Euro-Mediterranean Citizens Forum (3 Colour cultures)
The activity provides the space to reflect upon different perceptions of a same lived experience and promotes the conceptualization of this learning by extracting elements to be considered in other situations.
Introduce the exercise, explaining it is a role play simulation, where 3 groups will have a concrete role to which they have to stick till the end of the activity.
Divide the participants into three sub-groups, each corresponding to a different colour; green, red and blue (Handout 2)
Once in the sub-groups, the task is to read carefully the colour -culture characteristics and to get into the roles. Groups may request your presence and clarifications to fully understand the concrete aspects of their given roles. If you have the support of co-facilitator, each one could support a different group, if you are alone, circulate to each group providing separate clarifications.Participants get time to practice all the behavioral characteristics of their colour-culture as described in their handout (way of touching/or not touching people, way of talking, etc.)
Participants should dress up with the distinctive colour (allow creativity to be expressed while respecting the behavioral given role) The groups may decide on a strategy of communication with the other groups while respecting the behavioral given role.
The first meeting starts where all three delegations are gathered in big room, and the facilitator welcomes them. As defined in handout 1, among the 3 groups they should choose 5 board members that will direct the Citizens Forum for the next 5 years.
Simulation can last about 15 min (depends of process, can be little bit shorter or longer). The facilitator stops the “meeting” before the groups reach the final agreement.
Participants return to their subgroups and fill in the questionnaires
All sub-groups are called back in plenary to present their answers to the completed questionnaires. No comments are allowed at this stage (only questions for clarification if needed). Facilitator can write the main points of the presentation in a table with the 3 colour-cultures.
After listening to the other cultures, they go back to sub-groups and discuss new strategy to reach agreement (if there is one), concerning agreement and behavior.
All sub-groups are called back in plenary for the final meeting where the agreement has to be finally reached. Leave some time to conclude with a solution, and close the simulation.
After closing the simulation start by a de-roling exercise.Participants get out of their roles by taking out their colour identifications and saying their real names. Start the debriefing with everybody in circle.You can find potential debriefing guiding questions in Facilitation tips.
For the final debriefing of the exercise you can adapt the following guiding questions to the group. Reporting and Reflection on the Experience:
In circle, ask participants to express what are their feelings.What happened? (if you had to explain to somebody that was not in the room)Was it easy/difficult to follow your given role? What surprised you the most from others’ roles? At this moment every group can read their specific role. What did you think when you heard how the other groups perceived you?
Questions for conceptualization:Can you think of any similar cases? How would you react if this case arose in your town / place of residence? Did the activity alter your attitude at all? Did it bring elements/arguments that you have never considered before?
Ask participants to look for cultural, religious, linguistic, minorities in their cities. It would be interesting to consider repeating the questionnaires considering how are these groups perceived by majority and how they feel they are perceived. Consider organizing a meeting/encounter with one of these minority groups in the local reality.