Activities and ideas
Introduction
The following two sections include practical examples of activities, exercises and projects that can be used or adapted in order to achieve social inclusion in two different ways:
- Understanding social exclusion will help preparing the society to welcome refugees and asylum seekers, not being afraid of the differences and being aware of the facts and myths that exist around migration.
- Creating opportunities to help refugees and asylum seekers to feel included in the society they live in.
Each of the presented activities is going to be described in detail and their purpose will be explained. It is your own choice whether you will decide to organise them in the same way or modify them so they will be tailored to your target audience and their needs.
Our project team would like to encourage you to get involved and contact us with your feedback, comments and suggestions regarding the activities presented in this section. Also, if there are any other activities which can be used in the training courses with refugees and young people with migration backgrounds and you know they are worth recommending then we would also ask you to contact our PAPYRUS Team and share your ideas with us.
In this section of the Toolkit you will find exercises aimed at tackling exclusion factors. The activities included in this section are aiming to increase the inclusion potential of the receiving society.
The activities can be used within the context of workshops or training courses involving participants with different backgrounds. Ideally, they will be performed with mixed groups (members of the host society and refugees/asylum seekers), thus providing participants an opportunity to interact with and learn from each other.
The activities require that participants have a good understanding of the language in which they are conducted, thus it is recommended that you know the group before performing them and that you can provide some translation in case needed. Some of the activities require also the ability to read and understand information, make sure that all the participants are comfortable with this.
Type of exercises proposed
Energizers: are used to raise energy among the participants, to set the mood or create an atmosphere, and wake people up before an activity. They can also be used to introduce a topic in an easy and informal way.
Evaluation: the action in which one collects information about the results of an activity and sets this against predetermined criteria in order to judge the value of the results. The evaluation allows the facilitator to maintain, change or discard points and/or activities from the plan.
Ice-breakers: are intended to help a group to begin the process of forming themselves into a team. Ice-breakers are commonly presented as a game to “warm up” the group by helping the members to get to know each other.
Group discussion: can be good to let the participants speak their mind, but also to make the participants think about the “issue” in a different way and from another point of view.
Simulation games: are a very powerful means of working with young people, especially in an intercultural perspective, to confront and address prejudices and stereotypes of other cultures.
Introduction exercise
Type: Ice-breaker
Purpose: This ice-breaker will allow participants to better know each other. The facilitator can easily adapt the questions in order for the participants to start discussing a specific topic that will be tackled afterwards. Participants will also be able to share their feelings and expectations about the session.
Group size | Any size |
Time | 10 to 20 minutes (duration varies according to the size of the group and the amount of information shared) |
Resources needed | Any device able to produce music; speakers |
Description of the activity | Participants stand on different sides around an empty space. As the music begins, they start walking freely. As the music stops, they choose a partner. The pairs are asked to discuss the topic the instructor announces when stopping the music. As the music starts again, participants begin to walk again until stopping and finding a new partner with whom to discuss the next topic. |
Reflection | Some suggested topics might be:
Through the short discussions, participants will be able to meet the others and get to know each other, but also to start identifying differences and similarities in the group. Thus, they will start removing some barriers to the inclusion of all the group members. |
Comments and useful tips | The exercise can also be carried out by keeping the same topic all the time, changing only the pairs. |
Where do I come from and where am I now?
Type: Simulation game
Purpose: This exercise helps understand the journeys the different members have made to their current hometowns and allows the group members to share information on their backgrounds.
Group size | Ideally between 4 and 15, in case of bigger groups might be good to consider creating two groups. |
Time | 50 to 60 minutes (duration varies according to the size of the group and the amount of information shared) |
Resources needed | World map and map of the country you are in, pins, thick thread, coloured papers, markers/pens |
Description of the activity | Group members are asked to write down all continents in capital letters, one A4 sheet per continent, and to try to place the papers with the continents’ names on the floor in order according to their position on the world map. Home country Each participant is asked to stand on top of the continent from which they come. Participants take turns to name their home country and possibly the city/town/village they used to live in. They also state what they think is wonderful about their home country and/or city/town/village. At this point, the facilitator shows the world map. Participants locate their own continents and countries and see which other countries are located on the same continent. Own journey Each group member takes pins and thread and recreates their own migratory route on the world map to the country they are in and to the city/town/village in which they are currently residing. Participants may point several venues/stops through which their route has run. |
Reflection | Besides being able to share some information about their personal story, participants will reflect on the different journeys. At the end of the exercise, the facilitator is encouraged to start a discussion about what the different participants felt during their journeys and what they liked/disliked about some of the stages of the journey. If the context allows, the facilitators might also ask whether someone wants to share some difficulties they have faced during the journey and/or about some pleasant things they discovered. |
Comments and useful tips | Writing up on a blackboard the key features of each and everyone’s journey, so that there is a visual aid to keep recalling the information |
Analysing Prejudice
Type: Group discussion
Purpose: Analyse the feeling caused by exclusion through the examination of inclusive and exclusive behaviours and the dynamics of exclusion.
Group size | Minimum of 6 people |
Time | 30 minutes |
Resources needed | Flipcharts and markers for the discussion |
Description of the activity |
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Reflection | Taking notes on flipchart paper, discuss about the strategies used by the excluded persons to be accepted, the strategies used by the excluders to keep the volunteers out, and how people felt as excluded/excluders. Discuss also the effect of exclusion on a long term, at personal, group and society level. |
Comments and useful tips | When taking notes, focus on the following aspects:
This would highlight and help remembering the positive strategies |
(Ine)Quality Street
Type: Simulation game
Purpose: Through role play, participants will be able to experience another social reality. This might be a privileged one or rather an excluded one, allowing for reflection on inequality, social exclusion, stereotyping, stigma, etc.
Questions for the facilitator → download
Group size | Any size |
Time | 45 minutes |
Resources needed | Role cards and questions for the facilitator (ATTACHED); sweets (10 per person). Optional: chairs, flipcharts, small box/tin for sweets and markers or paper and pens |
Description of the activity |
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Reflection |
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Comments and useful tips |
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Outsiders
Type: Energizer
Purpose: 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 | Any size |
Time | 10 minutes |
Resources needed | No resources needed |
Description of the activity |
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Reflection |
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Knowledge is Power
Adapted from: http://www.youth.ie/sites/youth.ie/files/NYCI-Global-Rights-Resource.pdf
Type: Group discussion
Purpose: This activity gives the group an interactive way of discovering some of the facts about refugees and migrants whilst also dispelling some of the myths. It is hoped that this new knowledge and awareness will represent a positive development for individuals in the group.
Group size | Any size |
Time | 20 minutes |
Resources needed | Copies of the myths/facts sheet |
Description of the activity |
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Reflection | Open a discussion about where the myths come from and what impact they have on the way we treat people. |
Should I stay or should I go?
Adapted from: http://www.youth.ie/sites/youth.ie/files/NYCI-Global-Rights-Resource.pdf
Type: Energizer
Purpose: Through the simulation of a decision making process on the choice to stay or go, participants will recognise that choices and decisions can depend on different realities. Moreover, they will understand that it’s not an easy decision to leave one’s home, family, friends, job, club, school, etc.
Group size | Any size |
Time | 25 minutes |
Resources needed | Paper; markers; copy of statements for the facilitator |
Description of the activity |
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Reflection | While participants move to one side or the other of the room, ask them why they are making that choice and if it was easy or difficult to make it. |
Pictures Challenge
Type: Energizer/Ice-breaker
Purpose: All of us have some stereotypes about some places/populations in the world. This exercise has the aim of reflect about them and challenge them.
Examples of pictures → download
Group size | Any size |
Time | 10 minutes |
Resources needed | Laptop and projector or printouts of pictures of cities or places. |
Description of the activity | The activity is quite simple: the facilitator shows the pictures and asks the participants to guess what country is it. However, the pictures shown shall not be easy to guess: famous skylines and monuments shall be avoided, while unusual landscapes shall be preferred. An advice might also be to choose countries that are not really well known, in order for participants to understand that stereotypes are not limited to specific countries and people, but rather to wider areas. |
Reflection | The game can be used to introduce a discussion about stereotypes and how they influence our opinion about places and people. |
Respectful Listening
Type: Evaluation
Purpose: This short exercise allows participants to discuss in pairs the outcomes of the overall session. It is also a good exercise to train listening skills and empathy.
Group size | Any size |
Time | 10 minutes |
Resources needed | Paper and pens |
Description of the activity | Group members are divided into pairs, each pair consisting of one native and one migrant. One member of the pair is asked to share with their partner their opinion about the session. In order to make it easier for the individual to share, the facilitator might suggest to focus on:
The person who is not invited to speak will be silent and will be asked to listen carefully and take notes about what the partner says. After 3-4 minutes the roles are exchanged. At the end, each person will present some on her/his partner’s comments, which will be noted down by the facilitator. |
Reflection | Besides evaluating the session, participants will be able to train their listening skills. They will also be able to reflect on the different points of views and mindsets and how they can be different from one’s own. |