Citizenship
We intend to gather a selection of resources on citizenship which hope to enhance the awareness of young people about their rights / responsibilities and those of others that can be used by youth workers or those working with young people
WITH WHOM WOULD YOU LIKE TO SHARE THE SAME HOUSE?
David inherits the house of his family and lives a single and satisfied life, untill one day David looses his job. David is no longer able to afford the live in the big house by himself. With his last money he decides to split the house into 6 appartments and puts them up "for rent" in the newspaper."
Now, imagine you are David and that you have to choose five tenants from the list of people applying to your add, in order to be able to keep the house.
a) Individually , you select with whom would you prefer to share the same house by rating the 14 possibilities from 1 (best choice) to 14 (never!). 15 minutes
b ) In groups of 4 , you exchange your three best and three worst choices, and discuss the reasons which led to your choice or refusal . 30 minutes
c) In plenary , we debrief and exchange on the exercise. 30 minutes .
[Method adapted for use in the IYCS-IMCS seminar "Racism's new look in Europe", European Youth Centre, February 1993. See also: European Youth Centre, Intercultural Learning, Examples of Methods Used, Training Courses Resource File, Volume 4 second edition, 1992]
"THE GOOD ONES AND THE BAD ONES"
Approximate total time:1 hour and 30 minutes.
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.
Materials needed: Flip-chart paper and markers, tape, pens and paper.
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?
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.
(Equipo Claves. En un mundo de diferencias... Un mundo diferente, Cruz Roja Juventud, Madrid 1992) http://www.coe.int/ecri/
A CULTURAL FESTIVAL IN BIGSVILLE?
Simulation Game
Aim : To illustrate the role of power relations in the causes of racism and intolerance
Content :Four different regions of a country attempt to decide together if a national cultural festival should be held in the capital and what the programme contents should be.
Duration : One day, including evaluation
Participants : At least 16
Materials :
· General information sheet ;
· Map (see illustration below) distributed to all participants;
· Guidelines for the four regional governments A, B, C, D;
· plenary room;
· space for each group to meet undisturbed
· poster paper and/or overhead projector sheets, pens
Running :
Phase 1 (half a day)
· Introduction of the simulation game (including timetable) and division of participants into four groups of equal size. These groups represent the regional governments of A, B, C and D.
· Distribution of information sheets and guidelines.
· Each group elects a Chairperson
· Each group defines its own culture (values, traditions, symbols, rules, etc) based on the description of each region. And their imagination!
· Using posters or overhead projector sheets, each group prepares its arguments and strategies to support their proposals for the site and programme of the festival.
· Negotiations between the groups are allowed after the first hour
Phase 2 (1/2 day)
· Takes place in the plenary room. Each regional government has 5 minutes to present their "culture" and their proposals.
· The debate begins with one representative from each regional government allowed to speak. Representatives can be changed.
· The game leader prevents chaos in the debate, but does not lead discussions.
· Proposals are put to the vote.
· Evaluation (allow at least 30 minutes for this)
LETTER FROM AN ARAB/BLACK/GYPSY/SOUTHERNER/...
Aims :To make the participants reflect about:
· Their own attitudes and behaviour towards the differences of minority groups;
· The attitudes and behaviour of the majority towards difference;
· The possibilities of relations between people from a different culture, origin
Material : Copies of the unfinished letter(see below), pens and paper; if possible overhead projector to show the letters written by each group.
Running : Approximate time needed: 2 hours.
During ten minutes, the participants complete, individually, the "uncompleted" text that is presented below; it is an imaginary letter addressed to them by person from another culture/society. By completing the sentences, the participants must express what they, as members of a majority in society, believe this "different" person would tell them.
In groups of 6 to 8 people, the participants compare their answers and, by consensus, elaborate a single letter which reflects - according to the general opinion - the most common attitudes in our society towards people from another culture or origin.
They will have approximately 40 minutes for this..
This will be followed by bringing together the results of the groups. The facilitator will take note of the conclusions to make a final synthesis by drawing the attention to the most noticeable commonalities and differences.
To finish, the facilitator will launch a debate putting forward questions such as:
· Do we see each other as equals, superior or inferior to the people from other cultures/societies?
· How would we like to be treated if we were in a situation in which we would be the "difference"?
· Do we know at all the values, customs, meaning of the world and life, etc, of people from other cultures? If yes, how have we learned it? In school, through TV, movies?...
· Do we consider that those values, customs, meaning of life and the world, could teach us something, bring us something positive, or, on the contrary, do we believe they have no interest or anything positive for us?
The synthesis of the group work and of the discussion might take 45 - 60 minutes.
Letter to someone of the majority
Dear White/European/National:
When we cross each other in the street you look at me and you think . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
and I have also the feeling that, in relation with my needs, my problems and my areas of interest you . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Of me, my feelings and my way of thinking what you know is . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
You think you are . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . of/from/than me and, so, you may/can . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . with/for/from/of me.
Perhaps you have never imagined that you could be, like I am, a foreigner, someone different in a world where the rest of the people have a different colour, speak another language, have other ways of life. If you were, what you would wish, like I do now, is that . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . , and that your values, your knowledge, your capacities would be . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ; and then you would feel, like I do now, that you had the right to . . . . . . .
That, what you would wish for yourself, is what I expect from you now.
You will not be surprised that/if . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . my best wishes.
Someone different
Contents / themes to be dealt with:
· The disinterest and ignorance for/of other cultures , ways of life, values, etc, is a general reality in our societies;
· Ethnocentrism, usually we tend to judge cultures and societies that we do not know by using the schemes and criteria prevailing in our own society, without taking into account that each culture is a product of a particular reality;
· Ignorance, combined with an ethnocentric vision, are the root for many prejudices and stereotypes about other cultures;
· Prejudice are often translated through scorn, discrimination, injustice and exploitation, etc, which constitute some of the social responses to the difference;
· Difference is a positive and enriching factor for our society. The relationship and interaction with people from other cultures/societies is a means of opening up our minds to other ways of understanding life and the world;
· Difference is a factor for social change and evolution. Society gets better and changes as a result of the contrasts of the different visions and ideas about life and the world. An uniform society is a reactionary society.
(Equipo Claves, En un mundo de diferencias... Un mundo diferente, Cruz Roja Juventud, Madrid 1992) http://www.coe.int/ecri/
OUTSIDERS
Aim:An interactive exercise exploring the effects of exclusive grouping on an individual, exploring how we react to experiences of rejection and looking at what it feels like to belong to a group.
Group size: Minimum of 12
Duration: 10 minutes
Step-by-step description:
1.Ask volunteer to leave the room. The remainder of the group divide themselves into groups according to some agreed criterion – for example, hairstyle, eye colour, type of clothing, height or accent. (3 minutes)
2.The outsider is called in and guesses which group they belong to. They must state why they believe that group is their group. If the reason is wrong they may not join, even when they have picked the correct group. (4 minutes)
3.Continue with a new volunteer, giving as many participants as possible an opportunity to go outside, subject to time.
Reflection and evaluation:
How do we behave when we do belong to a group? Is it easy to reject outsiders? Is it enjoyable? Do we empathise with the outsider or do we enjoy our power? (3 minutes)
Comments:
This exercise focuses on feelings and experiences or being rejected rather than communication. It can be used to focus a discussion about prejudice and how we react to belonging or not belonging. It could be developed into a study of personal experiences.
GROUP DECISION MAKING
Part A
Due to a plane crash there are 7 people stranded on a uninhabited desert island. There is no way on or off except by plane.
The group of people comprise:
- A pregnant woman
- A doctor
- A British scientist
- A teenage girl
- Elderly diabetic man
- A Catholic priest
- Prime-minister
One person can be rescued. Individually decide who it is should leave and then as a group reach a consensus. Part A doesn't finish until the group are in agreement.
Part B
New information comes to light. This is as follows:
- A pregnant woman, 48,black, single parent with 4 children
- A doctor, 32, working on the AIDS vaccine
- A British scientist, 56, germ warfare specialist
- A teenage girl, 17, suspicions around death of baby - wanted for questioning
- Elderly diabetic man, 72, associated with Nazi war crimes
- A Catholic priest, 54, record of indecent child assault
- Prime-minister of the uk, 47, terminally ill with cancer
Exercise
- If you had the information would you present it to the people on the island. - discuss.
- If the info. was presented to the group what would the outcome be? Would it change the decision?
RIGHTS: CHILDREN'S / OTHERS
Aim of the session: improved awareness around young peoples rights and those of others.
Resources: The list of various laws
applied in England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland.
Flip chart and pens
Group size 2 - 15
Space limited or where the larger group can break of into twos/threes.
- Begin session with a quiz e.g. 'what age can I?'
- Look at the UN charter for rights of a child
- What are their rights e.g. entitled to food, shelter, and education.
- Who has responsibilities for who?
- In groups or as a whole devise a time line 0-19(21)
- Work out where rights and responsibilities
change through their life.
- (Feedback to the group)
- Devise as a group own charter of what they'd like to see in it followed by relating it to the group contract.
- This session can last as long as 2 sessions. Don't be tempted to rush it but it could just be one session.
- Issues raised can include behaviour and they may want a right to behave as they like e.g. swearing, bullying etc however how does that impact on the other individuals within the group and their rights.
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