JCC Greater Boston led workshops in Melrose and Somerville, Massachusetts in October 2018, thanks to a grant from The Covenant Foundation, which explored faith identity through art and conversation. Participants created a family mission statement and portrait. We invite you to bring this experience to your family with these tools, resources, and thought-provoking questions.
I really appreciated the time we had together to unplug and focus on us and our family...I want to keep doing this!
Family Identity Activities
Video: The Workshop
Experience the "What's Your Story?" workshop led by award-winning artist Merill Comeau held in October 2018 in Melrose, MA. Local families explored the topic of identity and created their own family missions and portraits.
Identity Exploration
Grab a piece of paper and brainstorm. If you were to fill in the phrase, "I come from..." what would you say next? Do you come from a place? From a person? From a generation? A feeling? An idea? What has brought you to this point and made you who you are? Try this activity with other members of your family or community, each writing down 2 or 3 phrases. Then combine the phrases into one paragraph. It may end up reading like a beautiful poem or story.
Agree/Disagree
Put a piece of tape along the ground. Write "Agree" on one end and "Disagree" on the other. Gather your family, your children, your partner, and ask them to stand anywhere along the line that makes sense for their reaction to certain statements around faith and family. Discuss. Do you agree with a statement? Do you strongly disagree? Are you somewhere in between?
Writing a Family Mission
A family mission statement, written collaboratively as a family, can articulate a shared vision and provide a guidepost for behavior. Your mission may include ideas of a good life, goals, values, and characteristics that define your family's unique identity.
Video: Creating a Family Portrait
Fabric, glue, and some time to connect and reflect as a family are all you need to create a meaningful and beautiful family mission statement and portrait. This is just one example to get you started on your unique story!
Merill Comeau
This workshop, which explored faith and family identity through art and conversation, was led by award-winning artist Merill Comeau who creates collaborative works of art which connect community.