People differ in many ways: age, origin, religion, disability, and more. These are things we cannot influence, and they should not be cause of discrimination. During the meeting, participants reflect upon the difficulties that may arise from belonging to different social groups, but they will also see the strengths of people who are often seen as weak or having less potential.
Author and translation: Anna Książek
Proofreading: Andrea Pucci
Main objectives:
Observing the diversity of the world and people who belong to different categories of primary identity (unchangeable and not depending on us)
During the workshop the participants will:
Pay attention about the variety of people and their situation (possibility to act, conditions of life). They will notice the difficulties some social groups have to face, but also the potential they have.
Develop their sensitivity to discrimination.
1. Explaining the rules of the game:
Participants, divided into 4 groups, move from one point to another. At each point they get to know the story of one changemaker and fulfill one task. Every group starts from a different point. After 15 minutes they change station and continue till they complete them all.
At each point there is one person waiting, which presents the topic to the participants and explains the task. You can also decide to leave envelopes with tasks, information and comments and then summarize everything with all participants once they finish the tasks.
Although this is a game, the small teams do not compete with each other, they just gain knowledge and experience.
2. Game
Point 1: Age
Participants get to know “DJ Grandma” story or they watch pictures and videos from the website: facebook.com/dancingmiedzypokoleniowy. Then, they have to discuss the following points:
Do you like this initiative?
What can be difficult for elderly people?
What should they do and not do?
Can they go for a party?
Have you ever seen old people playing, dancing, laughing together?
Would you like to play with your grandmas and grandpas?
Why is it important to organize meeting with different generations?
Task for the group:
Write down on one paper what elderly people can give to younger and on another paper what young can give to older. What every participant can do for his/her grandfather and grandmother? What would make them happy?
Point 2: (Dis)ability
Participants get to know the story of Yoshi, a blind changemaker (“See more”). Then, they have to discuss the following points:
What kind of disabilities do you know?
Do you know any person with disability?
Have you ever asked a person with disability how she/he feels, what is easy for her/him, what is challenging?
Task for the group:
Participants try to experience how people with disabilities feel. For a while they have to step in the shoes of a blind person. Participants split into pairs. One person covers the eyes with a scarf, the second person will be the guide. The guide has to care about the person with closed eyes and take her/him for a walk around. The blindfolded person acts as researcher, trying to explore the reality around her/him, experiencing the world from a different perspective, discovering it through senses other than sight. After few minutes, change the rules. Summarizing the exercise pay attention to emotions and difficulties participants have faced.
Yoshi, although blind, manages very well with daily activities.
Point 3: Religion
Participants get to know the story of a changemaker from different religion than their own (for example “One story, one night” or “Continuity”). Then, they have to discuss the following points:
For the character of the story, is the religion an important part of his/her life?
Does religion connect or divide people?
Which are the main religions in the world?
Task for the group:
The group receives cards with information and photos (below). Their task is to match information and photos with the right religion. Summarizing ask what helped them to do it correctly? What else do they know about those religions? Be very attentive and always react to any stereotypical, disrespectful comment.
Information about religions
Buddhism
The founder of this religion was called Buddha.
People believe in reincarnation (after death we are born again).
People meditate a lot, they believe that this way they can get rid of suffering.
Buddhism (monks collecting food)
Christianity
Catholicism and Orthodox are part of this religion.
Nowadays it’s the biggest religion in the world (more than 2 billion people).
This religion was created more than 2000 years ago in the Middle East.
Christianity Islam
The holy book of this religion is called Koran.
Followers of this religion pray 5 times per day.
The temple of this religion is called mosque.
Islam (temple – mosque)
Hindu
Most followers of this religion live in India and Nepal.
People believe in reincarnation (after death we are born again).
Followers of this religion worship many gods, among which the most important is Brahma.
Hinduism (saint cow)
Point 4: Origin
The group gets to know the story “Be the spark”. Then, it has to discuss the following points:
Why children from the story do not have easy access to education?
Do all children in your own country have equal opportunities regarding access to education?
What poverty means?
Poverty, does it look the same everywhere in the world?
Why some people are poor?
Explain that poverty usually is not the result of laziness or choice, as it is often depicted, but it can be for example consequence of our place of origin. In many countries people don’t have equal opportunities, as they were born in families which don’t have enough money for food and cannot effort to send kids to school. Even if a child or an adult is skilled and hard-working, very often they are not able to change their fate. Fortunately, there are changemakers, who are trying to change this situation. Underline, that although in some countries there are more poor people than in others, in none of the countries all people are poor or all people are rich. Also in your country and continent for sure there are some people who may need our help.
Task for the group:
Based on “Be the spark”, the group prepares comics, the main character of which should be Dan, changemaker from Cambodia.
People in every stage of their life, despite their origin, deserve our respect and support. They also have the right to fulfill their dreams.
3. Summarize
Summarizing the game, recall all the topics (age, disability, religion, origin). What is common to all these categories? They are not the result of our choice, most often we are not able to change them (we can change religion, but in practice it happens very rarely). As we are not really able to change those things, hurting or attacking somebody because of differences in such areas is called discrimination.
Discuss for few minutes: what is discrimination? How should we react to it? Write down a list of possible ways of reacting (for example verbal reaction, ask adult, call police, speak with the discriminated person, etc.)
Additional tasks for group:
Observe carefully if someone around yourself is discriminated, e.g. for his/her appearance, origin or (dis)ability. If you can – react, if for some reason it is difficult - talk together how you could react in such a situation? What would help you to react?
Look for other changemaker stories, for example an inspiring story of a changemaker with disability, an elderly person, a migrant. Prepare a book of changemakers stories or write an article for the local newspaper.
Think about what you can do for a person in a difficult situation from your neighborhood. Find those people, talk with them, check how you can help. Support them as much as you can.
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