Before the Travel (preparation phase):

• Highlighting people's motivations regarding the travel they are about to live;
• Helping people realize what they are satisfied with and to envision what they would like to happen, to define strategies to tends towards the realization of their dream;
• Fostering group cohesion.

After people return (assessment):

• Acknowledging the difference between what we thought will happen and what really did;
• Tacking the scope of one's learnings and self-improvement.

Duration : 3 hours

Ask the participants to represent their “River of Travel” on 3 A3 papers, using old magazines, glue and scissors.
The first piece of their triptych will represent their current environment, their “here & now” before the travel. The second shows how they imagine their travel: atmosphere, activities, happenings, etc. The third represents the return: how they imagine their future a few weeks or months after they came back.

Give the participants 2 hours to create their triptych. Provide them with appropriate devices to listen to music and let them autonomous. They can either talk with each other during the exercise neither stay silent if they prefer to.

After a short break (15') invite the participants to display their entire River of Travel on the board to give the others an overview of their whole creation. Then, ask them to explain to the others the first step of their triptych (their “now”) within 10 minutes, including questions.

They are free to talk about some elements and to keep silent some others. The questions of the “audience” aim at supporting the person, helping her to express and to better understand her own draw by questioning what it shows. They have to be benevolent and non-judgmental, knowing that the person is free to give an answer to it or not.

After all the participants have expressed, invite them to number their creation and collect the triptych.

Duration : 1 hour

You can use the triptych again during the personal interview you may offer to the participants to better understand their motivations, fears and expectations and to define together a strategy to reach their main goals.

The River of Travel will help the people who doesn't feel comfortable with words to express. It will be for a great help for you, as a mentor, to understand their current situation (where they live, what they experience, etc.) as well as their emotional state, needs, fears, dreams and expectations.

By questioning what the person drew, you can help them realize their deep motives and to envision what they would really like to achieve and/or to change in their life.

Duration : 2 hours

Gather the participants for an assessment meeting within 3 weeks after they return. Give them 1 hour to represent again their “post-trip” folder using old magazines. Make sure they cannot access then to the ones they drew before the travel.

When the time is over, give them back the River of Travel they drew before the trip.

For each person, display on the wall the “post-trip” folder they did before the travel and the one they drew today and invite them to express out loud the differences they see between the 2 (10 minutes per person). The others can ask questions and comment what they see, always in a spirit of kindness and respect.

Close the session by a little celebration.

• 4 A3 per person
• 1 glue stick and 1 scissors per person
• tables
• fixative paste / blue tack.