By: Sarah Lehman
On May 26th, 2020, at around 1 PM, I signed on to Zoom to observe a Friendship Circle video chat session, which focused on what was referred to as a ‘Space Program.’ The session began with reviews of the Rules of Respect and of the schedule, followed by asking what everyone was looking forward to doing later in the day. The responses were somewhat varied, but one that was particularly notable was that someone had a pool at their house, which they were planning to swim in.
After everyone gave his or her responses, they watched a video/stream of an astronaut reading a kids’ story about a boy and his robot friend trying to find their way home from far out in space. This was followed by an art activity, where the attendees made fans that ‘resembled Earth’s outer layer.’
Like before, I did not stay until the end, but it didn’t seem like I was the only one having a difficult time paying attention/being able to focus. While it was not as chaotic as last time, there was still a considerable amount of camera shifting, though that’s probably due to how video programs work. Frankly, I feel that those who cannot handle constant camera shifting should not participate. Also, I feel like this was the sort of activity best done with younger children or those who enjoy children’s books.