BGbeauty |
07-01-2007 09:12 PM |
The idea of having to force sister to respect and appreciate one another is ridiculous, but it happens in a lot of chapters.
For our girls, we did a sisterhood retreat that took place in a quiet room we rented in our student union. We did the "cross the line" ice breaker: girls form a circle around the room and create and invisible line on the floor with their toes. Scenerios are read aloud and if a girl has experienced it, she steps forward and crosses the line. Scenerios range from simple personality things (out of state versus in state, first person in family to go to college, only child, etc) to moderately personal things (ever failed a class, regreted something from their past, felt like dropping out of college, etc) to fairly personal (questioned sexuality, been through depression, lost a loved one due to overdoes/suicide, etc). While they can be extremely personal and may be uncomfortable for some girls, it's also a relief for others who feel like this is an easy way to share what they've been through. You get a sense of "hey, that girl has been through so much that i didn't know about--maybe that's why she's been so stressed out lately" and it gives you a little compassion and insite into girls' lives that you may otherwise never know.
We also played a form of 20 Questions (hader to do with large groups, may want to split up into groups of 20 or less). To make it personal, we sat in a circle, turned off the lights and used candlelight instead. The president (or group leader) would start by asking a question. At first they were siimple: favorite family vacation, hometown, least favorite meal on campus. They eventually got harder: person in your life you miss the most, most important person in your life, most regreted memory. The last few questions were tough, and they did get personal. But knowing that your sisters were so willing to open up and share their life with you gave you a little more respect and made people feel a little bit closer. After the president/leader would ask the question, each girl would answer it (or regretfully decline if she felt it was too personal--but once one girl really opens up, you'll be surprised at how easy others do too) until it had gone all the way around the circle. Finally, the president/leader would answer the question before moving on to the next one.
It was also made known that what was shared in the chapter at the retreat stayed within the chapter walls and was not to be shared with anyone else.
I hope maybe these ideas can help your chapter! Good luck!
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