In this activity, participants name the discrimination they have experienced or witnessed, and then the group proceeds to analyse one of the examples.

“It was awful, it was such an embarrassing situation.”

A participant in this activity.

Issues addressed

• The manifestation of prejudice and discrimination in our society
• How to deal with difficult situations assertively
• The different forms of discrimination, and their causes

Aims

• To be more aware of discrimination in our daily lives
• To help people learn how to be assertive
• To promote empathy with those who are discriminated against

Preparation / Materials

• Flip chart and marker

Instructions

1. Ask participants to think of one occasion, either actual or on social media, when they felt discriminated against. Alternatively, if they would feel more comfortable, they can suggest a situation they have witnessed.
2. Go round and ask each person to very briefly describe the situation.
3. List all the situations on the flip chart and then ask the group to choose one of the discriminatory events to discuss.
4. Ask the person whose situation was chosen to describe in greater detail what happened.
5. Then talk about:
   • how the situation arose, what happened, how you responded and what happened next
   • how you felt during the event and afterwards.
6. At the end, ask the group to draw some conclusions as to what would have been the best response in this particular situation.

Debriefing and evaluation

• What are the most common experiences of discrimination?
• How does bullying differ from discrimination?
• Why do people discriminate against others who are different?
• Where do they learn this behaviour?
• Do you have a human right not to be discriminated against on grounds of, for instance, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, class or religion?
• What other grounds for discrimination are common, for instance, being discriminated against because of the way you look (behaviour, clothes, tattoos)?
• What would you say to someone who chooses to be open about their identity even at the risk of being discriminated against or possibly being physically assaulted?
• How important is it to challenge discrimination? Both interpersonal and institutional?
• Do you think positive action is an effective way to address discrimination, for instance, at school or in the workplace?
• Responding to the situation assertively is important, but even more crucial is understanding the different forms of discrimination and their causes, and challenging them. What, in your society, are the common roots of discrimination and intolerance?
• What can you do to address some of these causes?

Tips for the facilitators

Emphasise that no-one should feel under pressure to say anything that would make them feel uncomfortable.

This activity works especially well with groups that face discrimination every day, because speaking in a group and sharing experiences is empowering. It also works well with mixed groups, empowering those who have personal experience of discrimination and giving insights to those who have not. With privileged groups, you can ask participants to describe events that they have witnessed or heard about, and add questions to the debriefing about their thoughts and feelings for the target.

To help participants identify common grounds for discrimination, see below. When discussing this question, you may like to refer back to the original list on the flip chart and write the forms against the examples.

Usually people talk about negative discrimination, but be aware that issues about positive discrimination, affirmative action and positive action may be raised. Be prepared to inform the participants about the differences between these terms and to give examples.

Variations

1. Use role play to explore the situation. Ask a pair or small group to roleplay the event while the rest observe. Afterwards, ask the observers to suggest possible alternative responses to the situation. Roleplay the suggestions and discuss the issue further. You could also look at the guidance on Forum Theatre technique (with the ‘Target and bystander’ activity).
2. Ask everybody to write down a brief outline of a situation on a slip of paper. Put the papers in a hat. Pass the hat round, inviting each person to take out one piece of paper. Go round the circle, and ask each person to read out what is written on their note. Ask everyone to try to guess the feelings of those involved.

Suggestions for follow-up

Take action: Does your school or workplace have an anti-discrimination and harassment policy? You could review it. If there isn’t one, you could write one.

Organise some assertiveness training to help you develop skills to deal with difficult situations.

Move on to another activity:

People discriminate against others who are different when it is in their interests to do so, but at the same time they like to enjoy many of the things foreigners have brought with them, and which we take for granted, such as pizzas, kebabs or jazz and reggae music. If you are interested in discovering the “foreign footprints” which are all around us, have a go at ‘Trailing diversity’.

Alternatively, try the energetic simulation game ‘Limit 20’ to experience how unfair life can be.

Background information

Grounds/targets for discrimination include:

• Ability (for instance, assuming Asian people are good at maths)
• Age
• Class
• Culture (dress, ancestral practices)
• Economic (often relates to class)
• Disability
• Ethnicity
• Gender (women: maternity leave, periods, age)
• Laterality (left-handedness)
• Language (accent, dialect)
• Physical appearance (clothes, scars, tattoos, piercings, body shape – obesity)
• Political views
• Race
• Religion, including sectarianism