In this activity, participants literally “take a stand” and defend their points of view.

What do we think about racism and discrimination?
 

Issues addressed

• Any and all forms of discrimination
• Taking responsibility for one’s personal beliefs and actions

Aims

• To challenge participants' views and opinions on racism, discrimination and intolerance
• To make participants aware of how we form our opinions and how hard it is to change them
• To raise participants’ self-awareness of the role they play as members of society

Preparation / Materials

• Flip chart and markers, or alternatively a laptop, projector and screen
• 2 sheets of paper: one with a plus sign, the other with a minus sign, taped to the walls on opposite sides of the room.
• A list of statements

Instructions

1. Tell participants to stand along an imaginary line down the middle of the room. Point out the minus (-) sign on one side wall and the plus (+) sign opposite.
2. Explain that you are going to read out statements and then those participants who disagree with the statement should move to the side of the room with the minus sign. Those who agree should move to the side with the plus sign. Those who have no opinion or who are undecided should stay on the line, but they will not be able to speak.
3. Read out the first statement.
4. Once everybody has moved, invite participants in turn to explain why they chose that position. Allow between 5-8 minutes for this.
5. When everyone has spoken, invite anyone who wishes to change their position to do so, but without allowing anyone to comment.
6. Ask participants to come back and stand on the line again, and read a second statement.
7. Once all the statements have been discussed, go straight into the evaluation.

Debriefing and evaluation

• How did you feel during the exercise? Were you more inclined to listen, or did you feel motivated to express your opinion?
• Was it difficult to choose? Why?
• How did it feel to stay in the middle and not be able to speak?
• What sorts of arguments were used: those based on fact, or those which appealed to the emotions? Which were more effective?
• How did it feel to take the step, to move, to show you had changed your opinion?
• If you have a strong opinion about something, how hard is it not to get emotionally involved? How does this influence your thinking?
• How do our opinions develop? For instance, are they based on facts, hearsay, “respected” media, social media, personal experience, or what our friends think?
• Did the format of this activity, the plus or minus / agree or disagree set-up, enable a helpful discussion? Why? Why not? Could there be an alternative?
• Can you think of any real-life examples of people taking up polarised positions? What are the consequences?
• Was there an element of truth in the statements?
• In a democracy, what are the consequences of standing on the line?

Tips for the facilitators

Try to ensure that everyone has an opportunity to contribute with their opinion. One way to do this is to use something to represent a microphone that is passed around from speaker to speaker. You may need to encourage some to take a stand and not always remain on the line (“on the fence”). This is a good activity for participants to reflect on how they contribute to group discussions. Are they prone to keeping quiet and listening, or to leaping in with their opinions and possibly dominating the discussion?

You can adapt the method slightly by letting participants stand at some point between the mid-point and the walls. This will make it easier for them to respond, and promotes a more nuanced discussion because, in reality, people’s opinions and attitudes are not black and white.

The statements can cover several issues, as suggested below, or they can be linked to a specific topic, for instance, poverty, gender or intolerance.

At the end of the evaluation, explain that the statements were intended to be controversial and provocative. You may therefore need to allow for further discussion about specific issues. This is important in order to diffuse any hostilities that may have arisen, and to give participants the opportunity to go more deeply into the points raised.

Depending on the group, you can develop the discussion from several perspectives:

• Despite their ambiguity, there is also a certain truth in the statements. Explain the fact that in all communication different people understand different things in the same statement. It is also normal that people think differently and differ in their opinions. There is not necessarily a right or wrong attitude or position. What is more important is to know and understand the reasons that motivated their position.
• Try to draw out the links to the reality of everyday life. We often think only about one side of a problem. It also happens that we are sometimes asked to support an issue but not always given the chance to think deeply about why we should do so. You could ask the group to consider how this affects democracy.
• How much do we actually listen to other people's arguments? How well do we make our points clear? The more vague we are, the more we nourish ambiguity and risk being misunderstood.
• How consistent are we in our opinions and ideas?

Variations

“Points of view” refers not only to opinions but also to the points of a compass. Use the four walls, marked, to represent “Agree”, “Disagree”, “Don’t know” and “I want to say something”.

The method of standing along the line may also be used as a quick starter activity, as a way of gauging what participants know about a topic. Alternatively, you can ask participants to stand and then respond to the question by either reaching up and standing on their toes to indicate they agree, or by crouching down if they disagree.

Suggestions for follow-up

Take action: It is not always easy to stand up and be counted; sometimes it is dangerous to do so, but you do not have to feel alone: there are others who are working for a better world. There is always something you can do. Brainstorm the things you can do to improve the lives of minorities in your community and to support human rights in your own country and abroad, and decide to take some action, however small it may seem. The ‘A-Z of actions’ may give you some ideas.

Move on to another activity: If you want another quick activity which gets participants into groups, and at the same time raises issues about feeling isolated, try ‘Odd one out’. ‘Human Bingo’ will enable participants to explore similarities and differences between members of the group. Alternatively, you could think a little more about why it is so hard for people to make what they want to say heard. Who has the power and why won’t they listen? Try ‘Rules of the game’.