorm what you could do via one or more of the following methods:
ORAL REFLECTION • WRITTEN REFLECITON • VISUAL REFLECTION
Find Your Guiding Questions
- What questions will you need to ask to get at the heart of what you are trying to uncover?