Leadership 101 for any age: Interview a relative

Part of being an ISP Ambassador is learning how to be a leader, accountability and building confidence through kind acts and honoring people of all walks of life, ages and backgrounds.

A really great way to get a kid’s feet wet in this is to interview a family member. This can be done even at age three with some help from Mom and Dad. We will walk you through how to do this with the younger ages and what questions our older ISP Ambassadors can ask. Plus, it’s a great way to make someone feel like the younger generation cares about their past, who they are and that their family legacy is important. It’s a win for everyone!

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Supplies:

  1. Either a pencil and paper or a recording device
  2. A relative in mind (any age but preferably older like a grandparent or Aunt/Uncle connected deeply to the Ambassador
  3. Several questions that the Ambassador may or may not know about this person

How to do this Challenge:

  1. Talk to your child about a person in their life that is special to them and has an interesting past the child can understand and appreciate at their age.
  2. Have the child call that person and tell them that they would like to interview someone very special for a service project to learn how to be a good leader
  3. Schedule a time (face to face if possible) to conduct the interview
  4. Discuss with reflection questions afterwards
  5. Record in your profile what you learned
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Idea Box:

A fun thing to do would be to have the child dress appropriately as if it is a real journalistic interview. Have them practice how to do a proper interview and video tape their first interview. Who knows, you might want up sparking a new career interest down the road.

If you have a fun family celebration coming up (ie Easter day or a family birthday event) have them present what they did and learned about this family member to the rest of the family. Have everyone commend them on their amazing work to help build their confidence on public speaking and caring about others. Have them draw a photo of this person before and after their interview and see if the drawing has changed.

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Question ideas of Pups:

  1. What is your full name?
  2. How old are you?
  3. What’s your best memory from when you were little?
  4. What did you want to be when you were my age?
  5. How did you meet ______ (grandma, grandpa, etc.)?
  6. What other places did you live?
  7. What’s the thing you are most proud of (in your life?)
  8. What’s your favorite place?
  9. Did you grow up with pets?
  10. What advice do you have for me?

Questions for older Ambassadors:

*Have these questions be more in depth (for example about their experience in the service if they served, their early life, things you can archive)

  1. When were you born and where?
  2. What’s your favorite childhood memory? Best friend?
  3. Tell me about your family and childhood. What was it like growing up in ______ (city, etc.)
  4. What were your hobbies growing up?
  5. What’s your biggest life accomplishment?
  6. Biggest life regret?
  7. Tell me about when you met and married ______ (grandma, etc.)
  8. What’s your biggest advice for me?

Reflection Questions:

  1. What is an interview? (pups, ninjas)
  2. Were you nervous?
  3. What did you learn?
  4. Why do you feel it’s important to appreciate family history?
  5. Why do you think it’s important to be a good listeners to others?
  6. Draw another picture of ________. Do you see him/her differently now?
  7. Who else would you like to interview?
  8. If you could interview someone famous (or not in our family for pups), who would that be?