Tasters
The following activities are designed to give you a chance to have a taster of some basic 4 activities and to discover the common peer education techniques. All these activities can be run in your own units and Senior Section groups and, of course, Leaders can use them too!
Magic microphone
What 4? Encourages debating skills and the need for awareness of local issues.
You will need to make up a series of scenarios to be discussed, and characters for people to become. The situation below is just an example – it can be anything you want! This activity works best with groups of five or more.
The local council is planning to sell the ground, that has been earmarked for a children’s play park, to a developer for a private housing estate. Each person in the group is given a character and is asked to act out a part. They can only speak in the debate when they have the microphone. Direct and stimulate the discussion when needed. Finish with a quick talk about any local issues and the power of debating and lobbying.
Parts:
- Councillor – for the development
- Developer – for the development
- Child – against the development
- Parent – against the development
- Resident – for the development
- Others – as required
Image and identity
What 4? To challenge stereotypes and raise awareness of how powerful they can be in our everyday lives.
Finish these sentences:
- If your dad is in prison you might be…
- People with HIV are…
- Single mothers are…
- Travellers are…
Did you get stereotypical or more thoughtful responses?
Identity test
What kind of person are you? Ask yourself which of the people listed below sound like the kind of person you would most like to spend a day with. Add up how many As or Bs you have scored.
- a) A Nobel prize-winner
b) A young peasant woman from Guatemala
- a) A skilled surgeon
b) A single mother
- a) A journalist and sociologist
b) A convicted murderer
Did you get mostly As or Bs? It doesn’t matter – it was a trick. Each sentence can describe the same person – the people are not opposites at all. Number one refers to the Guatemalan Rigoberta Menchu who is a Nobel prize-winner. If you did not recognise the trick it just shows how powerful stereotypes are, and how alert we have to be not to prejudice anyone on the basis of a small amount of information.
Which has more calories?
What 4? To establish a realistic idea of healthy food choices.
You will need to prepare a set of cards for each group with pictures of different meals and food. Give out the cards and ask each group to decide which option has the most calories for example:
- Bowl of rice vs. packet of crisps
- Two apples vs. small bar of chocolate
- A hamburger burger vs. small fries
You will need to use a calorie book, magazines and clip art to produce these cards, which will take time, but they can be reused with different groups.
Graffiti wall
What 4? To highlight the range of language used when talking about mental health issues.
- Create a graffiti wall by pinning A3 sheets or lining paper along a wall.
- Divide the graffiti wall into two by drawing a vertical line.
- Ask the group to write all the critical and judgemental words and phrases they can think of associated with mental health, on the left hand side of the line.
- Repeat this using positive and ‘acceptable’ words and phrases on the right-hand side.
- Compare the number of positive to negative words. Which are there more of? What effect might they have on how we talk about mental health?
Hands
What 4? To explore rights and responsibilities.
Think how often we see hands as symbols of hope and despair.
On paper, card, a wall or other surface make a handprint with wet clay, plasticine, ink, paint or food dye. Sign it and date it. Decide on some resolutions that, either individually or as part of a group, you will work towards to improve your life and the lives of others, through looking at the rights and responsibilities we have. Write these resolutions next to your handprints.
Get the group to look at the handprints. Why do hands make such a powerful impression and how are they used in different political and social situations.
This can lead into activities on rights and responsibilities and whether we can have one without the other.
Icebreakers
These can be used with your groups/units. Adapt them to the needs of the people that you’re working with and feel free to invent your own.
Balloon madness
Give each person in the group a balloon and get them to write their name on it in permanent pen. Line up against a wall (or in a line), blow up the balloons and on the count of three let the balloons go and see how far they go. The person whose balloon goes furthest is the winner.
Post-it® note
Get people to write their name on a Post-it® note. In pairs, each person says three things about themselves to the other. They then swap Post-it® notes and personalities as they pass on the three facts to another person. The activity goes on for as long as you want. As well as being an icebreaker this shows the need for clear communication.
Small objects – looking at the need for clear communication
- Each participant must imagine they have a small object in their hands. It is important that they remember the object they start with.
- The objects are now passed round the room from person to person – ‘Here is my piece of string’, ‘This is my cat’ and so on.
- Now get the group into a circle and in turn ask each person what object they have in their hands. You’ll discover that some objects have been ‘lost’ and some have multiplied.
Clear communication between people is important to ensure that information is passed on
efficiently and correctly. It also shows that people tend to take better care of their own possessions rather than other people’s!
Energisers
Knot circle
All participants put their hands into the middle of the circle and grab other people’s hands. They must then untangle themselves and form a complete circle without breaking hands.
Useful publications
Available through Girlguiding UK:
- Right Directions
- Look Wider CD
- Inside Out
- Mind Out for Mental Health
Available from WAGGGS:
To purchase these publications call the Trading Service on 0161 941 2237 or shop online.
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