One step forwards

In this simple role-play exercise, participants put themselves in the shoes of characters they are given and take a step forward if their character would agree with a statement read out by the facilitator.

About the exercise

  • Plenary exercise
  • Time required : 45 minutes
  • Target audience : Any group willing to engage in participatory learning.

Purpose

  • To help participants appreciate the importance of human rights/freedom of religion or belief (FORB) for people of all faiths and none, by putting themselves in the shoes of people from other backgrounds.
  • To increase awareness of the challenges that people of other religions or beliefs meet in daily life.
  • To illustrate how religion/belief and other identities such as gender and class intersect, with the result that some people face multiple disadvantages.

Description

In this simple role-play exercise, participants put themselves in the shoes of characters they are given and take a step forward if their character would agree with a statement read out by the facilitator. As the physical gap between participants widens, the advantages and disadvantages facing different groups in society become apparent.

Source: Adapted from the EU Commission’s Compass manual and Education for Peace training materials and for the Local Changemakers Course.

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