Cell Phone Scavenger Hunt

Inclusive Welcome
An inclusive welcome is a brief, interactive experience that brings the voice of every participant into the room, making a connection to one another and to the work ahead, with each perspective-laden, culturally rich voice being heard, respected, and learned from.
Description

Participants look through their phone to find photos that match categories on a card, and mix with a variety of partners or small groups to share photos and write names of peers/colleagues on their card. This activity helps participants get to know one another and can draw the group’s focus to the importance of identity, building relationships, and collaboration.

When and Why

Back to top

This activity works well to lead into a conversation about the benefits of developing a sense of belonging, inclusion, and relationships, or about collaborative leadership. It can also demonstrate a positive way to use technology to develop connection, as a contrast to harm that can occur with the misuse of technology. However, be mindful of the availability of technology with your group and only choose this activity if you are sure everyone will be able to participate — participants will need a phone or laptop that stores photos to fully participate in this activity, if unmodified.

How to Facilitate

Back to top
  1. Reflect on the current context, the demographics of participants, and the purpose of this engagement, and create a scavenger hunt card that is a good fit for your group (see the example below). Print a copy of the card for each participant.
  2. Give participants a few minutes to review their card and scroll through their photos on their phone, finding photos that are a “match” for a word on the card (for example, a picture of a flamingo at the zoo is a match for “bird”). Suggest participants mark these photos as favorites or take a screenshot so they can easily access them to share with a partner.
  3. After everyone has marked 3-5 photos, ask participants to move around the room to find a partner or small group, sharing their selected photos and writing their names in the corresponding spots on the scavenger hunt card.
  4. Participants can move on and find new groups at will, sharing photos and writing names on cards, as time allows. If your group has more than 16 people, clarify that names should not be repeated on the card. If your group enjoys light competition, you can celebrate the first person to get four different names in a row on the card.
  5. Bring the full group back to attention and debrief, calling on a few people to share responses or prompting them to speak with one person next to them.
    • What was more fun for you — looking through your photos on your own, or sharing and talking about them? Is that the same or different from your learning style?
    • What did you notice about how you and your partners thought differently about the words on your cards, or were drawn to different words when finding matches? What explains that?
    • Everyone in this room has a unique “gallery” in their head of experiences, examples, and ideas. Think about the unique perspective you as an individual contribute to this group. How can we build on our assets — all these unique minds and experiences — as we collaborate?

Modifications

Back to top
  • In a virtual environment, you can ask participants to find items around their home to match the words on their card rather than scroll through their photos.
  • If students are not permitted to use their phones, revise the scavenger hunt card to match items that they may be able to find in their backpack, desk, or locker.
  • If you have less than 5 minutes, forgo the scavenger hunt card and just give one prompt to find a photo, for example “find a photo on your phone that brings you joy” or “find a photo that makes you think about community.” Similar to the full version, have participants find a partner, show their photo and explain why they chose it, then debrief the experience as a full group.

Example

Back to top

Contributed by:

Back to top

The Fresno Unified School District Tier 1 SEL Team

How does Cell Phone Scavenger Hunt support SEL?

Social Awareness/Belonging: Participants are encouraged to understand the perspectives of and empathize with others, including those from diverse backgrounds, cultures, and contexts. Facilitators create an experience of acceptance, respect, and inclusion within a group or community.

Relationships/Collaborative Problem-Solving: Participants have the opportunity to establish and maintain healthy and supportive relationships within the group and to effectively navigate settings with diverse individuals and groups. Facilitators create an activity where participants can build a shared understanding and work together to come to solutions by pooling knowledge, skills, and efforts.
Access the latest, most trusted information on SEL
Sign up for our newsletters