Student Worksheet

Being Brave in the Time of COVID-19 - Activity Instructions

Students will...

You will learn about self-talk and the ‘inner voice’
You will consider what it means to be brave
You will consider the similarities and differences between bravery and courage
You will use drama to explore and express complex ideas.

Students can...

You can engage with challenging topics and emotions
You can use phrases or deliberate thoughts to control your inner voice better
You can create a monologue that demonstrates both an inner and outer voice.

Watch IMAGI-NATION{TV}:

View the ‘Being Brave in the Time of COVID-19’ playlist and select any clip you like! You can also watch the full 'Youngsters' episodes here or jump to Being Brave in the Time of COVID-19 from within an episode (you can find the segment timestamp in the video description). You could also tune in on Tuesdays to watch the Being Brave in the Time of COVID-19 segment live.

Learn more about Being Brave in the Time of COVID-19.

Find all the IMAGI-NATION{TV} episodes on AIME’s Youtube channel (https://www.youtube.com/aimementoring). You can learn more about each episode in the video description.

Part A: Dig Deeper

Step 1.

Each week of IMAGI-NATION{TV} explores a theme based around the values of AIME. Identify the theme for the episode or segment you watched and write a paragraph about what it means to you.

AIME’s values:

No shame	Failure	Change
Know yourself	Flip the script	The gift of time
Brave goals	Initiative	Empathy
Rebelliousness	Out of the comfort zone	Yes and...
Kindness	Trust	Listening
Hope	Forgiveness	Asking questions
Imagination	Hard work/discipline
Freedom	Mentors not saviours

What the theme ............................... means to me:

How do you think this theme relates to ‘the time of COVID-19’?

Step 2.

Think about the youngster in the ‘Being Brave in the Time of COVID-19’ segment you watched (watch it again if you need to). They were describing their own experience of living during COVID-19 lockdowns.

Answer these questions about the video:

How was this youngster being brave in the time of COVID-19?

What about this youngster’s circumstances was different or similar to your own?

What phrase or idea stood out to you most?

Why did it stand out? What does it mean to you?

Have you heard a phrase or idea like this before? From where?

Step 3.

Now answer these questions:

What does 'being brave' mean to you?

When have you had to be brave?

What are some phrases you have heard other people use, that help them and/or others be brave?

What are some phrases you could say to yourself to feel better when you feel low or afraid? (For example, “a trouble shared, is a trouble halved”.)

How might it help others for you to be brave in times of COVID?

Step 4.

What have some famous people said about bravery? Do some online research and write down three of the best quotes you found:

1. “

2. “

3. “

When you search for bravery quotes, often you’ll get a lot of quotes about ‘courage’ too.

How do you think ‘bravery’ and ‘courage’ are similar or different?

Look up the definitions of ‘bravery’ and ‘courage’ in the dictionary. What did you notice?

Step 5.

Answer the following questions:

Do any of the quotes (including yours) from Steps 2 or 3 relate to ‘being brave in the time of COVID-19’?

Do you feel you have had to be brave during the time of COVID-19? How so?

Do you think it’s important to be brave during times of crisis and change? Why/why not?

What might you feel if you weren’t ‘being brave’?

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Step 6.

Do some research on the rainbow and teddy bear trails that kids have been creating during COVID-19 (you can get started with this article, or get your teacher to help you).

Write a paragraph or make a 30-second voice recording explaining why you agree or disagree with the following statement:

Contributing to rainbow and teddy bear trails is a child’s way of showing bravery during times of COVID-19.

Part B: Reflect

Step 1.

Think about the term ‘inner voice’. Have you heard this term before? What do you think it means?

Basically, your inner voice is just the chatter that goes on inside your head. Pretty much everyone says they have a persistent voice nattering away inside their minds. It doesn’t mean you’re crazy (usually), but sometimes it can drive you crazy!

Step 2.

Think carefully about the following questions:

Do you believe the voice chattering away inside your head is your own or that it’s coming from somewhere else?

Do you believe you can control what this voice says?

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Some people say you can learn to control your inner thoughts (e.g. using positive self-talk). What might be some potential benefits of gaining more control over the voice in your head?

Hint: If you’re not 100% sure what self-talk is and its impacts on mental health, you might like to read what this website says about it: https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/self-talk. This article says a lot about how self-talk relates to yourself, but your inner voice can also have a lot to say about other topics - like the COVID-19 pandemic and how it is affecting you, your family and your friends.

Step 3.

Think again about the video you watched. What self-talk do you think the person on the video was practising? As in, what phrases might they be saying to themselves to help them be brave in the times of COVID-19? What might their inner voice be saying that they didn’t share with the audience?

Step 4.

Write down some of the things your inner voice is saying about the COVID-19 pandemic.

Step 5.

Write down some things that you would prefer your inner voice to be saying. Perhaps you could think of some phrases that you can repeat regularly to make yourself feel braver.

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Part C: Imagine

You might like to base this next task on your own life, or you could create a character using some traits of several people you know or even just imagine someone completely new.

Step 1.

Write down some details about your character (or yourself):

Step 2.

Write a script for a video diary that includes both the outer voice and inner voice of your character (like the one you watched, but with a twist!). You’ll need to follow these rules:

The inner voice should express the character’s challenging feelings during ‘times of COVID-19’ (this voice is allowed to express negative self-talk and feel down about the situation)
The outer voice should express the character’s bravery during ‘times of COVID’ and aim to inspire others to be brave too (this voice uses uplifting self-talk and inspirational quotes, even though it might also present some difficult facts)
Find a way to identify which voice is saying what. Maybe you could write one in italics and one normal, each one in different colours, or you could give the two voices different names or identifiers.

Hint: If writing isn’t your strength, you could improvise your script and record yourself. You could even work with a partner, where each person represents either the inner voice or the outer voice.

Taking it Further

Option 1. Practice reading your monologue using different inflections and body language for each voice. For example, the inner voice might be quieter and sadder, where the outer voice could sound more confident.

Option 2. Plan to film your monologue by making a storyboard. Then record it. The benefit of using film is that you could dress differently to represent the different voices. You might find it easier to record all the lines of one voice first, then get changed and record the lines for the other voice. You can then edit your video together to read like your original script. Consider using filters or sound to enhance the contrast between the two voices.

Option 3. Rehearse your monologue until you know it off by heart. Give each of your voices a distinctly different posture and inflection (or even a different accent). Consider how you could use props, costume, lighting or your body to show the difference between each of the voices physically. Perform your monologue to an audience you trust. You might even like to film yourself performing live. If you do decide to film yourself, think about whether you need the camera far away so you can show your whole body, or whether you’d like to get really close up so you can show your facial expressions in greater detail. If you are willing to step ‘out of the comfort zone’, send your recording to IMAGI-NATION{TV} (general@imagi-nation.tv). They might decide to share it during one of the episodes!

IMAGI-NATION{TV} - Being Brave in the Time of COVID-19

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