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Service Auction

Service Auction

youth doing service

Purpose

Create unity among a family, class, or other group by providing opportunities for members to serve each other.

Description

For this activity, participants decide on acts of service they will put up for auction. Other participants bid on these acts of service, using points they have earned before the auction.

  1. Give each participant several slips of paper. Ask them to write down one or more acts of service they are willing to do for others: for example, help with housework, make a meal, rake leaves, shovel snow, tend children, and so forth. Gather all the papers.

  2. Provide a way for participants to earn points to use for bidding. Make sure all participants have an opportunity to collect enough points to participate. Here are several examples of ways participants could collect points:

    • A week before the activity, pass out a list of simple service activities participants could do, such as writing someone a kind note, paying someone a compliment, helping a family member, and so forth. Each item is assigned a point value, and participants keep track of points earned.

    • Immediately before the activity, play a get-to-know-you game. Give participants a list of categories such as “wearing glasses,” “wearing blue,” “wearing sandals,” “born in the area,” “born outside the area,” “speaks another language,” and so forth. Participants earn points by writing the names of other group members who fit in each category. When participants have finished the game, ask them to add up their points.

  3. Choose someone to be the auctioneer. Have this person lead the bidding for each item written on the slips of paper. Participants use their points to bid. The highest bidder receives the service. Have someone keep a list of the services purchased by each person. At the end, give everyone a copy of the list. Also, give participants a deadline for completing the service.

More Ideas

  • Compliments to keep—Write each person’s name at the top of a separate piece of paper. Pass the papers around the group and have each person write a compliment about the person whose name is at the top of the paper. When the papers are completed, give each one to the person whose name is at the top.

  • Secret friends—Put the names of everyone in the group in a bag or bowl. Have each member of the group draw a name. During the next week, each member anonymously performs an act of service for that person.

  • Service swap—Give everyone a piece of paper. Ask them to write down a service they can perform for someone else. Fold the papers and put them all in a bag or bowl. Have each person choose a paper. The person who wrote down the service performs it for the person who chose it.

  • Silent auction—Follow steps 1 and 2 of the main activity, but for step 3, create a bidding sheet for each act of service. List the service at the top of the page, followed by a space for bids. Place the bidding sheets on a table with a pen or pencil next to each one. For the auction, give participants a set amount of time to review the bidding sheets and make their bids. When time runs out, the highest bidder receives the service.

Discussion

Encourage participants to talk about what they are learning. Discussions can take place before, during, or after the activity. You could ask questions like the following:

  • Why do you think it is important to serve others?

  • When have you had a positive experience while serving others?

  • What feelings or impressions do you have about serving those around you?

  • How can you apply what you are learning in your life?

Related Resources

Sabbath Day Lessons

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