We are all unique and irreplaceable human
beings, sometimes our uniqueness makes us feel proud, sometimes
shy or ashamed. Nonetheless, we all share the fact that
we are human beings and this makes us feel closer to each
other.
Issues addressed
• The differences between people and the things
they hold in common.
Aims
• Get to know each other in the
group.
• To show that we are all different.
• To show that we are also equal
to the others.
Time:30 minutes
Group size: 10-12
Preparation
The same number of chairs as the number
of the participants.
Instructions
1. Form a circle in which everybody sits
on a chair.
2. Ask each person to think of some personal
fact or characteristic that they believe is unique to them
and not shared with anybody else in the group.
3. Choose one person to start. They call
out what their unique feature is, for example "I have
visited Turkey three times".
4. If nobody shares this characteristic
the next person calls out their unique characteristic.
5. If somebody else shares that characteristic
they must jump up, shout "Me too" and sit on the
callers lap. If several people share the same characteristic
they sit on each other's laps on top of the caller. Then
everybody goes back to sit in their original places and
the "caller" must again try to come with a characteristic
which is unique to them. When they manage it, it's the turn
of the next person round the circle to be the caller.
6. The first round ends when everybody has
called out something which differentiates them from the
others.
7. Now start the second round. Explain that
this round involves searching for the characteristics that
are shared by everybody else in the group.
8. Take away one chair and tell the caller
to stand in the middle of the circle. They must think of
something which they share with the rest of the group. Ask
them to call out what it is, for example: "I like music".
9. All those who share it, have to stand
up and move to another chair while they shout out: "Me
too". The person who stood in the middle also tries
to find a chair, so someone else will be left in the middle
to be the next caller.
Debriefing and evaluation
Talk about the game and how the players
felt and then ask:
• What was easier: finding things
which differentiate us from the others, or things we share?
• In real life when do we like
or appreciate feeling unique and different and when do we
like to feel similar to others?
• Think about the characteristics
you chose; the things which separated you in this group,
might you have them in common with other people in other
groups?
• The things, which were common
to everyone in this group, would they be common to everyone
in the world?
• In the event that too many
physical characteristics are mentioned you can ask:
• What does it mean, the fact
that we all have eyes, heart or a stomach?
Tips for the facilitator
This activity must be played fast. You may
want to make a rule that participants have only 10 seconds
to think. To keep the game going it is important that the
number of participants does not exceed 10 or 12. If you
are working with larger numbers you may have to create two
or three sub groups.
During the second round it is likely that
simple statements such as "I have arms or legs"
will be suggested several times. You may then choose to
ask the players to think of other characteristics or you
may prefer to leave it and talk about it in the evaluation.
The activity may also be run without chairs,
with people sitting on the floor but it is less comfortable.
It is recommended that you join the group
just like another participant.
Suggestions for follow up
Who and what we are is shaped by our experience
of life. Different experiences shape people in different
ways but we also find that common experiences affect or
influence people differently. You can explore how events
have shaped the members of your group using 'My story' (page
129)
It can seem that we are facing an information-overload on the
Internet and judging what is fact and what is comment is
just as hard as with the other media. If you are interested
in raising awareness about the implications of the Internet
and access to information world-wide, then you may like
to do the activity, 'The
impact of the Internet' in Compass.
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