After returning from an incredible two week vacation where I had to trust that work would get done while I away and trust that I could leave work behind, I realized how much trust plays in my life. When I started thinking about trust, I remembered how I taught “Trust Falls” with junior high school students about twenty years ago. I was trained with New York City Outward Bound and I worked with youth in the South Bronx on team building. After some ice-breakers and strategic games, the final activity was a Trust Fall. A young person would have to stand on a table with their back to a group who had their arms criss-crossed waiting to catch them. The person doing the falling would shout, “Fall.” The group had to respond “Fall Away” and after hearing that, the participant would say “Falling” and lean back and land into the group who would catch them. The whole group would gently place the person back on their feet. Each one of these trust falls would inevitably end with applause.
The activities took great concentration, teamwork, and of course, trust. For many youth, this was the first time they allowed themselves to become vulnerable with a group or trust someone. If a young person became scared (many did), I would invite the group to share their thoughts and feelings. The teenagers were amazing as they expressed encouragement to their peers. They would share things like, “You can do it”, “We have your back”, or “We won’t drop you.”
Twenty years later, I still remember many youth from IS167 on Webster Avenue and see them close their eyes and drop into the hands of their peers. As we begin a new season, let us turn to one another and say, “Fall.” Fall away……
How will you Fall into Trust?