Through this immersive activity, participants experience injustice and question issues around rules, laws and conventions that maintain inequality.

“If we keep saying that life is unfair but do nothing serious about it, then life will forever continue to remain unfair!”

Mehmet Murat ildan

Issues addressed

• Majority – minority relationships
• Power and authority
• The exclusion of minorities from access to resources and opportunities

Aims

• To start a discussion about rules in society and majority and minority relationships
• To experience discrimination
• To experience power and powerlessness

Preparation / Materials

• Coloured sticky paper labels of two different colours, for instance green and yellow
• Tape or pins
• A list of 6-8 special rules appropriate to your group on a large piece of paper, for example:
  • People with green labels:
    • May not sit on chairs
    • May not be together in one place with more than one other person
    • May not talk to a “yellow” person unless spoken to first
    • May not use any equipment, including their mobile phones, without special permission
    • May only drink water during the coffee break
    • May only use the specified toilets.
  • People with yellow labels:
    • Have priority at the football table and other games
    • Have priority choosing the music
    • Have free access to any equipment they need
    • Are entitled to a free biscuit at the coffee break
    • May use their mobile phones at any time, as long as they keep them on mute.
    • May make up new rules, provided all the “yellows” agree to them.

Instructions

1. Give the labels out randomly and ask participants to wear them at all times. Everyone in the group should have one.
2. Pin the rules up in a prominent place and explain that they should be observed with no exceptions.
3. In all other respects this session should be as normal as possible.
4. When the time is up, tell participants to remove their labels and to come out of role.
5. Allow plenty of time for the discussion. Start with the participants’ experiences of the activity. Then identify who in your society are the “yellows” and the “greens” and discuss the mechanisms that maintain the status quo of the power imbalances. Finally, come back to review your local situation.

Debriefing and evaluation

• How did it feel to be a “yellow” or a “green”, and have to follow the rules?
• Did you always follow the rules? Why? Why not?
• Is it OK to break the rules? If so, when? For what reasons?
• What was the best thing and the worst thing about being a “yellow” or a “green”?
• Did anyone try to swap their label?
• In your society, who are the “yellows” and who are the “greens”?
• How are the “yellows” in your society discriminated against in practice? Give examples of rules that discriminate against people or groups of people.
• How does the (civil and criminal) law maintain its hegemony?
• How do conventions and cultural practices maintain inequalities? Give examples.
• In your country, who has the power to make the rules? How did they get this power, and how do they keep it?
• Multinational corporations and social media giants wield great power. How should they be held responsible so that they do not abuse their power? Who should hold them responsible?
• The Universal Declaration of Human Rights aims to protect individuals from abuse of power. Why do we need human rights?
• Reflecting on the local: How is your organisation organised and who makes the rules?
• If you wish to challenge any of the rules, how can you do it? Are there procedures to follow?
• Why does your organisation need rules, and are the rules fair for everyone who would like to join? Who makes the rules?
• What can you do to make sure the rules are fair both at the structural level and at the level of running day-to-day activities?

Tips for the facilitators

Prepare the rules so that they are appropriate to your group.

Be aware of who is in which group; you may want to do some manipulation, but make sure it is not obvious. Also, be aware that this activity is likely to bring out strong emotions.

In some societies, religious sectarianism is a problem because the ruling minority have the power; in others, the majority may be nationals and the minority refugees. In both cases, inequity in access to jobs, housing, healthcare and education leads to problems both for individuals and for society as a whole. Depending on the minority-majority issue you want to explore, try to arrange it so that there are unequal numbers of people with yellow and green labels.

When asked for examples of rules and laws discriminating against individuals and groups, the participants are likely to mention examples in relation to race and women’s rights because these issues are often in the news. You may like to suggest other issues, such as transgender rights to participating in sports, the rights of children to visiting a parent who is in prison, or disabled people not being eligible for certain social security benefits.

This activity fits well into a residential stay or a seminar. It is important that there is a defined time limit and that participants step out of role before proceeding to the discussion.

Suggestions for follow-up

Take action: Review the rules of your group, school or organisation. Are they fair for all members? For instance, if you are going away on a residential weekend, do the activities that have been arranged take into consideration the religious observances of some members, or any abilities and disabilities those who are going may have? What about dietary requirements when you are choosing menus? Is anyone excluded from participating because they cannot afford to go or buy the required equipment?

Move on to another activity: If you want an energiser to get participants into the way of thinking positively about making changes, you may like to do the activity ‘Balloons’.