An essential resource for all kinds of groups, these tried and tested strategies will stimulate and encourage full participation from all group members. Provides ideas for introducing group members to each other, breaking down barriers, energising people, helping people learn, moving the group on, building trust between group members, motivating people, assessing and evaluating the group, managing behaviour and personal responsibility, and ending sessions. The activities are set out in a clear, easy to follow format, with variations and guidance for adapting the activities. Will enable group leaders to promote group members' self development, meet the needs of their different learning styles, stimulate their creativity and develop their thinking skills. This toolkit is an invaluable resource for tutors, occupational therapists, nurses, care staff, probation staff, youth leaders or anyone - new or experienced - who works with groups.

How can you encourage people to be motivated? How can you create that sense of yearning to achieve or reach a goal? How can you energise and inspire group members? The exercises and activities in this resource will help you to motivate your team or the group with which you are working. The activities are organised in sections from which you can choose to meet particular group needs. These include: Ice breakers and warm ups; Trust building; Building self-esteem; Inspiring creativity; Aligning values; Creating an inspiring environment; Becoming solution focused; Perception; Resilience; Team building; Visualising and setting goals; Energy boosters; Overcoming anxiety and fear; Managing stress; Stopping procrastination; and; Using competition. Whether your group is small or large you will find something for any setting. Many of the activities can also be used on a one-to-one basis in supervision, with clients or students. The activities are interactive and fun. Trainers, youth leaders, counsellors, group leaders, team managers, teachers, care workers and probation officers will find the resource one in which they constantly dip for inspiration. Robin Dynes is the Social Inclusion Officer for Skills & Learning in his local authority. His main role has been to develop an innovative outreach curriculum that is accessible and meets the needs of people with disabilities, older people and others who are vulnerable. The aim is to ensure that people with disabilities have equal opportunity and an active and fulfilling role within the community.

This practical resource provides the tools to help individuals explore their ambitions, set goals and plan to achieve them, manage their lives and gain the skills to make their hopes and dreams a reality. The programme is ideal for use with people who are making major changes in their lives and are ready to explore their options for the future. They may wish to return to education, go back to work, change jobs, start voluntary work, take up new interests or are considering other changes in their lives. The book is divided into two parts: six core sessions covering: Making a start, Deciding what you want, Setting goals, Making it happen, Learning to learn and What next? and Eight optional sessions. These can be used individually or added to the core sessions in any order, depending on identified need. The sessions cover: Dealing with stress, Coping with change, Being assertive, Overcoming relationship conflict, Organising your time, Dealing with disappointment, Keeping records and Creating an impression. It is an ideal resource for youth leaders, teachers, support workers, occupational therapists, social workers and probation staff. It has been developed through the experience of working with groups and individuals in adult education, youth services, day centres and rehabilitation centres.

Writing Life Histories is a practical handbook which gives clear guidance on how to put together life histories in supportive or residential settings. It provides: step-by-step guidance ideas for different types of life histories activities, strategies and material for prompting memories helpful tools and writing tips suggestions for support and forming partnerships with other local services ideas for involving the person's family and friends discussion on ethical issues to be considered. The benefits of engaging a group or an individual in life history activities include: an aid to memory creative stimulation a personalised identity when in a residential home promotion of interaction and co-operation with others continuity with previous life experience thus combating loss of identity as well as an excellent opportunity to pass on knowledge and experience to others. For staff knowing about past experiences will promote an understanding of behaviour, needs and outlook on life resulting in more personalised care. Staff have references for conversation with cognitive impaired individuals and knowledge about life accomplishments which promotes respect for individuals. This is an indispensible resource for anyone interested in compiling life histories including nurses, residential home staff, carers, tutors and occupational therapists, group facilitators in day centres, clubs for the elderly or learning disabilities.

This practical, photocopiable manual provides group leaders with a flexible programme to teach interaction skills that can be adapted to a wide variety of groups, situations and needs. The programme will benefit anyone who lacks adequate skills or who has difficulty interacting with other people at home, socially or at work, for example adults with very few or no formal qualifications, people with depression or schizophrenia, young people in schools or people with learning disabilities. The book is filled with workable ideas and the sessions are designed to be used independently as required to meet identified needs. Full guidance notes for facilitators, session plans, handouts and activity guidelines are provided and this will be an invaluable resource for anyone wanting to run an interaction skills programme.

This completely revised edition of Winslow's bestselling Quiz Book contains more than 2,000 questions categorised into 40 stimulating subjects. It is aimed at adolescents and adults alike and features questions that are all realistically within the scope of the average person. Designed for those who use quizzes as a group activity, the questions are grouped into three ability levels with a layout that enables the organiser to rapidly locate the required topic. Its topics cover areas such as cookery, animals, sport, home, spellings, history and general knowledge.

This is a practical handbook which features 80 adaptable games and the issues that arise with them. Although primarily intended for use with older people, these games should be enjoyed by people of all ages: as part of a social activities programme; specifically for reminiscence purposes; to help keep people orientated to the world around them; to exercise memory skills; or as the prelude to discussion so that individuals can share difficulties and explore methods of aiding memory. The games can be used one-to-one as well as in groups, and can be made easier or more difficult accordingly.

Spanning the years 1930 to 1989, this is a highly practical and enjoyable puzzle book. It covers events, people, entertainment and everyday life and is designed to encourage group participation to recall and discuss their own personal experiences. It is fully adaptable according to the needs and abilities of the individuals within the group.

This is a handbook full of practical ideas to use with anyone who is experiencing mild to severe memory difficulties. The suggestions and activities can be used when working with individuals or groups. The strategies can, in fact, be used by anyone young or old, who has become worried about loss of memory. The handbook provides: information about how memory works and different types of memory; an outline of what can affect memory; strategies to aid memory; activities to practice using the strategies; and activities to keep the brain active and maintain memory. The resource is aimed at staff in care environments such as residential homes, day centres, social clubs, support groups, carers or anyone who might be concerned about loss of memory. It promotes understanding about memory difficulties and provides a wide range of strategies and activities to aid response to individual need. Approximately 200pp; A4 wire-o-bound.

The effects of social interaction and engagement with older people have been proven to considerably improve quality of life and emotional wellbeing. This book comes packed with ready-to-use activities for groups of older people, aimed at connecting individuals, developing their self-esteem, and encouraging personal expression and independence. The activities are intended to be led by facilitators working with groups of older people in residential homes, drop-in or day centres, hospices, clubs for older people, hospitals, or support groups. The activities range from creative arts to storytelling to sports, and are all designed to keep both bodies and minds sharp, while encouraging positive relationships with others.

In all types of support services and care situations one of the biggest challenges is motivating people to change their behaviour. It particularly applies to individuals who are difficult to motivate because they might lack insight, wilfully ignore or refuse to face their situation, are affected by depression or health problems or are victims of unfortunate circumstances or fear of failure. The task may be to motivate someone to improve their quality of life by participating in a group in a residential home, change a lifestyle because of health reasons, address offending behaviour, learn a new skill to obtain a job or complete an anxiety management programme. The strategies and techniques will help: arouse their interest in making changes; encourage the consideration of change; support their planning for change; mentor the person through planned actions; ensure momentum is maintained; guide the person in making positive use of any relapses; and make sure the change is successfully achieved. This is an invaluable resource for support workers, social workers, health workers, youth workers, probation officers, employment services, tutors and carers. The techniques can be applied when working with individuals or groups in all types of settings including residential homes, day centres, probation, education or youth work.

Designed for anyone wanting to develop an anxiety management programme for use with groups or individuals, this practical handbook offers a useful resource to social workers, professionals and individuals who are called upon to work with people who have anxiety problems. The book is divided into two parts: Part 1 provides information for anxiety management training. Part 2 consists of 10 chapters that each look at specific aspects of anxiety management and provides photocopiable session plans, exercises and handouts for a ten-week programme, which is adaptable for use with all client groups and to the time available.

Presented in a format that immediately allows you to see what materials are needed, how much preparation is required and how each game is played, this book presents practical resource material in an accessible format. Ideas include introduction mixing exercises, games using gentle movement, exuberant games, puzzles brain teasers, verbal games, pen paper games, and more. It includes a special outdoor selection, and advice on how to make your group successful. It is ideal for scout and church leaders, as well as occupational therapists, activity organisers and social workers.

This superb practical handbook contains 100 activities that are non-competitive and can be used across the whole age spectrum with individuals or groups. It provides indispensable material for use with learning disabilities, mental health, physical disabilities and regressed psychiatric or geriatric patients. The non-competitive nature of these activities ensures that people feel safe in making a contribution, and fear of failure or disappointment is effectively eliminated. Divided into photocopiable sections, these provide a session format that focuses on maintaining and increasing the function of the whole person. It is an ideal resource for day centres, hospitals, care homes and the creative group leader.