JUST
DO IT |
Level 3 |
Theme M |
Sometimes other people like parents, bosses
and adults,
can be so narrow minded... but aren't we too?
This activity is a simulation.
Issues addressed
• Discrimination against people who
are different.
• The mechanisms that maintain minorities
in an underprivileged position in our society.
Aims
• To experience discrimination
• To analyse how we discriminate
against certain social groups and at the same time blame
them for the situation they are in.
• To raise awareness about how we
help preserve unfair social structures.
Time:60
minutes
Group size:
Maximum 40. You will need to divide participants into four
subgroups.
Preparation
• 4 large sheets of paper
• 4 old magazines
• 4 scissors
• 4 packs of coloured felt tip pens
• 4 tubes of glue
• Optional: 4 sets of other bits
and pieces e.g. string, wool, buttons, paper clips.
• Paper and pen for the observers
• Clock or watch
Instructions
1. Divide the players into four groups and
ask each group to sit in a corner of the room where they
can work comfortably.
2. Ask each group to nominate one person
to be an observer to note down what the members of the group
do or say.
3. Announce that you will be coming round
to each group in turn to give them the materials and the
instructions of what to do.
4. Go to the first group, give them a set
of materials and say clearly, "You have a sheet of
paper, a magazine, scissors and glue. You must make a collage
representing Spring. You have 20 minutes. You may start
whenever you want.
5. Then go to the second group, give them
a set of materials and say clearly, "You have a sheet
of paper, a magazine, scissors and glue. You must make a
collage representing Summer. You have 20 minutes. You may
start whenever you want."
6. Then go to the third group, give them
their materials and say clearly, "You have a sheet
of paper, a magazine, scissors and glue. You must make a
collage representing Autumn. You have 20 minutes. You may
start whenever you want."
7. Then go to the last group, give them
their materials and say clearly, "Mso, flosamd loerabtbz
losnise bauqvxa poyeks, nseioamans sajiyudo laverza losifalitome.
You have 20 minutes to do it. You may start whenever you
want."
8. While the groups are working, go round
the groups, be encouraging and supportive to the first,
second and third groups, but blame the fourth group for
not doing what you asked them to.
9. After 20 minutes stop the activity and
ask the groups hand in their collages. If the first group
has not yet finished give them 3 or 4 minutes more.
Debriefing and evaluation
Start with a round from those who played.
Ask them to say how they felt about the activity and how
they worked together in their groups, did everyone participate?
Follow with a round from the observers.
Ask them to say what happened in each group.
Then involve everybody in a discussion about
the links with reality:
• Can you see any links with
real life?
• In our society, who is in the
fourth group?
• How do we tend to blame the
victims of social injustice?
• How do people who feel they
are the victims of social injustice react?
• Do they react the same way
as the people in group 4 did?
Tips for the facilitator
If you are working with just a few people
adapt the game and create two sub-groups, the first with
very clear instructions and the second with confusing ones.
An alternative to using the nonsense sentence
with the fourth group is to give them proper instructions
spoken very fast or in another language.
Be aware that this activity is likely to
generate strong reactions from the members of the fourth
group because of the frustration of not understanding the
instructions and still being blamed for it. Sometimes they
get angry with the facilitator and leave; sometimes they
turn their frustration against the other groups and prevent
them from doing or finishing their work; sometimes they
withhold their feelings and keep their aggression for later.
Therefore we suggest the following:
• Make sure that the groups are
formed randomly so as to avoid anybody in group four feeling
victimised.
• Before starting the evaluation
it is essential to make clear that this was a simulation
and that we must now get out of our roles.
• It is important to leave time
during the evaluation for everyone to express their feelings
before going on to analyse what happened. If you don't allow
for this the feelings will come out later on and a good
evaluation will be difficult.
Variations
If you want to make it more challenging
or you don't have the materials, you can ask the groups
to perform a short sketch. This is more stressful for the
forth group who will be worried about having to perform
and not look foolish.
Suggestions for follow up
Take a further look at groups in our society.
How do you see the people you might describe as social losers
and those who are social winners? Explore this through the
activity 'Portraits'.
Alternatively you could move on to the board
game 'The path to development' which
brings out the many mechanisms by which the present economic
system discriminates against the majority of people living
in countries of the South in order to maintain the privileged
position of those in the North.
If you want to take a further look at the
mechanisms which maintain the discrimination of certain
groups, for instance in the workplace, then you may like
to do the simulation activity, 'Different
wages' in Compass.
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