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The vagabond evening

This collection was put together by Matthias Zimmer (EC-Sulzdorf) in December 2003 and given to www.praxis-jugendarbeit. de.

Order of events for the game evening

• One week beforehand all kids are told to come in ripped and in the most scruffy clothes possible.
• Vagabond stories: Jesus – a very special vagabond! The song “They said he was a vagabond” can be used as an example.
• Story: Today we will run the ultimate vagabond training.

The training stations

1. Fashion show

   Each vagabond enters the catwalk and his outfit is described by the members of staff like in a fashion show.

2. Neckerchief

   It is very cold on the streets in winter. A vagabond is pleased about everything he finds in the streets. If a neckerchief or a scarf is lying around and two tramps come across it at the same time, you will have to be quick. Two teams of equal strength are put together which stand opposite each other in two rows at a distance of approx. 4 meters. A scarf is placed in the centre between the two rows. Each crew is now numbered from the right to the left. When a number is called out, the two players with this number run into the centre. The goal is to reach the scarf as fast as possible and to bring it back to the team – one point is awarded for this. Beware: if you have the scarf, you can be followed by the opponent and tagged, then the point is awarded to the other team! It often happens that the opponents who are standing in the middle do not have the courage to collect the scarf. Another number can be called out in this situation. These two players may also collect the scarf. However the staff must make sure that the correct numbered pairs chase each other. Body contact is allowed; however if two players an go too far, the point is lost.

3. Grimaces

   Sometimes you simply cannot shake some people off. As a vagabond, there is a special trick: You simply make a scary face and if you manage this well, the person quickly runs away! We will now do some extreme grimace training: A player tries to catch the others. They can escape the catcher by pulling a face. They must, however, stay in this position pulling the dame face until they are freed by another player. They are freed if the other player stands in front of the “frozen” player and pulls the same face. If the catcher catches a player, he becomes the new catcher.

4. The yes/no game

   Keyword police: If a vagabond is questioned by the police, there is only one possibility: Never make a clear statement. That means you should never say yes or no and of course, never say black or white. You will be questioned by a member of staff for one minute and are not allowed to say any of these four words. You cannot use other forms of agreeing and disagreeing such as “yip, mmm”. Who will manage this the longest?

5. The Ha, Ha Training

   In such a situation there is another very important thing: Never laugh, otherwise the police feel like they are being taken for a ride. Keep yourself under control. For this reason, 4 groups are put together. Each group must now do the ha, ha training: the first group says “ha” the next “ha, ha” and the next “ha, ha, ha”. One “ha “ is added each time until the first player starts to laugh to make a mistake. The 4 winners in the first round face each other in a final.

6. The combination

   The yes/no game is sharpened up: No laughing is allowed in the minute.

7. Follow your nose

   That is very important in the vagabond industry! The players are split into pairs. One player must lead the other around the room, around the area etc. by placing his index finger in front of his nose at a distance of 5-10cm. Everything is allowed (crawling under the table, creeping along the floor etc.). In the second round, the distance is extended to 1m.

8. Alarm system

   In the gardens of fenced off mansions, you can often find a nice spot to spend the night. Like we just said, unfortunately the things are usually fenced off and there is an alarm. What can be done if the alarm goes off when we want to sleep there? We obviously have to switch it off as quickly as possible. We will now practice this: A player is sent outside the door. The other players agree on a body part which works as an “off-switch” (e.g. nose, left hand, right ear lobe). In addition, one player is named as the “main switch”. Now all of the players make the screeching noise of an alarm system which is the signal that the player should now enter the room. Now he tries to switch off the alarm by finding the agreed body part. If he manages this, the player is immediately silent. If he finds the “main switch” all players become silent.

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