Exercise description

The participants should imagine themselves having to explain to someone why we need reconciliation and find arguments in support of it. One person from the training team takes a sceptical position regarding reconciliation and asks that every argument is explained until it is completely clear and acceptable. The arguments are written on a wall newspaper/board.

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Exercise description

Divide into small groups of six or seven people. In each group, one person wears a blindfold. Using chairs, the others make a small labyrinth that isn’t too difficult to find your way out of. They put one chair inside the labyrinth for the person with the blindfold to sit on. They stand around the labyrinth and, one by one, they give the person with the blindfold precise instructions that will lead them to the assigned chair (e.g., “take two steps forward”, or “turn left”, or “take half a step back”). The person with the blindfold cannot use their hands and should keep them next to their sides. When they manage to sit down on the chair, they have navigated the labyrinth; they can take off the blindfold and rejoin the others. A new person is blindfolded and taken through the labyrinth until everyone has had a turn.

Evaluation

Suggested questions for evaluating the exercise:

• How did you feel issuing instructions?
• How did you feel making your way through the labyrinth?
• Which role was more difficult?
• What did you notice?

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Exercise description

A volunteer stands on a table or chair. They stand with their body upright and their arms by their side. Then they fall backwards (with their back towards the floor), while the rest catch them by standing in two rows in pairs facing each other, with their arms interlaced into a net to catch the person falling.

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Exercise description

Before the workshop, ask participants to bring something to the workshop that they can use as a blindfold (a scarf, kerchief, T-shirt, etc.).

1. Take the participants out of the room where the “labyrinth” will be. Give them the following instructions: “The goal of this exercise is to make your way through a labyrinth. You will all be blindfolded except for one person who will be the Eyes. You will have 12 minutes to agree on a strategy and to elect someone to be the Eyes. While making your way through the labyrinth, the Eyes is not allowed to touch other members of the group or to talk to them. You can do one test run in the labyrinth. This will be your chance to try out your strategy and to see if the signals and signs you agreed on are working.”
2. While the group is strategising, construct a labyrinth in the workshop room: use chairs, tables and other props. Think about the path that the group has to travel, for example jumping over a chair, going under a table, getting past a hanging textile, etc., but make sure it is not too difficult.
3. When the 12 minutes are up, the trainer brings the Eyes into the room to show and explain the path to them. It’s best to take the Eyes through the labyrinth once. The Eyes then go back for everyone else and take them through the labyrinth using the signals they agreed on.
4. After their test run, the group has five minutes to improve on their system of signs for communicating. Let them know that new obstacles will be added to the labyrinth.
5. While the group is strategising, make a new path that is somewhat more complicated than the previous one. Again, bring the Eyes in and take them through the labyrinth.
6. While the group is making their way through the labyrinth, the trainers should get in their way. Start with small distractions and build up to more difficult ones: make noises, give false signals imitating the signs that the group makes, throw “bombs”, throw balloons at them, tickle them with a feather, etc. The opportunities are endless. The point of the distractions is to make the task more difficult and to increase stress levels, up to a reasonable point. Make sure that you don’t go too far and also that the task isn’t too easy.

Evaluation

Suggested questions for evaluating the exercise: What was this experience like?

• How did you elect the Eyes?
• How did you agree on the signals?
• How did you make this decision?
• How did the Eyes feel?
• Were there other special roles?

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Everyone stands in a circle with one person in the middle (make sure to start off with someone from the training team). The person in the middle stands with eyes closed, their body upright, their ankles relaxed and their arms by their side. The others hold out their arms and their task is to carefully pass this person around, swaying them about and returning them to the centre of the circle, making sure they do not fall down. After two or three minutes, someone else takes a turn in the middle of the circle.

The circle should not be too wide. (For 20 participants, set up two circles.)

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Exercise description

Before the workshop, ask participants to bring something to the workshop that they can use as a blindfold (a scarf, kerchief, T-shirt, etc.). The group is divided into pairs. Each pair consists of Person A and Person B. Person A leads and Person B follows wearing a blindfold. The exercise lasts for 15 minutes and during this time the pair can do whatever they want but with the following restrictions: a) the exercise is non-verbal so no talking is allowed, and b) Person B cannot take off the blindfold. After 15 minutes, the roles are reversed.

Evaluation

Suggested questions for evaluating the exercise:

• What was this experience like?
• Which role was more difficult? Why?
• How did you lead?
• How were you led?

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The day before, ask individuals from the group to take on roles for this exercise so that they can prepare. Their task will be to participate in displaying a commemoration for fallen fighters of, for instance, the Army of BiH, killed in battle. The roles are:

1. Host from the veterans’ association organising the event who addresses the gathering
2. “Enemy” visitors – veterans from enemy armies
3. “Peace workers” visitors – organising the visit of the “enemies” to the commemoration
4. Families of victims
5. Imam (or other religious figure, depending on the context)
6. Local government representatives
7. Local veterans’ association
8. Other citizens

Set the stage and analyse the set up through these four steps:

Step 1. All the participants in the role play introduce themselves (their roles).

Step 2. Everyone explains why they have come to the gathering.

Step 3. Ask the participants in the role play: How do you feel now? What do you want to say to whom? – They should speak directly to each other. After the interaction, pause the role play and ask those involved: How do you feel? What are you thinking about? What changed during communication and interaction?

Step4. The gathering is over… What thoughts and feelings are you going away with?

Step 5. Coming out of the roles: all the participants on stage say their real name and get a round of applause.

Discussion in the plenary

Suggested questions for evaluating the exercise:

• How important are visits by the “enemy” to sites of atrocities and commemorations?
• What message do they send?
• What conflicts arise?
• What are the risks?
• Why aren’t there more such actions?

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