Why Reconciliation?

Materials: Flipchart paper, markers   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...

Voting on a Verdict

Materials: Two charts of voting outcomes (see annex), a lot of small notes of equal size to serve as ballots, two flipchart papers to record the voting results   Exercise...

Uncomfortable Chairs*

Exercise description All the participants receive a card with one of the following instructions: “Put all the chairs in a circle. You have 10 minutes to complete the task.” “Put...

Twenty Minutes of Blindness

Materials: Blindfolds for all participants (scarves, kerchiefs)   Exercise description Slowly and clearly read the instructions: “The whole group will spend 20 minutes doing as they please. You can go...

Tram

Materials: Five chairs Exercise description Set up five chairs next to each other (like seats on a tram) so that the whole group can see them. The second and fourth...

To My Wall

Exercise description Split into two groups. The groups line up facing each other so that each person from one group has a pair from the other. The pairs stand with...

Third Time*

Materials: A lot of newspapers, 10 rolls of sticky tape or masking tape, paper, pencils Exercise description Introductory directions: “Find a pair for this experiential exercise, which is challenging and...

Swamp

Materials: Masking tape Exercise description A grid of squares is drawn on the floor, 6 x 8 squares It can be made by using masking tape. Each square should be...

Statues Theatre

The main difference between forum theatre and statue theatre is that statue theatre involves setting up human bodies as statues (immobile scenes without sound), while forum theatre is about role...

Squares, Dots

Materials: Coloured stickers of different colours (squares, dots, etc.)     Exercise description Every participant gets a sticker on his/her forehead without seeing what the sticker is. For example, seven...

Smarties

Materials: A few hundred Smarties(or similar sweets) and small dishes for all the participants Exercise description The whole group sits in a semicircle and everyone takes a small dish. Before...

Presidential Elections

Materials: Paper and pencils Exercise description The participants split into two groups: the “candidates” (five or six persons) and the “voters”. The candidates have two to three minutes to come...

Practising “I-speech” through Role Play

Exercise description Participants are divided into four groups (of four or five participants). They have 10 minutes to come up with a short conflict role play. It would be best...

Planet

Materials: Paper, pencils Exercise description Check that everyone has a paper and pencil and then slowly and clearly read the background story at least twice. Story: “A new planet has...

Opening the Fist*

Exercise description 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...

Musical Chairs

Materials: Chairs, a music-playing device, flipchart paper, marker, multicoloured paper Exercise description   A few days beforehand, the participants are split into four groups. The training team makes a list...

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...

Life on an Island

Materials: Flipchart paper, markers Exercise description The participants split into small groups (of 5 to 7 people). They are told that they find themselves on a desert island – each...

Let Me Tell You a Picture

Materials: A picture with a lot of details   Exercise description The participants split into three groups. A volunteer from each group leaves the room. The trainer shows the volunteers...

Justice, Forgiveness, Truth, Peace

Exercise description Pairs of participants are tasked with advocating (i.e. speaking in favour of) one of the following terms: justice, forgiveness (or mercy), truth, or peace. These are the four...

Jigsaw Puzzle*

Exercise description The participants split into groups of five (the remaining participants can be observers). Everyone stays in the same room, but the groups sit in separate circles. It would...

Insider/Outsider*

Exercise description The participants split into two groups of roughly the same size. One group should be asked to leave the room until they are invited back inside. The trainer...

Hotels

Exercise description Task: “You are in the role of participants in peacebuilding training. Your task is to decide where the next stage of the training will be held. The training...

Forum Theatre

Set of Introductory Exercises for the Theatre of the Oppressed Driver Leading by the Palm Leading by Sound Magical Object Linking Statues Duration: 35 minutes   Setting the Play Duration:...

Fortress*

The participants split into two groups. One group will be in the “fortress” and the other will be outside trying to get in. Both groups have 15 minutes to prepare...

Five Minutes of Power Over You*

Materials: Paper and pencils 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...

Falling

Materials: Table or chair   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...

Exercise with Tasks*

Materials: Prepared envelopes with tasks, Paper, pencils, Flipchart paper, markers, other Exercise description   The participants are given envelopes containing descriptions of tasks. The tasks are different and there is...

Exercise with Tasks (2)

Materials: Prepared envelopes with tasks, Paper, pencils, Flipchart paper, markers, other Exercise description   There are 18 tasks in the workroom, one for each participant. The  participants should  find their...

Elephant Walk

Materials: Blindfolds, tables, chairs, textiles, other props   Exercise description Before the workshop, ask participants to bring something to the workshop that they can use as a blindfold (a scarf,...

Drawing on Your Neighbour’s Back

Materials: Paper and pencils   Exercise description Everyone stands in a circle and turns sideways so that they are looking at the back of the person next to them. One...

Drawing Battle

Materials: Paper and pencils Exercise description Everyone splits up into pairs of person A and person B. The participants are asked not to talk during the exercise. All the A...

Delegating Exercise

Materials: Prepared index cards with more information for the groups Exercise description Split  into  three  groups:  “Drama”,  “Music”  and “Computers/English”. Story: “The youth centre in a small Bosnian town has...

Decision Making Model

Exercise description Split into two groups. In both groups one to two people have the role of observers of the decision- making process (volunteers). The groups are given the task...

Cutting Paper

  Materials: Large paper and scissors   Exercise description Call for volunteers who want to participate in the exercise, a total of seven people. Their task is to first think...

Controlled Dialogue*

Exercise description Using the barometer set-up with the poles of Strongly Agree and Strongly Disagree, find pairs with different opinions and an observer for each pair. Barometer method: Determine two...

Come and Go

Exercise description Participants are divided into two groups – group A and group B. The groups line up to face each other with a few metres between the lines so...

Circle of Trust

Exercise description 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...

Change!

Exercise description 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...

Centipede*

Materials: Chairs or other items to serve as obstacles Exercise description The participants split into two groups. Each group forms a “centipede”: They stand in a column, eyes closed, with...

Blind Following*

Materials: Blindfolds (scarves, kerchiefs, etc.)   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,...

Auction

Materials: “Paintings”, “Points” Exercise description The participants split into three groups. Each group is given the task of buying as many paintings at the auction as they can. The bidding...

Airplane

Materials: “Lifesavers” made of paper (prepared in advance), large piece of paper, markers   Exercise description Prepare lifesavers in advance by cutting them out of a large piece of paper...

A Step Forward

Materials: Cards with descriptions of roles Exercise description Prepare as many cards with roles as there are participants. Randomly hand out the cards to the participants. They are not to...

A River of Identities

Materials: A stack of A4 paper   Exercise description Everyone gets five pieces of A4 paper. Task: On each one write in large letters one thing that means a lot...

5 Minutes of Silence

Exercise description Everyone sits in a circle in silence. Their task is to listen to the sounds in the room and coming in from outside. After five minutes, the participants...

“Enemies” at Official Commemorations

Exercise description 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...