The document describes the ARYNA program, which aims to promote diversity and address issues like racism, drug use, suicide, and feelings of isolation. The program consists of two activities: Walk the Line, where participants physically position themselves in response to personal questions, and XPRESSION, where participants draw lines on paper to represent their experiences in response to high-risk questions. The goal of ARYNA is to help participants feel less alone by recognizing their shared hardships and finding community.

1. ARYNA
By: Matt Leader
Kutztown University

2. Diversity
 What is diversity?
 the condition of having or being composed of differing
elements
 Why is diversity important?
 Diversity is important because different backgrounds
warrant different personalities and it’s essential to
appreciate people for their differences, not ostracize them.

3. Imagine a world where…
 Everybody was the same
 Everybody had the same childhood
 The same experiences
 The same opinions
 The same thoughts
 Did the same things
 Said the same things
 Wanted the same things
 Hated the same things

4. Potluck
 It’s important to be diverse and have a mixture of
cultures because life is a lot like the dinner table.
 Everybody has something different to offer and if you
limit yourself to one thing, you’re going to have a very
boring dinner. (All salad, or all meat, or all of the same
thing)
 The most fulfilling dinners are the ones where you have
a little bit of everything… just like life. If you allow
yourself to experience a little bit of every culture, your
life will be more fulfilling.
 Never judge a person by what they look like or disregard
them because they have a different background.

5. Isolation
 The world is a big place and there may be times when
you feel alone. That there is nobody there for you and
nobody will listen to you or help you. You feel trapped.
You feel isolated.
 Sometimes life can beat you down. There are times
when things aren’t going your way and it just piles on
and on. You feel like the weight of the world is on your
shoulders and you can’t hold it up anymore.

6. Drug Use
 When times are hard, many people turn to drugs. When
they feel isolated they use drugs as an escape or a
method to take away the pain they are feeling.
 Drug use is a temporary distraction from facing your
fears or problems. It is not a solution.

7. Suicide & Self Inflicting Pain
 Self inflicting pain would constitute as burning
yourself, cutting yourself, hitting yourself, anything that
is physically damaging and is done by you.
 Many people inflict self wounds to replace their
emotional pain with physical pain.
 Suicide is the most drastic resort to get rid of pain. A
person will end their life because they can’t handle the
pain anymore, or because they feel like they have failed
other people.

8. ARYNA : What is it?
 ARYNA is a program designed to confront the issues of
racism, drug use, suicide, feeling abandoned, and
stresses diversity, positive thinking, and inner strength.
 ARYNA causes people to step out of their comfort zone
and open themselves up to strangers.
 Participants have to be willing to let themselves go and
not worry about what other people will think of
them, because everybody else will feel the same way.
 The goal of ARYNA is not to embarrass people or make
them feel ashamed, but it is to open their eyes and
make them see the truth.

9. ARYNA : The Program
 ARYNA consists of two activities
 Walk The Line
 XPRESSION
 ARYNA is better for a large group rather than a small
group
 The more diverse the group is, the better it is for the
program

10. Walk The Line
 The purpose of Walk The Line is to get participants
warmed up
 Participants will become more comfortable putting
themselves out there when they see other people
crossing the line with them
 It’s also to get participants familiar to the type of
questions that will be asked

11. Walk The Line – How To Do It
 The way to present Walk The Line is very simple
 The presenter will ask participants to stand on one side
of a line of tape that is laid down on the floor
 Then, the presenter will go over instructions and
reminders about the activity

12. Walk The Line - Instructions
 Any of the information learned about others during this
program will not be shared with other people.
 You DO NOT have to cross the line if a question pertains
to you but you do not feel comfortable crossing the line.
The point of this is program is not to make people feel
uncomfortable, but at the same time it is more
rewarding if you put yourself out there.
 None of the participants will be judged, laughed at, or
made fun of because of their past.
 Never feel ashamed of your past or who you are. It is
important to be who you are and to never forget that.

13. Walk The Line – Example
Questions
 Do you consider yourself to be Christian?
 Do you consider yourself to be Jewish?
 Do you consider yourself to be Muslim?
 Do you consider yourself to be Agnostic?
 Do you consider yourself to practice religion not already
mentioned?
 Do you consider yourself to be Atheist?
 Do you consider yourself to be from a rich family?
 Do you consider yourself to be from a poor family?

14. Walk The Line - Continued
 Each presenter can modify the list of questions as they
see fit
 It would be best to have questions that pertain more to
your group of participants (ex. It wouldn’t be wise to ask
college students how stressful it is paying for a
mortgage)
 If presenters come up with other high risk questions
(questions that would provoke an intense emotional
reaction), it would be best to include it in the second
activity, XPRESSION.

15. XPRESSION
 The purpose of XPRESSION is to open participants up
and make them see that no matter what they go
through, other people are there for them and have gone
through similar experiences.
 XPRESSION is designed to make participants see the
truth. That even though life can bring you down, there
are always people there that can you bring up and you
yourself can bring yourself back up.

16. XPRESSION – How To Do It
 The presenter will prep the participants and let them
know that the next stage of ARYNA is more high risk
 If participants aren’t comfortable enough with the high
risk questions, they do not have to answer and respond
to them. It is completely up to them but it is more
rewarding and a better experience if they participate

17. XPRESSION - Instructions
 Presenters will give each participant a sheet of paper
and different colored markers.
 They will then explain that high risked questions will be
asked and each time a question pertains to them, they
will draw a straight line from one side of the paper to the
other side.
 The participants will be separated from each other to
protect people’s privacy.

18. XPRESSION - Continued
 After all the high risk questions are asked, the paper of
each participant will be taped up in a straight line
 The participants will then stand away from it and look
and see the visual representation of their past

19. ARYNA – Why?
 The visual representation of everybody's past will make
them see that other people have gone through tough
times like they have and that they have a support
system
 Even though everybody has a past filled with
scars, there is ALWAYS someone there to help heal
those scars. They may not be right in front of them, but
they do exist and they can be found.

20. Motivation
 Everything happens for a reason. The reason may not be
obvious, you may not find it out for
days, weeks, years, or you may never find out. But just
know, that everything happens for a reason.
 As long as you put your mind to it, you can do it. If you
believe you can do it or can’t do it, either way you’re
right.
 Always stay true to yourself. Nobody is worth sacrificing
your self respect for. If you don’t love yourself…nobody
else can.

21. Motivation
 “The only one who can beat me is me.” – Michael
Johnson
 “The trials on the road to world harmony are no greater
than the courage of those who accept the challenge.” –
Carl Lewis
 “Always look at what you have left. Never look at what
you have lost.” – Robert H. Schueller

22. Motivation Continued
 "It is a shame that in this society we've been taught to
judge a man's worth by what he owns instead of who he
is. Everything is surface, and so few look beyond it. A
man will sell his soul, he will lie, cheat and steal, for
money. If he has it, he can buy respect. Wear the right
clothes, drive the right car, have the right friends, that's
all that matters. Our lives are consumed in a selfish, self
absorbed quest for possessions, the latest and the best
in a never-ending cycle until the day we die. We forget
what it means to be truly human. We forget the things
that really matter. We lose the magic of what life should
be.
I won't live by rules that make no sense to me." - Evan
Tanner

23. More Motivation
 "Believe in yourself. Believe in your own potential for
greatness. Believe that you can change the world. It is
something that is within each of us. Believe in the Power
of One" - Evan Tanner

24. Our Deepest Fear…
 "Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our
deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It
is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We
ask ourselves, who am I to be
brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous? Actually, who
are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing
small doesn't serve the world. There is nothing
enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't
feel insecure around you. We were born to make
manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just
in some of us: it's in everyone. And when we let our own
light shine, we unconsciously give other people
permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our
own fear, our presence automatically liberates others." -
Nelson Mandela