Duration: 60 minutes
Participants: 10 -25 participants
Aim:
Through the capacity of identification and projection of the participants, this exercise aims to:
- arouse the sensation of the daily experiences of disadvantaged people, focusing on the difficulties or possibilities they encounter in various life circumstances;
- Shed light on the gap of possibilities that different starting conditions with respect to sexual orientation / gender identity, but also age, disability, socio-economic conditions, cultural or religious affiliations, countries of origin can create in people’s lives;
- stimulate comparison between participants on these issues.
- develop a sense of empathy for people who may have different living conditions and who may be more or less privileged with respect to the given context.
Tools:
The activity can be carried out indoors in a medium-large classroom (also in relation to the size of the group), freeing the central part from the desks, in a gym or in an outdoor space.
Colored cards (for making bio cards), white sheets of paper, large pack paper for final sharing.
Preparation:
The space must be cleared of benches and other objects. The preparation requires the creation on cards, possibly of various colors, of short personal profiles that can be defined on the basis of a single characteristic (e.g. sexual orientation or gender identity) or more characteristics (e.g.: socio-economic condition, family, age, ability / disability, religion, origin etc …). Depending on the choice, the focus will be more or less concentrated on the various aspects highlighted.
Instructions:
Each participant is invited to randomly choose a card they must carefully read without revealing its content to anyone. Some members of the group, unaware of the contents of the cards, may be invited to carefully observe what will happen. (5 minutes). Depending on the characteristics of the space and on the number of participants, players are arranged in a circle at arm’s length from each other or in a straight line on one side of the classroom (5 minutes). At that point the facilitator will give tasks, inviting players to react as if they were the person described on the bio cards they picked. If they think they can carry out that task, they take a step forward (towards the center in the case of the circle, towards the opposite wall in the case of the straight line), otherwise they will stand still. For example, if the facilitator says, “I can get married to whomever I want,” a 20-year-old straight man will most likely take a step forward, while a lesbian girl may stand still. The same thing could happen to a girl from an observant Muslim family or to a disabled person. Players are given full freedom of choice. At the end of the activity, players will find themselves arranged all over the place. Some will have advanced towards the opposite wall or towards the center of the circle, others will have remained at the starting point or will have taken a few steps, others will find themselves in intermediate positions. In the case of the circle, a circular structure with rays or petals, while as for the straight line, a mixer/equalizer structure will be formed (20 minutes).
Debriefing (30 minutes):
The final positioning of participants creates a very clear image of the distances that exist between people in real life on the basis of individual or social characteristics that in most cases are not chosen but are given (sexual orientation, identity of gender, socio-economic conditions, family religion / religiosity, age, health conditions, countries of origin, etc.). The physical distance between the participants who have advanced also arouses feelings and emotions in the group. If the activity had foreseen some observers, facilitators can start by asking them what they saw and what explanation they can give regarding the final positioning of the participants. Otherwise they can proceed directly by asking participants what bio they had, why they took a step forward or not, how they felt when they advanced or when they remained motionless etc. This comparison can also be summarized by reporting the essential elements that emerge on paper in order to fix them and possibly use them as starting points for further studies or activities.
Tips:
To perform this exercise in the best possible way, it is advisable to define the bio cards in a timely manner with respect to the characteristics and aspects that facilitators want to investigate. It is not necessary to limit the exercise to just one dimension (e.g.: sexual orientation / gender identity) but it could be dispersive to insert too many. It is also useful to arrange the set of possibilities to propose and the areas to explore in order not to be short of input in the thick of the game! It is essential to randomly assign the bio cards (as a simulation of what happens in life with respect to these characteristics), making sure their contents are not revealed to the rest of the group and that they cannot be exchanged or change their meaning. In the beginning, should a term be unfamiliar to a player (e.g.: “intersex”, “transgender”, “asexual” etc.), they can ask for clarifications from the facilitator. During the debriefing phase it may be useful to clarify complex or specific terms, or terms that can give rise to misunderstandings. For instance, the word “trans” or “transgender” is interpreted by many people as “a man who becomes a woman or who dresses like one” – and more often than not associated with prostitution – while the phenomenon is much more varied and complex, as there are MtF (Male to Female) and FtM (Female to Male), non-binary and other “types” of transgender persons. The same complexity and variety of situations can concern disability or different cultures or religions.
