Duration: 90 minutes
Participants: 12
Aim:
Identity Card is a pedagogical exercise based on basketball and role-playing aimed at analyzing stereotypes and cherishing differences inside the group, while arousing the sense of empathy between people. Discrimination affects all layers of society and can destroy lives, thus by acting on the deconstruction of stereotypes we can manage to elevate the public debate on human rights. Since sport can be seen as a mirror of society, we can use playful activities to provoke reflection in people’s minds and use the outcomes to build a fair society for all.
Tools:
This activity requires a basketball court, 12 colored vests (one color per team), 12 cards (one per player), 6 placards, a whistle.
Preparation:
The facilitator divides participants into two mixed teams.
Before starting the match, each player picks a secret identity card: each card contains a term that defines a character (e.g.: migrant, millionaire, homeless person, part-time worker, gay man, stay-at-home mother etc.). Please note that the cards (12 in total) should reflect society with all its differences, so characteristics such as gender identity, ability, age, sexual orientation, cultural background, gender, socio-economic status, nationality, ethnicity and religion should be taken into consideration.
Instructions:
The duration of the match is 30 minutes. Every 5 minutes, the facilitator will blow the whistle and will show one placard to the group. Placards contain specific input in the form of statements (e.g.: “I can travel freely”, “I can afford to pay rent”, “I have never felt discriminated against because of my sexual orientation” etc.) that players have to take into consideration. If a player has been assigned a character that does not fit with the sentence (e.g.: “I can afford to pay rent” – a homeless person cannot afford to pay rent), they will have to stay in the sports field, but will freeze for 30 seconds.
The game follows the traditional scoring system. At the end of the match, the group sits in a circle for the debriefing session (60 minutes).
Debriefing (60 minutes):
The facilitator shall ask each participant if they enjoyed the match, and why.
Everyone is free to show their Identity Card to the rest of the group, while the facilitator will encourage discussion by asking questions such as:
– Have you ever met anyone that matches the character you have been assigned?
– Have you ever met anyone that matches the character your teammates or opponents have been assigned?
– Do you identify with any of the characters that were playing the game?
– How did you feel when you had to freeze?
– How did you feel when you saw your teammates freeze?
– How did you feel when you saw your opponents freeze?
Tips:
- Each participant is encouraged to take part in the discussion, but should never be forced to do so. The facilitator must never judge.
- The facilitator should make sure that the difference between stereotype and discrimination be explained.
- The facilitator can also choose famous people to define characters (e.g.: famous athletes, singers, politicians etc.) as players will find it easier to empathyze with them, but most of all they will be able to reflect more about topics such as power and privilege.
- Should there be no baskets, the activity can be turned into a football or volleyball match, depending on what space is available.
- Facilitators can decide to make the game harder by making players freeze for 5 minutes instead of 30 seconds (should their character be penalized by the statement).
- Facilitators can decide to shout statements out loud instead of using placards.
