Emotion Maze: Linked Minds

The frame of this poster consists of 20 images that trigger the players' imagination. There is no specific explanation for each image. In the middle of the game board, you can find 16 emoticons (top to bottom, left to right): funny, excited, scared, irritated, nauseous, happy, thinking, loved, surprised, doubtful, sleepy, relaxed, sad, angry, desperate, and ashamed. The players can interpret the emoticons as they wish.

This game is part of the Trauma-Informed Youth Work toolkit, which is designed to create a safe, supportive environment for all participants by acknowledging the impact of trauma on young people and fostering trust and empowerment. By incorporating activities that use indirect methods to explore emotions and behaviours, the toolkit makes sensitive topics more accessible and less intimidating, especially for younger audiences. The teamwork aspects of these activities foster collaboration and support, aligning with trauma-informed principles. This approach promotes healing, resilience, and positive development in every youth engaged, while emphasizing emotional awareness and understanding.

You can play the same game but start with emoticons instead of images. The facilitator points to an emoticon, and all the players have to pick an image that, according to them, is most suitable for that emoticon. With this advanced version, you can keep all 20 images to make it even harder. At the end, the pairs compare their matches, and the pair with the most matches wins.

• Link emotions to situations
• Understand that the same stimulus can create different feelings to different people