The Training of Trainers Manual - UNFPA

Getting Started
Stretching exercise and warm-up
Participants are invited to lead the group in some stretching exercises. Several
trainees can demonstrate in turn which muscles to stretch.
Feedback on Day 3
The feedback team delivers a summary of the feedback collected from all
participants on Day 3.
Trust-building exercise: Willow in the wind
Objective
To help participants learn how to build trust
30
minutes
Materials
An area in which participants have enough room to move around
comfortably and to make about three circles of eight people. An
area with a soft (carpeted) floor is preferable, but not essential.
Also suitable for
training of
peer educators
Training note
Some people may be afraid to play this game. Never force
or pressure them to participate. Always respect the rightto-pass
rule.
Process
Arrange the participants in three circles, making sure there is a little extra room
around the outside of each circle. Move chairs out of the way.
Explain that the exercise is aimed at building trust and requires careful attention to
instructions. It is important that everyone carries out the instructions carefully; if
they do not, someone could get hurt. Every participant will have a chance to be in
the centre, but only if he or she wants to be.
Ask for a volunteer to stand in the centre. Have the other participants stand in
a circle, shoulder to shoulder, facing the person in the middle. Explain that the
person in the centre is the ‘willow’. The willow will be blown around but will also
be supported by the wind.
Tell everyone standing in the circle to hold their hands up, with palms facing the
person, just below chest height of the person in the middle. Their legs should
be apart, with one slightly in front of the other, and their knees bent a little,
so that they will not be thrown off balance if someone leans heavily on them.
84 Training of Trainers Manual