Multicoloured Eyes

Type of exercise: Multicoloured barometer Exercise description Materials: Coloured paper, papers with statements prepared beforehand A few sets of papers are prepared beforehand, each with a statement/sentence. The papers should be of different colours if possible. When the first set of papers is laid out on the floor, the participants decide which paper to approach. A few of the participants from each group are asked to comment on why they have approached that particular statement. Then the next set of papers is laid out… Sets of statements:

  1. “I have a brother and a sister”, “I have a brother”, “I have a sister”, “Other”.
  2. “I have sad eyes”, “I have green eyes”, “I have blue eyes”, “I have smiling eyes”, “I have multicoloured eyes”, “Other”.
  3. “I like to read”, “I like art”, “I like sports”, “I like burek”, “I don’t like the army”, “Other”.
  4. “I have lived in different places”, “I have lived in just one country”, “I have lived in socialism”, “I was a refugee”, “Other”.
  1. “We are from the former Yugoslavia”, “I am from the former Yugoslavia”, “I am from Europe”, “I am from the Balkans”, “We are from Bosnia”, “I am from Tetovo”, “Other”
  1. “Јас зборувам македонски” [I speak Macedonian], “Unë flas shqip” [I speak Albanian], “Govorim hrvatski” [I speak Croatian], “Govorim crnogorski” [I speak Montenegrin], “Govorim hrvatskosrpski” [I speak Croato-Serb], “Говорим српскохрватски” [I speak Serbo-Croat], “Govorim naš jezik” [I speak our language], “Other”
  1. Seven blank pieces of paper of different colours (without statements).

 

Evaluation

Suggested questions to evaluate the exercise:

What was it like? How easy was it to make a choice? Did you feel like you had a choice? What does this remind you of?

 

 

 

 


Notice:

The statements should be formulated so as to give some limited choice. Make sure not to include all the identities and languages represented among the participants, i.e. leave some out deliberately.

The exercise should be conducted dynamically, without much time for thinking and answers, and questions can be a bit provocative like “Why are you here?” or “Shouldn’t you be in someone else’s?”. The initial party quickly turns into discomfort with part of the group and rebellion often occurs, ie. refusal to participate, which provides excellent evaluation material. However, that does not mean that people should be pressured so much until someone gives up.