Icebreaker: Two Truths and a Could Be - About Food and Me

Overview

"Two Truths and a Could Be" provides an intergenerational group of participants with a fun, non-pressured way to introduce themselves and meet others. It also provides a chance to draw more attention to the role of food in our lives.

Objectives

General Objectives

• Participants will initiate a discussion with others who are at first strangers to one another.
• Participants will share information about food -- the way they shop, cook, eat, etc.

Specific Objective

Participant will be able to:

• Demonstrate the ability to discuss 3 situations about food in an intergenerational setting.

Steps

1. Create intergenerational pairings or small groups of up to four participants. Try to arrange pairings/groups so that each consists of members who do not know each other.
2. Inform participants that they are to introduce themselves and then come up with three statements about food in their lives -- how they shop or cook, their food preferences, their food nightmares, etc. Two of the statements are to be truths and one is to be something that did not take place, but just as well could have.
3. Each person gets a turn saying their three statements, followed by a period in which their partner(s) have to guess which of the three statements is a falsehood.
4. Reconvene in a large group and ask participants how well they did distinguishing between facts and a "could be." Invite participants to share particularly interesting or funny occurrences with the larger group.

Considerations

Some of the younger participants may have reluctance to participate in this activity-perhaps due to shyness and perhaps due to not having ideas about what to say. As facilitator for the activity, one way to help is to demonstrate the activity. To model the process, present very different types of information about yourself (e.g., "I am allergic to bananas." "I hold the watermelon eating championship in my neighborhood," and "My favorite food is spinach.") Invite the group to guess which statement is the "could be."

If feasible, launch an impromptu discussion about intergenerational similarities and differences in food preferences, experiences, and concerns.