space where there are few hazards or obstacles. Set up the activity

as follows:

1. Ask for five volunteers from the group. Take these people far

enough away where they cannot see or hear what the rest of

the group is doing. Give them each a blindfold and ask them

to put it on in preparation for the activity. Explain only that in

a moment they will return to the training room where they

will receive instructions from several colleagues. Leave these

folks where they are while you prepare the rest of the group.

2. Ask the rest of the participants to form five equal groups using

the count off method. Explain that each group will be assigned

an Orange Finder from the group that just left the room. The

task of each small group is to instruct the assigned blindfolded

Orange Finder to locate a designated orange placed across the

room from the group. The trick to the activity is that each team

member has only one chance to communicate with the Orange

Finder. In other words, each team may give only five

instructions to help their Orange Finder find the fruit.

3. Position the oranges across from the teams and make certain

each team is clear on which orange is theirs.

4. Invite the Orange Finders back to the group and introduce

each one to his or her team. Have each team select one member

who will serve as a  spotter  for the Orange Finder. (A spotter

is someone who walks along side the blindfolded person and

gives cautions about obstacles in the person's path. The spotter

does not, however, give any clues or actual instructions; the

spotter only cautions, e.g.,  There's a chair two steps ahead of

you. )

B. Have the activity and award a small prize to the winning team.

Process the activity by underscoring the message that projects

are more successful when everyone is involved in the planning

and has an opportunity to give input. Volunteers and Counter 

parts need to involve community members in the same sort of

participatory design process we are practicing in this workshop.

Ask participants to briefly share examples of community groups,

committees or design teams they have worked with in the past

and to discuss how those groups got engaged in the planning

process. (Probing questions: Who encouraged or invited them?

How sustained was their involvement? Who was missing from

the planning process?)

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