7. "THE GOOD ONES AND THE BAD ONES"
Aims
: To make the participants identify and analyze the
causes of discrimination and social exclusion of people
or groups who are "different" by their culture,
origin, etc.
Running :
1. Participants are split in two groups. One of them must
elaborate the "portrait" of a "social winner"
in our society. The other group will make a portrait of
a "social looser" in our society.
2. For this, each group will start by listing characteristics,
trying to tackle as many of them as possible:
- Social and economical level;
- Education;
- "Race";
- Profession / Occupation;
- Habits/customs;
- Hobbies, free-time occupations;
- Opinions, ideas, values;
- Family profile;
- Housing;
- Consumer habits;
- Interests, themes or fields of interest; etc.
3. Each group will then represent these characteristics
in a flip-chart or large board in a visual / graphic manner
by drawing a person with the characteristics or symbols
that reflect them.
Each group will have approximately 40 minutes for this.
4. After this, the groups will display their drawings and
present their conclusions by listing the characteristics
they selected, the way they represented them in the drawing,
and why they did it.
5. The facilitator will then invite participants to carefully
observe both "portraits" and compare them, trying
to identify the criteria through which our society puts
a value on social "success" or "failure".
In order to facilitate the reflection and dialogue, some
questions can be addressed, such as:
What are the essential, fundamental, characteristics of
social "success"? And of social "failure"?
What are the causes, the roots, of success and failure,
which factors make the difference?
In which sectors or social groups around us, reflect better
the portraits elaborated by the groups?
Are all the groups and communities around us in an equal
footing to achieve "success"? Which are the best
and which are the worst placed?
Foresee at least 40 minutes for the plenary presentation
and discussion..
Contents and themes to be dealt with:
The identification of social success with economic success:
the "winner" is not the one who reaches a greater
level of personal development, knowledge, etc., but the
one who becomes wealthier.
The social and economical factors raise or decrease the
chances for "social success": poor access to education,
marginalisation through "accessory" elements such
as the colour of skin, make it so that some groups are from
the start in a more disadvantaged situation than others.
Approximate total time:1 hour and 30 minutes.
Materials needed: - Flip-chart paper and markers, scotch
tape, pens and paper.
(Source: Equipo Claves. En un mundo de diferencias...
Un mundo diferente, Cruz Roja Juventud, Madrid 1992)
For more ideas about how to run "The good ones and
the bad ones" you may like to look at "Portraits"
in the all equal all different education pack. The two activities
are very similar, but there are also ideas for follow up
in the Education Pack, which you may find useful.
If the group enjoyed discussing what makes one person a
"social" success and another a failure, then they
may like to look at the activity "Fighters
for rights" in Compass, which profiles
six Human Rights activists. What makes someone a "lion"
who stands up for human rights and what makes another a
"mouse"?
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