Workshop 1: Welcome Ambassadors 

PLEASE NOTE: There are other key elements within the Opening section of each workshop that help to ensure the success of our programme. To avoid overwhelming the Ambassadors, the elements below will be introduced from Week 2 onwards:

• Opening Image: Awe & Wonder

• Be Here Now Exercise

• Designated Photographer 

• The Reflection 

Welcome & Celebration | 3 mins

Play celebratory music as the Ambassadors arrive bertha.short.gy/WS1-Opening . Gather everyone into the circle.

Say: “Firstly, congratulations and welcome to the Bertha Earth Ambassador Programme! You're here because you were bold enough to apply for this opportunity, and/or someone believed you would make a brilliant Ambassador.

“Over this year, you'll explore what it means to be a Bertha Earth Ambassador. You'll discover how to care for yourself, each other, and our environment, and how to take positive action for our planet.

“But today is really about one thing; welcoming you and beginning this journey together.”

Invite everyone to give themselves and each other a huge round of applause.

Meet the Facilitation Team | 2 mins

• Facilitators introduce themselves

• Keep this warm and brief rather than giving lots of background

• Let them know that the facilitation team will be accompanying them throughout their Ambassador journey

Check-In | 3-4 mins

• Introduce the idea of the check-in and explain that it will be part of their regular workshop rhythm

• Use a simple, low-pressure check-in for the first session

Explain: “We're going to start every workshop with a check-in. It is a chance to pause, notice how we're feeling and arrive properly, before we begin.”

You can offer your chosen check-in or run the standard one (see below). Remember the purpose of a check in is to gauge the energy as they arrive and then when they leave the space. A simple and clear check-in will be the most effective. 

NOTE: As this is Week One, we would suggest keeping this particularly light. They don't know one another yet, so don’t offer anything that requires vulnerability. We will build on the check-ins next week. 

Standard Check-In | 2 mins

Ask the Ambassadors to stand up and imagine that one side of the room is 0 and the opposite side is 10.

• 0 = I'm not feeling great today. I'd rather be under a duvet.

• 5 = I'm feeling okay, somewhere in the middle.

• 10 = I'm full of energy and feeling amazing.

Invite everyone to move to the place that best represents how they are feeling right now. They can stand anywhere between 0 and 10.

Once everyone has chosen their position, invite the Ambassadors to look around the room and notice where everyone is standing.

Say: "Everyone arrives differently, and that's okay. There are no right or wrong answers. Whatever number you're showing today is welcome."

If there is enough time, invite one or two Ambassadors to share why they chose their number.

Energiser: Finding Our Connections | 6 mins

Explain: “As we're a brand-new group, let's start by discovering a little bit about who is in the room.”

Invite everyone to move around the space.

Call out a number and ask them to form groups of that size. Once in their groups:

• Share your name

• Find one thing everyone in your group has in common

Repeat once more with different group sizes. Finish by asking for a few discoveries.

Highlight: “Every time we changed groups, we found something that connected us. We're all different, and we'll discover lots more of those differences over the coming year. We also have things that connect us, and it is by staying curious to both our differences and connections . This is the beginning of our Ambassador community.”

Part 1: Why Are We Here? | 5 mins

Say: “Let’s continue learning more about each other. I’d really like to learn why each of us chose to join the Bertha Earth Ambassador Programme. Some of you might be here because you care about the environment. Some of you may love being creative, enjoy storytelling, working with others or spending time outdoors. Some of you may not yet know what to expect, and that’s completely okay! Wherever you're starting from, you're welcome here!”

Explain: “We're going to do a quick 'Vote with Your Feet' activity to see what brought us all here. This side of the room is 10 - meaning ‘strongly agree’. The opposite side is 1 - meaning ‘strongly disagree’. The space in between represents everything in the middle, so if you're a 5, stand halfway across the room.”

“I'll read out a series of statements. After each one, move to the spot that best matches how you feel. Remember, there are no right or wrong answers. We are simply curious to learn more about one another and where we're all starting from.”

Statements

I applied to Bertha Earth Ambassador programme because:

• I love storytelling 

• I care about the planet

• I want to meet/make new friends

• I want to spend more time outdoors

• I am not sure why I said yes!

Briefly reflect on all the answers at the end of the activity.

Say: “Whatever your reason for saying yes was, we are so happy to have you with us as Bertha Earth Ambassadors! Let’s now think about what being Bertha Earth Ambassador means…”

PART 2: Being an Ambassador | 4 mins

Ask: “When you hear the word Ambassador, what comes to mind?” 

Take some responses from around the room. 

Reveal the slide: “An Ambassador is someone who represents, promotes or speaks up for something they care about.”

Say: “These words are a great starting point for how we want to be as Ambassadors.”

PART 3: Working as a Team | 6 mins

Explain: “Being an Ambassador isn’t just about having great individual qualities. It’s also about how we work with others. Ambassadors need to listen, communicate, include everyone, and recognise that everyone brings something important.”

Note: If someone chooses something like ‘works well with others’ as their quality in the opening game, you can draw from this suggestion instead to kick off this activity.

Say: “Now that you are Bertha Earth Ambassadors, your first mission starts now! 

I am going to call out a shape, and you have 90 seconds, using only your bodies and without speaking to form that shape. You need to work together as a team, and everyone needs to be included.”

Go through the below challenges one at a time, resetting between them. 

1. Triangle

2. A star

3. A tree

Debrief | 7 mins 

Gather back round in a circle and reflect on the activity. Ask as many of the below questions as you have time to ask:

• “What helped us succeed?”

• “What made the challenge difficult?”

Capture as many responses as you can on white board or flipchart paper. (Facilitator, remember to write up the comments as this will form their team agreement)

Ask: “Could any one person have completed every challenge alone? Why not?” 

“Thinking about what it takes to work together, are there any qualities you feel we need to add to this list?” 

For example:

• Being kind to each other

• Listening to each other’s ideas

Explain: “Through our first missions, we've already started discovering what kind of Ambassadors we want to be and how we will work together. This will form the basis of our Ambassador Agreement which we will come back to next week. 

Introduce Storybooks | 2 mins

Say: “You will also each be given storytelling books etc. These are yours for the entire year to keep notes, reflections, and ideas. We will encourage you to use them at different points in the programme workshops but you can add to them whenever you want.” As you are not doing the full reflection today, if you have time you can let them begin to decorate their storybooks.

Embed the Learning | 6 mins  

Ask reflective questions to embed what they have just experienced. 

• What is one thing you learned about being an Ambassador today?

• What are you looking forward to in the programme?

Invite the group to note down their reflections in their storybooks.

Option to take a photo together.

Say: "Thank you for taking the time to reflect.” (Reinforce why it is important.)

Invite a few Ambassadors to share one or two of their reflections.

Close: “Today we took our first steps on the Ambassador journey. Next week the adventure continues!”

Link to next week's session: “Next week, we are going to look at the Year Ahead and all the exciting things that you are going to do together on the programme!"