Let’s talk about how to use Staying Alive in Groups and Class Meetings

How to teach about Staying Alive.

Topics to review in the need for Staying Alive in Groups and Class Meetings

One of the best things about using The 5 Needs in Life is its flexibility. There is no need to spend thousands of dollars on multiple books and lesson plans. We can use a single guide and adjust it to meet the needs of the groups we work with daily. As we get to know them better, we will know what areas they will most benefit from exploring. As we listen, we learn too. This will direct us as we teach, using the framework of The 5 Needsguides.

While discussing and teaching the need to “Stay Alive,” we will address different things with each age group. We are also free to use common sense and meet the students where they are currently with each need. This may change as we get into the discussions. This may also change depending on the school’s climate and what is happening in the community (violence, hurricanes, tornados, etc).

While using The 5 Needs in Life in elementary through high school.

Remember, the need for Staying Alive is not so easy for some people. Be sensitive. Listen carefully. Pay attention to students’ reactions. Provide a safe place, like a box with a lock only you will open, where people can put notes in for you. You may hear their story and, if needed, help them get to resources that could save a life. With the flexibility of The 5 Needs, we can take this in any direction, go as deep as we feel will help, and be useful to our students and group members.

Here are some topics we can discuss in our groups while discussing

the need to Stay Alive.

1. Teaching how to wash hands seems simple but is often unknown
2. Brushing teeth, flossing teeth, and why we do these matters
3. Using the bathroom’s hygiene (Flushing, wiping, washing hands, not leaving a trace on the toilet)
4. The need for and importance of drinking water
5. The value and reasons for sleep
6. Nutrition and what we need to eat to stay alive and be healthy, and able to live fully, not just get by (Sports nutrition can be a part of this as well as diabetic nutritional needs)
7. What to do when you don’t want to live anymore
8. What are the differences between wanting to die and wanting to change something to make life better for yourself (the permanence of death)
9. How we can make choices about things we need to change to be healthy (ex: our mood and weight concerns with too high or too low)
10. If suicide is a concern, there is no reason to hide from it. Find a way to talk with the student and take it seriously. GET HELP
11. Mental health and the power this has in keeping us happy, healthy, and alive
12. Emotional boundaries and how to stay safe in relationships so we can live freely
13. How to identify if we are being abused and what to do ( some people do not know, this can save a life too)
14. What role does addiction play in our ability to live or not
15. How misjudging someone can cause us to miss what they really need and may not be able to ask for, so we can practice listening and asking questions in a kind way

Keep in mind…

Have fun teaching about each of the five needs in life. As you can see, one need can easily be connected to another need. Sometimes we use power to meet the need to stay alive. Out choices can be powerful. We might use love and belonging too, or freedom and boundaries. And we can also have fun while meeting our need to stay alive.

As we embrace the language and concepts of The 5 Needs of Life, we will see connections as we go and grow with The 5 Needs in Life and share what we are learning.