Exercise description

Step 1. In plenary put together a wall newspaper on the topic of “Which social groups have more power in our societies?”

Step 2. Write down the name of one group that has more power and privilege (from the wall newspaper or you can add others) on each large piece of paper, for example: white people, members of an ethnic majority, men, people without disabilities, heterosexuals, etc. Have four to six such groups. Ask participants to choose one of these groups (that they don’t actually belong to).

Discussion in these groups: “Why did you choose this group? What kinds of privileges does this group enjoy in society?” An additional task is to list these privileges on the paper with the name of their group.

Step 3. Make a small exhibition so that everyone can walk around the room and see what has been written down. Using a felt-tip of a different colour to that used on the paper, they can add privileges that have not been listed but which they consider important.

Evaluation

Suggested questions for evaluating the exercise:

• What did you notice?
• Did you see a privilege that you enjoy?
• What did you learn about privilege?
• What is the connection between privilege and power?

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Exercise description

Divide into small groups. Topics for discussion:

ͳ A situation when you had power and how you felt about it.

ͳ A situation when you didn’t have power and how you felt about it.

One person in each group makes note of the feelings mentioned. Return to plenary and write down all the feelings on the wall newspaper, noting which feelings correspond to situations with and situations without power.

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Exercise description

One chair is turned to face the whole group. One by one participants take this seat and call out several sentences that start with: “I have the power to…”. Take your time!

The post Powerful Chair appeared first on CNA Priručnik.

Divide participants into pairs. Person A in the pair has a clenched fist and person B has the task of opening the other person’s fist. Then the roles reverse.

Evaluation

Suggested questions for evaluating the exercise:

• How did you feel in each of these roles?
• Which strategy did you use to complete your task?

The post Opening the Fist* appeared first on CNA Priručnik.

Exercise description

Choose a piece of music beforehand that all the participants might like and make sure you have the means to play it.

Ask for a volunteer (someone who can challenge the group) and ask them to leave the room. Others will be given the task of preparing a dance with a repeating choreography that matches the music that has been chosen. The group is told that they should come up with steps and practise them so that everyone feels good working together in a supportive and trusting group environment, and so that they don’t want to make any changes to the choreography. Their task is to dance in the agreed-upon rhythm and they are told that the exercise will be over if they stop dancing for 30 seconds.

The volunteer is told that their task is to change the formation of the group or find a way to influence them without using physical violence or standing in their way. They have 10 minutes for their task.

Invite the volunteer back into the room and play the music. For the next 10 minutes, while the group is dancing, the volunteer tries to distract them. After 10 minutes, the exercise is over.

Secret instructions: Before the workshop, choose one person who will be given a secret task beforehand. Their task is to be part of the group but to try and influence the group to change what they are doing and to change their formation. They shouldn’t be too obvious about it and should start their task only once the volunteer is back in the room and the exercise has begun. To be precise, their task is to remain part of the group and to not distance themselves from it but to create change.

Evaluation

Suggested questions for evaluating the exercise:

• How did you feel playing your roles? (question for the group and the volunteer)
• What changed once the distractions started?
• (Ask the person with the secret role to reveal what their task was.)
• Which strategies of influence were successful and which weren’t?

The post Marching* appeared first on CNA Priručnik.

Exercise description

Divide the group up into pairs. The instructions are:

“Decide which one of you will have power over the other person for the next five minutes. If everyone is willing, one person gives the other person power over themselves for five minutes. Before the exercise begins, everyone should write down on a piece of paper or in a notebook the thoughts and feelings they have going into this exercise.” After five minutes, the roles are reversed and the exercise is repeated.

Evaluation

Suggested questions for evaluating the exercise:

• Which role was more difficult for you?
• How did you use your power? How did you feel about it? Did you feel resistance from the other person and how did you deal with that?
• How did you feel in the role when someone else had power over you? Did you resist? How?

The post Five Minutes of Power Over You* appeared first on CNA Priručnik.

Evaluation Suggested questions for evaluating the exercise:

• How did you feel in each role and why?
• Did you introduce new rules?
• To what extent did you maintain eye contact (with the person you are “controlling” or with person “controlling” you)?

The post Come and Go appeared first on CNA Priručnik.

If it is a large group, divide it into two smaller groups. The group stands in a circle. One person is the “initiator”. The initiator steps into the centre of the circle and their task is to stand in front of each participant and to address them with the words: “Change!”. The person being addressed should react spontaneously depending on how they were addressed, and they can even say something briefly (this is not a non-verbal exercise). Proceed in a circle, slowly and without any hurry. When the initiator has done a full circle, they go back to their place and the next person in the group takes on the role of initiator. Everyone should have a turn in this role.

Evaluation

Suggested questions for evaluating the exercise:

• How did you feel instructing others? How did you deliver your message?
• How did you feel being instructed? Why?
• How was the message delivered?
• How did the person who demanded change act?

The post Change! appeared first on CNA Priručnik.

Exercise description

Exercise description Instructions: The task is to use six or seven chairs to construct a statue that symbolises power. After the first person constructs a statue, participants can say what they see/notice and then the “artist” can explain their statue. At least five or six people should construct a statue.

The post Chair Statues About Power appeared first on CNA Priručnik.

Exercise description

Exercise description Instructions: The task is to use six or seven chairs to construct a statue that symbolises the power of nonviolence. After the first person constructs a statue, other people can say what they see/notice and then the “artist” can explain their statue. At least five or six people should construct a statue.

The post Chair Statues About “The Power of Nonviolence” appeared first on CNA Priručnik.