PART A: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND

WHAT IS NON-FORMAL EDUCATION

Kinds of learning

Education is an essential concept which lies at the basis of mankind's history. It is the way through which people acquire or impart knowledge, the way a society, a country, a culture, transmits information from generation to generation and the tool people use to improve their lives and attitudes. Education enhances individuals’ abilities to identify their objectives, tackle and solve issues in innovative ways, and finally, reach their targeted goals. In other words, education is what makes people develop and progress over time (Types of Education, 2019).

To have a broader understanding of this concept, it is important to analyze the three main kinds of learning: Formal, Informal, and Non-Formal learning.

Formal Learning

Formal learning refers to intentional learning that usually occurs in governmental recognized settings (such as primary and secondary schools, colleges, and universities). It is structured hierarchically; it requires the presence of trained teachers who should efficiently provide youth with the knowledge needed, and students whose role should be enthusiastically willing to acquire it. These contexts are characterized by strict rules and regulations, detailed curricula designed to meet the requirements needed to be part of the society, and tests and certifications that, respectively, assess and prove the achievement of those requirements (Peace Corps, 2004).

Advantages and Disadvantages of Formal Learning

Among the main advantages of learning in formally organized institutions, it is recognized that knowledge instilled in a systematic and disciplined way encourages students to improve their organizational and schedule arrangement skills. In these settings, education is a natural and continuous process that is supposed to become more accurate and meticulous according to the different phases of the education process. In this way, learners progress constantly and gradually, and, eventually, are granted with officially recognized certificates of the knowledge they have acquired, which allow them to enter the labour market.

At the same time, formal education also carries some relevant disadvantages. First, the inflexibility through which knowledge is imparted does not meet the needs of all different types of learners. Usually, the information is presented as written statements or theories, which may be difficult to process and internalize by a student who, for example, relies on visual and auditory inputs. Likewise, the knowledge assessment system, which is largely dependent in tests and exams, is strict and unidirectional and may fail in providing objective information about one’s knowledge. It is known that some learners can find exams and tests so stressful and anxious-provoking that it becomes difficult for them to prove what they have learned. This educational method can, thus, lead to asymmetrical and not always reliable results.

Finally, due to the focus on theoretical knowledge, formal education does not help young adults to be competitive in the labour market. Some skills, like decision-making, proactiveness, self-awareness, initiative, negotiation, communication, team-work, creativity and so on, are neglected by this main traditional way of teaching. This leads to a gap between what students learn in schools and universities and what they need to compete in the labour market.

Informal learning

Informal learning refers to learning that happens daily, continuously, and mostly incidentally in people’s everyday environment. Since it is not exclusively linked to delimited areas such as schools, it can take place at any time everywhere. It can happen when talking to neighbours, listening to the radio, playing with children or more actively by reading a book or asking some advice to colleagues at work (Peace Corps, 2004).

Advantages and Disadvantages of Informal Learning

Learning informally is simple and natural and for this reason, it is considered to be a never-ending process. Even though it is initiated by the individual, the conscious efforts are not involved, it is not planned in advance and, moreover, it does not require any particular learning methods (no fixed curricula nor timetables). This allows people to get information with different techniques in a less costly and more time-efficient way. There is no need to hire professionals since it is possible to find the knowledge on books, TV, newspapers, internet, and it can even happen that experts may be willing to share for free what they know through social media.

On the other hand, the information acquired can be unreliable and misleading or obtained through inappropriate or time-wasting methods, whereas the absence of a proper schedule can prevent the learner from developing good habits and discipline (Types of Education, 2019).

Non-formal learning

Non-formal learning happens through educational experiential activities which are planned, structured, and organized like the formal activities but, instead of taking place in formal learning environments, they are carried out, for example, in youth organizations, sports clubs, community centres, readings groups, amateur choirs and so on. These activities are the result of the intentional effort of the learner, who - consciously and deliberately - decides to get engaged in the practical learning of a particular skill, value, or competence. In non-formal education, the focus is on the learner’s interests, needs, and requests and for this reason, the syllabus and the timetable are flexible and adjustable (Council of Europe, 2012).

This type of education, however, is somehow more difficult to define because of the presence of various definitions and perspectives on it. We will look into it more deeply in the following sections.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Non-Formal Education

Among the most significant advantages of non-formal learning, is that individuals have the possibility to take up learning processes that are based on their desires, interests, and needs. This way non-formal education gives them the chance to grow naturally, at their own pace, and not according to schooling schedules, as well as a great opportunity to develop trust towards their abilities, while feeling rightful to make mistakes, and to cultivate a sense of responsibility towards their own learning and development. Furthermore, the skills acquired through these processes are not usable and useful only for employment aspects, but concern the daily-life human capabilities, motivations, and development. (AEGEE-Europe, 2011)

On the other hand, when considering the disadvantages, one can notice that non-formal activities may produce different and not always high-standard results. This can be partly attributed to the dependability of non-formal education outcomes to the level of professionalism and skill of trainers and facilitators, who do not undergo the strict scrutiny formal education professionals do before they are given their teaching duties. Other factors include the uncertainty and unsteadiness of the participants’ willingness to be active and proactive, and, sometimes, also to participants’ self-confidence issues (Types of Education, 2019).

Moreover, even if self-assessment methods lead to the obtainment of different official certificates, such as the Youthpass that “identifies and documents learning outcomes that are acquired in projects under the Erasmus+” (Education and Culture Youth in Action, 2007), these documents are not widely and universally recognized, while their very nature prevents the documentation of highly objective or quantifiable learning results.

Table 1. Characteristics of formal, informal and non-formal education

TYPE	Formal Education	Informal Education	Non-formal Education
PLACE	Schools, colleges, universities	People’s everyday environment	Courses, workshops, seminars, clubs, community centres
INTENTION	Intentional - Mandatory	Unintentional -Unconscious	Intentional - Voluntary
FEATURES	• Structured and planned • Hierarchical structure with rigid rules & regulations • Obligatory • Fixed syllabus/ timetable • Mainly targeting reasoning and theoretical cognition	Unstructured and not planned	• Structured and planned • Learner-teacher roles not solid • Changes in rules can be made instantly based on learners’ feedback • Self-motivated • Flexible syllabus/timetable • Based on action and experience
TARGETS	Diplomas and degrees, theoretical knowledge, hard-skills	Personal development through insights and experiences	Soft-skills, competences and attitudes

Learning processes

In non-formal learning, we find experiential learning activities which aim to develop skills and know-how. Experiential learning is a process developed by the American educational theorist David Kolb who, in 1984, provided a model learning program setting out four distinct learning styles based on a four-stage learning cycle (Reflective observation; Abstract Conceptualization; Concrete Experience; Active Experimentation).

According to Kolb, experience is the main tool through which people can learn and develop. However, not only what people experience is crucial, but mainly what they do with that experience. Kolb’s model suggests that depending on different factors, a person may enter the learning cycle at any stage but, for learning to happen, it is important they go through all four stages of the model’s matrix: actively partaking in the situation, feeling the concrete experience while being sensitive to other’s emotions at the same time, observing the situation from a different perspective before judging, making a logical critical analysis to better understand the situation (ICYE International Office, 2017).

For example, when learning how to ride a bicycle: learners who rely on reflective observation, would probably prefer to start by thinking about riding and watching another person doing it; learners who use abstract conceptualization would probably try to understand the theory behind the biking concept first; learners who learn through concrete experience would ask someone who knows how to ride a bike about some practical tips and techniques, and finally those who learn through active experimentation would jump on a bike give it a go (Clark, 2011).

Diagram

Description automatically generated

Source: http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/hrd/styles/kolb.html

Two British psychologists, Peter Honey and Alan Mumford (1986), inspired by Kolb’s learning styles model, have produced a Learning-Style Questionnaire that can assess individuals’ tendencies and categorize them into four behavioral types that are related to the different preferred learning styles. Knowing one’s learning style helps individuals to make smarter decisions in adjusting the learning opportunities and their preference of best learning, increases the range and variety of experiences which are potential learning opportunities, improves learning skills and awareness (Zwanenberg, 2016).

According to Honey & Mumford model, people can be divided into 4 different learning-style categories:

1. Activists: Individuals, who learn by doing and prefer to act first and then reflect on the consequences

2. Theorists, who learn by making methodical and logical hypotheses in relation to the activities

3. Pragmatists, who learn by experimenting and putting into practice ideas and techniques to see if they work out

4. Reflectors, who learn by observing and collecting data before acting

Activists are linked to stage 1 of the matrix (feeling), reflectors are linked to stage 2 (watching), theorists are linked to stage 3 (thinking), pragmatists are linked to stage 4 (doing). Some people can use different styles for different occasions with similar results. These people are considered all-round learners or “integrated learners” (ICYE International Office, 2017).

What is important to remember is that learning styles affect people’s preferences concerning what type of activities they learn better from, and this will also influence their choice when managing or training other people. For more efficient results and to allow everyone to have the same possibilities to learn, it is best to use mixed activities that can suit all types of learners (ICYE International Office, 2017).

Characteristics of non-formal education

As already mentioned, Non-Formal Education is difficult to define. Different European platforms and institutions present it each in their specific way, some countries don’t recognize it to the same extent, while other countries don’t even accept it. In 2011, however, the European Commission brought all definitions together to arrive at a common understanding. According to the result of this process, non-formal education is recognized as an approach to education which consists of well-structured and pre-planned activities that do not take place inside formal education systems and whose design, development, implementation, and evaluation is also the responsibility of the learners, who decide actively, deliberately, and autonomously to take part into the learning process (AEGEE-Europe, 2011).

Unlike theoretical education, timetables and contents are flexible and adjustable to the learners’ needs and each participant’s inclinations are encouraged. For this reason, this type of learning is suitable and accessible for everyone (kids, youth, and adults) and, most importantly, the homogeneity of the groups is not based on one’s age but one’s interests and stimulus.

Non-formal activities allow people to collectively and consciously develop skills, capabilities, motivations, and values that are different compared to the ones systematically cultivated in schools (like intercultural awareness, leadership, self-confidence, problem-solving, etc...). For the same reason, they need different kinds of assessment, instead of exams and tests: non-formal education strongly relies, for example, on self-evaluation methods that empower and give trust to the active learners. From this overview, we can say the core of non-formal education is the focus on the learner’s needs, the idea that the learner is also a source of learning and knowledge, in that there isn’t the typical hierarchical structure we can find in formal institutions, the stress on practical experiences and outcomes, and the greater focus on skills and competences rather than theoretical information and knowledge (Peace Corps, 2004).

NON-FORMAL EDUCATION METHODS

In the field of Non-Formal Education, there are various theories, philosophies, and methods that can be used during the whole process, from analysis to planning and implementation and finally to evaluation. To choose wisely the activities to propose in a project, it’s important to decide beforehand which of the two main development approaches, or which combination of the two, will be the core of it: the asset-based approach or the problem-posing method (Peace Corps, 2004).

The first approach, i.e. the asset-based approach, highlights the strengths and the positive resources of an individual or a whole community. By focusing on what has been already achieved and on existing assets, people are encouraged to see their value and, more importantly, to understand how to put it to work fully and efficiently. This technique allows individuals not to feel overwhelmed by their deficits and existing problems, but instead to visualize themselves as resourceful and worthwhile even in difficult and adverse situations. The success of this methodology lies in the fact that people gain more self-confidence, motivation, and hope, and start believing they can be the active actors or agents of the change they pursue.

The second approach, used for the first time by the Brazilian educator Paulo Freire, known as the problem-posing method, emphasizes the critical thinking of marginalized or disadvantaged groups about specific social problems (Peace Corps, 2004).

This method consists of asking questions and encouraging people to find solutions. In this way, the awareness of those same problems can spontaneously increase. Learners are seen as capable and conscious beings who, using problem-solving skills, can seek out the possible answers to the problems presented to them. Thanks to this method, the learning process is practical, the questioners and the learners are both equally involved in the investigation of the cases presented and in taking concrete steps for the improvement of their condition (Drew, 2019).

It is to be noted that asset-based and problem approaches can coexist in the same project, since it is common to see problems and deficits arising while investigating the assets and the strengths of a community and it is useful to find already working solutions and opportunities while analyzing current problems. What is important to bear in mind is that the approach used in the beginning will affect the atmosphere and the participant’s involvement for the whole duration of the project. For this reason, it is useful to have clearly defined target groups and learning objectives while selecting the activities (Peace Corps, 2004).

For example, as we can see in the Non-Formal Learning Handbook for Volunteers and Volunteering Organisations (ICYE, May 2017), if we want to promote intercultural learning among volunteers and beneficiaries, our objective is to raise intercultural awareness, learning, and competence. Thus, some of the activities could be introducing the different countries, making presentations about habits and customs, preparing the typical food, or showing folklore dances. If we want to address children and youth at risk, our objective would be to help them develop some life skills (such as social interaction, communication skills, decision making, human values, etc...) that can be boosted through activities like storytelling, games of coordination or team building games.

NON-FORMAL EDUCATION AS A COMPLEMENT TO FORMAL EDUCATION

As described in the first section, all kinds of learning, formal, informal, and non-formal, are characterized by specific advantages and disadvantages and, most importantly, cannot provide on their own the full range of skills requested for a student,worker or any other targeted individual to be competitive. Therefore, one realizes that the winning formula is a mixture of all three, where the strengths of each compensates for the weaknesses of the others.

It is increasingly becoming evident that in the modern world, which is characterized by uncertainties and instabilities, formal learning processes are no longer able to prepare young people and adults for the dynamic and demanding reality. We are facing the urgent need to adapt the learning environments to current educational needs and, to do so, we need “the best features of both formal and non-formal education” (ICYE International Office, 2017)

The global project “Volunteers at the Interface between Formal and Non-formal Education centers” has analyzed the new economic and socio-cultural trends and based its research precisely on finding and strengthening the right balance between formal and non-formal education. Non-formal learning is especially being encouraged for its high potential activities that can inspire, motivate, and make people of all ages think out of the box. As declared in the Delors Report to UNESCO (1995), non-formal Education is an indispensable tool to survive in the XXI century. Non-formal education gives opportunity to people to overcome different obstacles in life by developing specific life skills and making them more resilient and capable when dealing with rapid social and economic changes. Moreover, when brought into the formal schooling environment, it can improve the delivery of the academic curricula, positively affect the students’ results, and increase their employability once officially active on the job market (ICYE International Office, 2017).

Even if, at first impact, it may sound complicated, non-formal education methods can easily be integrated into the school. This does not mean that teachers can avoid responding to the needs of the established curriculum or standards, but only that with flexibility and creativity they can introduce other learning styles to varying degrees. For example, they could use energizing activities when students seem bored or distracted, or ice-breaking activities with the most silent and shy pupils.

It is also possible to propose non-formal activities methods to address specific topics of the school syllabus requirements by using real-life cases, which are more relevant and understandable for students. To do so, the teacher should first make the students openly discuss the issues they feel concerned about, or which they think constitute the main problems of their community. Secondly, the teacher should incorporate the topic in one of the curriculum requirements. So, for example, to see the use of charts and graphs about the topic selected by the students. Thirdly, the students along with the teacher should design an action plan related to the topic. They could, for example, print out the graphs they have made and start an awareness campaign in their city (Peace Corps, 2004).

REFERENCES

AEGEE Europe. (2011, March 13). Non Formal Education Book, Issuu. https://issuu.com/aegee-europe/docs/nfe_book

Clark, D.R. (2011) Kolb’s Learning Styles and Experiential Learning Model. Retrieved from http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/hrd/styles/kolb.html

Council of Europe. (2012) Compass. Manual for human rights education with young people (Rev. ed.) http://www.eycb.coe.int/compass/en/pdf/compass_2012_inside_FINAL.pdf

Drew, C. (2019, December 4). Problem Posing Education – 6 Key Characteristics. HelpfulProfessor.Com. https://helpfulprofessor.com/problem-posing-education/

ICYE International Office. (2017). Non-Formal Learning Handbook for Volunteers and Volunteering Organisations

Peace Corps (U.S) Information Collection and Exchange. (2004). Nonformal Education (NFE) manual. Purdue University

Ruby (2017, January 8) Honey and Mumford Learning Styles. The E-Learning Network. Retrieved from https://www.eln.co.uk/blog/honey-and-mumford-learning-styles

PART B: COMPANION OF NON-FORMAL EDUCATION ACTIVITIES

Skills Targeted	Concepts Targeted
Intercultural awareness & Communication	Cultural identity
Perspective-taking & Empathy	Other/Otherness
Self-Expression	Stereotypes & Prejudice
Active listening	Inequality
Negotiation & Conflict Resolution	Xenophobia & Racism

COURSE I. Stereotypes and Prejudices: Xenophobia and Racism

ACTIVITY I.1 – SHOW IT UP

SKILLS & CONCEPTS TARGETED	• Empathy • Majority and minority
OBJECTIVES	• To reflect on the most discriminated features of people • To understand privileges
DURATION	40-60 minutes
PARTICIPANTS	15-30 people
MATERIALS	/
DESCRIPTION	• Ask people to form a large circle • As you call out different group names, the members are to take a step inside of each successive circle, if they identify with the group which is called out. • Begin with “low-risk” groups (e.g. brown hair, large family, group of professions you are working with. • Then work up to groups that are typically discriminated against or under-represented (e.g. African American, Asian, female, gay, person with disabilities). • As each group of learners moves towards the center of the circle, ask them what they think is the most positive thing about being a member of this group
DEBRIEFING	• How did it feel to be in the center of the circle? (Were you comfortable being stared at?) • How did it feel to be on the outside of the circle? • How did you feel about those with you in the center of the circle or about those in the outer circle?
SOURCE	Antidiscrimination seminar for trainers, Regional Volunteer centre in Kielce, Poland

ACTIVITY I.2 – VISUALIZING PREJUDICE

SKILLS & CONCEPTS TARGETED	• Intercultural awareness • Perspective-taking • Stereotypes and prejudices
OBJECTIVES	• To make one aware of one’s prejudices • To help recognize how easily people judge “others” on the basis of their appearance
DURATION	45-60 minutes
PARTICIPANTS	10-40 people
MATERIALS	Different colored post-its, 8 - 10 black and white photographs of people
DESCRIPTION	Preparation • Print 8 – 10 photographs of different persons. The photographs should be chosen randomly; they can be photos of friends and family, public figures, etc.). Choose pictures of people from different countries, regions, and backgrounds. • Place the photographs in different parts/corners of the seminar room (on the floor, on a soft board, flipchart stands, or the wall...), and around each photograph, place a few blocks of post-its and pens. Presentation • Instruct the group to look at the photos of different people and write one or two words describing the persons in each photo. • The participants can counter the descriptions of others by placing other descriptions beside them. Thus, a silent discussion will take place among participants for each photograph. ! VARIATION: This can also be done in the form of drawings (e.g. sketch of our thoughts of the people in the photos > visualizing prejudices)

ACTIVITY I.2 – VISUALIZING PREJUDICE

DESCRIPTION	• Once the group has written descriptions for all the photographs, present the people in the photographs, thereby confronting the group with the descriptions it had made and also the stereotypes they used to describe what they saw on the photographs.
DEBRIEFING	• What were the first things you noticed about a person from his/her photograph? • Did you use words related only to external appearance to describe the people in the photographs or did you also try to describe their personality traits/habits or beliefs? If the second is true, how did you make this connection? • On what do we base our initial impressions of people? • How are photographs used in mass and social media? How much do they tell you about a person?
SOURCE	Michel Banz, Educational Advisor, Amnesty International, Denmark

ACTIVITY I.3 – ‘RACE’ & RACISM – FACT OR FICTION?

SKILLS & CONCEPTS TARGETED	• Critical Thinking • Empathy • Race & Racism
OBJECTIVES	• To facilitate reflection on discrimination, prejudices, and stereotypes • To facilitate reflection on different forms of racism existing • To create a safe open place for discussion
DURATION	90 minutes minimum
PARTICIPANTS	12-30 people
MATERIALS	Flipchart, pens, sleeping mask, Handouts with the four levels of racism (See Annex)
DESCRIPTION	Preparation Facilitators divide the room into four quarters, with four labels: One, Two, Four, None of these Part A: Reflection about ‘Race’ • Participants are asked to move to the appropriate quarter, in response to the following question: “How many different races exist?” and say why they have chosen to stand in a particular quarter. • Following a general discussion, participants are asked if they wish to move and to say why. • Participants are split into trios and asked to record keywords/their conclusions on ‘how race can be defined’. • Participants are then asked to present their results to the group.

ACTIVITY I.3 – ‘RACE’ & RACISM – FACT OR FICTION?

DESCRIPTION	Part B: Reflection and discussion about ‘Racism’ • Handouts that explain the four different types of racism are given out to the participants. • The different forms of racism that exist are discussed and participants are asked to reflect upon them. The four forms discussed are internalized, interpersonal, institutional and structural racism. • The general points from the entire discussion and the debriefing questions close the session.
DEBRIEFING	• If no ‘races’ exist, does racism exist? • How do the definitions of racism provided in handouts compare with your personal understanding of racism? • What are some of the ways that you see racism playing out around you? Work? • Rabbi Tarfon, said "It is not your responsibility to finish the work of perfecting the world, but you are not free to desist from it either." What does that mean for you as it relates to racism?
SOURCE	Published by Sharon Holder on Salto-Youth

ACTIVITY I.4 – (UN)EMPLOYMENT AND MIGRATION

SKILLS & CONCEPTS TARGETED	• Critical Thinking • Empathy • Stereotypes & awareness of the sociological context
OBJECTIVES	• To understand the background and types of migration • To develop the awareness of different points of view • To tackle stereotypes of unemployed, migrants, and related issues
DURATION	50 minutes
PARTICIPANTS	20-50 people (to be divided in groups of 6-10)
MATERIALS	Blank papers, pens, pencils, markers, list of websites to be used to share successful stories (see Annex), laptop and projector (optional)
DESCRIPTION	Preparation Participants are divided into couples and given blank papers and pens/pencils Presentation • Participants are asked to write on paper one imaginary situation regarding unemployed people/migrants, describing where the situation takes place, the type of person it concerns and what is their issue. • Facilitators can provide a list of keywords describing a country of origin, country of arrival, educational background, family background, language skills, behavioral attitude, ambitions, hopes, desires, fears, to help participants imagine a persona of a migrant.

ACTIVITY I.4 – (UN)EMPLOYMENT AND MIGRATION


DESCRIPTION	For example: A 40 year-old mother of two, with a high school degree, originally from Ghana, cannot find a job in Palermo. She is worried she cannot provide her kids with a good life. She loves working with people and be helpful, she is kind and generous but also assertive. She hopes Sicily will make her feel safe, but she is afraid her skin color and origin will make her feel excluded from the society. • Papers will be folded and shuffled and then couples will choose one of the papers without knowing what situation is described inside. Each couple shall have a different “situation” than the one they wrote. • The couples will now have some time (5-10 minutes) to think about how to present the situation in a role play for the whole group: One person from each couple will represent the person from the situation described on the paper they picked up, and the second one will represent a consultant from a job center or personnel manager from a company trying to give advice, suggestions, and react to the situation. • At the end, volunteers from the group will present their roleplaying dialogue in front of the rest of the group. Youngsters will be encouraged to discuss the situation, name and describe their impressions (including the emotions which were raised while empathizing with the character). • To energize and encourage the participants, the facilitator may give some examples of “success stories” from real life. (see annex for websites) • To conclude the session, it is suggested to present a few of the facts and some of the statistical data regarding migration and unemployment at the local/national/European level/in the participating countries. This can be for example the number of foreigners and the major nationalities of immigrants living in the participants’ countries. Participants and facilitators can take 10-15 minutes to look for the data altogether using a laptop and a projector.

DESCRIPTION

For example: A 40 year-old mother of two, with a high school degree, originally from Ghana, cannot find a job in Palermo. She is worried she cannot provide her kids with a good life. She loves working with people and be helpful, she is kind and generous but also assertive. She hopes Sicily will make her feel safe, but she is afraid her skin color and origin will make her feel excluded from the society.
• Papers will be folded and shuffled and then couples will choose one of the papers without knowing what situation is described inside. Each couple shall have a different “situation” than the one they wrote.
• The couples will now have some time (5-10 minutes) to think about how to present the situation in a role play for the whole group: One person from each couple will represent the person from the situation described on the paper they picked up, and the second one will represent a consultant from a job center or personnel manager from a company trying to give advice, suggestions, and react to the situation.
• At the end, volunteers from the group will present their roleplaying dialogue in front of the rest of the group. Youngsters will be encouraged to discuss the situation, name and describe their impressions (including the emotions which were raised while empathizing with the character).
• To energize and encourage the participants, the facilitator may give some examples of “success stories” from real life. (see annex for websites)
• To conclude the session, it is suggested to present a few of the facts and some of the statistical data regarding migration and unemployment at the local/national/European level/in the participating countries. This can be for example the number of foreigners and the major nationalities of immigrants living in the participants’ countries. Participants and facilitators can take 10-15 minutes to look for the data altogether using a laptop and a projector.

ACTIVITY I.4 – (UN)EMPLOYMENT AND MIGRATION

DEBRIEFING	• How did you feel while imagining a possible migrant’s situation? • Did you base your story on real facts or facts you have heard on newspapers/TV? • How often do you hear about immigrants’ stories in your country/region/city? • What is the most common profile of immigrants in your country/region/city? Where do they come from and what do they do? Have you ever had any contact with them? • Do you know what paperwork and/or legal processes are required for an immigrant to be able to get a job? What are the obstacles in these processes? • Do you think people’s perceptions of immigrants are correct? • What are the influencing factors on these perceptions? • How can people be sure they are basing their opinion on facts?
SOURCE	University of Gloucestershire (United Kingdon, coordinator); University of Trnava (Slovakia); Akdeniz University (Turkey); Mreža mladih Hrvatske (Croatia); CESIE (Italy) in the context of RIDE project

ACTIVITY I.5 – “STICKY” IDENTITY

SKILLS & CONCEPTS TARGETED	• Group Identity Formation • Stereotypes & Prejudices • Discrimination
OBJECTIVES	• To experience the process of inclusion and exclusion on the basis of characteristics one is “given”/cannot change • To experience the sensation of being part of a minority or majority group • To reflect on the formation of identity • To understand the needs underlying group behavior - majority and minority
DURATION	60 minutes
PARTICIPANTS	15-20 people (to be divided in 8 groups)
MATERIALS	Groups of stickers with different shapes and colours: 4-5 groups “common” stickers (there are 5+ of them) 2 groups of “rare”stickers (there are 2-3 of them) 1 “solitary” sticker
DESCRIPTION	• Start your game by setting rules: - During the activity participants are not allowed to speak; they can communicate only through non-verbal means - The game lasts until the moment the trainer announces the end. • Ask participants to close their eyes. Stick one sticker on the forehead of each participant. • Make sure you use all types of stickers: * 4-5 groups “common” stickers (there are 5+ of them) * 2 groups of “rare” stickers (there are 2-3 of them) *1 “solitary” sticker

ACTIVITY I.5 – “STICKY” IDENTITY


DESCRIPTION	• The participants should open their eyes. • Make the following statement: “Now, form groups!” • Let the game begin. Stand aside and watch the process. Take notes if necessary, but do not interfere! • When you feel that nothing constructive happens, stop the game (see the instructions for the facilitators). • Ask the participants to take their foreheads labels and examine them. Tips for the trainers: •It is not allowed to utter the names of participants, so as to not influence the game. • Be careful in choosing the person, who will have the different sticker. It should to be someone who, in your opinion, can bear to be different from others, and at the same time has the ability to deal with the situation constructively. • Use short and clear statement “Now, form groups!” is very important. Don’t use statements like “And now form groups with those people you would like to work with/you have common traits with etc”. The instruction that consists of two words, sounds like an order, puts the participants in the situation to react promptly, which means that the group will take a spontaneous and unexpected attitude. • Once the groups are formed, the participants will be deemed to have performed the task. Manifest indifference. Such a behavior will lead to “increased blood pressure” in the group. The participants will try to organize in a different way. Let the game continue until you feel they used almost all possibilities to form the groups, or if nothing constructive doesn’t happen.

DESCRIPTION

• The participants should open their eyes.
• Make the following statement: “Now, form groups!”
• Let the game begin. Stand aside and watch the process. Take notes if necessary, but do not interfere!
• When you feel that nothing constructive happens, stop the game (see the instructions for the facilitators).
• Ask the participants to take their foreheads labels and examine them.

Tips for the trainers:
•It is not allowed to utter the names of participants, so as to not influence the game.
• Be careful in choosing the person, who will have the different sticker. It should to be someone who, in your opinion, can bear to be different from others, and at the same time has the ability to deal with the situation constructively.
• Use short and clear statement “Now, form groups!” is very important. Don’t use statements like “And now form groups with those people you would like to work with/you have common traits with etc”. The instruction that consists of two words, sounds like an order, puts the participants in the situation to react promptly, which means that the group will take a spontaneous and unexpected attitude. • Once the groups are formed, the participants will be deemed to have performed the task. Manifest indifference. Such a behavior will lead to “increased blood pressure” in the group. The participants will try to organize in a different way. Let the game continue until you feel they used almost all possibilities to form the groups, or if nothing constructive doesn’t happen.

ACTIVITY I.5 – “STICKY” IDENTITY


DEBRIEFING	• How did you feel when the game was over? (Start from the person who has the sticker different from others. Subsequently ask who else thought that the game was difficult). • What happened during the game? Remind them the instructions and ask them if they understood what they had to do and what have they done. • Depending on the way the groups formed, ask participants to explain the reasoning of how the group formation happened. • In case you showed other people what group to go, how did you determine where they belonged in? Why did you think they belonged there? • How did you determine, which group you belonged to? Was it you, or the others who determined where you belonged? • How would the groups look like, if the instruction were, instead of “Form the groups”, “Form groups with the people you share the most interests with”? “Form groups with the people you share the most interests experiences with”? If it were “Form groups with the people you like to spend time with”? • In real life, who determines which group you belong to, and what “instruction” do people tend to follow? • Have you remembered certain situations in life while you were playing; did the exercise cause certain memories/ emotions? • How does it feel to be part of a minority/ majority group? What strategies are used to become part of the majority group? • What strategies are applied to exclude minority group members? • How we feel and how we behave when we are part of minority/ majority group? • Why we try to get included in a particular circle and do not accept somebody else in our group?

DEBRIEFING

• How did you feel when the game was over? (Start from the person who has the sticker different from others. Subsequently ask who else thought that the game was difficult).
• What happened during the game? Remind them the instructions and ask them if they understood what they had to do and what have they done.
• Depending on the way the groups formed, ask participants to explain the reasoning of how the group formation happened.
• In case you showed other people what group to go, how did you determine where they belonged in? Why did you think they belonged there?
• How did you determine, which group you belonged to? Was it you, or the others who determined where you belonged?
• How would the groups look like, if the instruction were, instead of “Form the groups”, “Form groups with the people you share the most interests with”? “Form groups with the people you share the most interests experiences with”? If it were “Form groups with the people you like to spend time with”?
• In real life, who determines which group you belong to, and what “instruction” do people tend to follow?
• Have you remembered certain situations in life while you were playing; did the exercise cause certain memories/ emotions?
• How does it feel to be part of a minority/ majority group? What strategies are used to become part of the majority group?
• What strategies are applied to exclude minority group members?
• How we feel and how we behave when we are part of minority/ majority group?
• Why we try to get included in a particular circle and do not accept somebody else in our group?

ACTIVITY I.5 – “STICKY” IDENTITY

DEcBRIEFING	Encourage participants to think about the real situation when they were part of a minority/ majority group. Insist on the reasons that fuel the temptation to get included in a group, the desire to exclude those who are different. It is important to realize that these behaviors have origins in the needs for protection and security and that are common to all of us.
SOURCE	Adapted by the Entrepreneurship and Social Economy Group (EKO) from “Included/Excluded” workshop by Education and Peace Training on Cultural Conflicts, a methodological toolkit for trainers, project co-financed from the German Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Sticky Identity Activity, Implemented during the Breaking Walls, Building Bridges Youth Exchange Project coordinated by EKO

ACTIVITY I.6 – FEELING DISCRIMINATED

SKILLS & CONCEPTS TARGETED	• Effective communication & Work ethic • Empathy • Learning from others
OBJECTIVES	• To understand the impact of discrimination, even when subtle • To reflect upon acceptance and solidarity
DURATION	120 minutes
PARTICIPANTS	16-32 people (to be divided in 8 groups)
MATERIALS	Paper, pen, post-it, cups, bowl, papers with general information about 8 personas of people with discriminated identity traits
DESCRIPTION	Preparation Facilitators will write down on different pieces of paper the general information of 8 personas (gender and age) plus a characteristic that can very likely lead to discrimination in workplaces. 1. Male, 20 y.o., discriminated for his religion 2. Female, 45 y.o., discriminated due to being a single mom 3. Male, 32 y.o., discriminated due to his skin tone 4. Female, 18 y.o., discriminated because of being pregnant 5. Male, 60 y.o., discriminated due to his age 6. Female, 29 y.o., discriminated due to her sexual orientation 7. Male, 40 y.o., discriminated because of a disability 8. Female, 34 y.o., discriminated because of her race/origin • Afterwards, the pieces of paper will be fold and put in a bowl.

ACTIVITY I.6 – FEELING DISCRIMINATED


DESCRIPTION	Part A: Creation of “CV” and provocative questions • Participants are divided into groups of 2 or 4 people. • Each group picks one piece of paper and discovers the general information about a persona • The participants’ task is to create a short CV for the persona, who is going to get a job interview. They have to think about their nationality, their educational and work background, their family or sex status. While doing so, they need to keep in mind the highly discriminable characteristic that is already given on the piece of paper. For example, the 45 years old woman can be a single mom teacher from Spain. The 60 years old man can be a professional designer from UK really close to get retired. The 29 years old woman is French and wants to get addressed as they/them. • After the creation of the CV, they will think about provocative questions or affirmations that the recruiter will pose in relation to the highly discriminable characteristic. For example, for the pregnant woman: “Will you be able to come to work in your status?” “Why should I give you a job now that you will be going into maternity leave soon?”. For the disabled man that is, for example, on a wheelchair: “Will you be able to arrive at work on time?” “Will you need assistance to go to the toilet?”. For the woman that comes, for example, from Mexico: “Will you need to take a siesta after lunch?” “Do you perceive yourself as lazy?” • For this session participants have around 30 minutes.

DESCRIPTION

Part A: Creation of “CV” and provocative questions
• Participants are divided into groups of 2 or 4 people.
• Each group picks one piece of paper and discovers the general information about a persona
• The participants’ task is to create a short CV for the persona, who is going to get a job interview. They have to think about their nationality, their educational and work background, their family or sex status. While doing so, they need to keep in mind the highly discriminable characteristic that is already given on the piece of paper.
For example, the 45 years old woman can be a single mom teacher from Spain. The 60 years old man can be a professional designer from UK really close to get retired. The 29 years old woman is French and wants to get addressed as they/them.
• After the creation of the CV, they will think about provocative questions or affirmations that the recruiter will pose in relation to the highly discriminable characteristic.
For example, for the pregnant woman: “Will you be able to come to work in your status?” “Why should I give you a job now that you will be going into maternity leave soon?”.
For the disabled man that is, for example, on a wheelchair: “Will you be able to arrive at work on time?” “Will you need assistance to go to the toilet?”.
For the woman that comes, for example, from Mexico: “Will you need to take a siesta after lunch?” “Do you perceive yourself as lazy?”
• For this session participants have around 30 minutes.

ACTIVITY I.6 – FEELING DISCRIMINATED

DESCRIPTION	Part B: Role play • The participants will decide among them which role to play. If there are two people per group there will be only the recruiter and the interviewee. If there are four, there could be also a security guard and an assistant that can get involved during the whole scene according to the group’s creativity and ideas. • Each interview lasts 8-10 minutes
DEBRIEFING	• How did you feel, while producing the CVs and the provocative questions? • How did you feel while observing the interviews of the other groups? Do you know anyone that got discriminated for some of the characteristics presented during the role plays? • Do you think discrimination is something that can happen easily in the workplace? • What solution can you think of to improve the emphatical connection of the interviewer with the interviewee and to avoid discrimination in workplaces?
SOURCE	Adapted by the Entrepreneurship and Social Economy Group (EKO) from an exercise developed in Navigate by Compass Training Course, Asociatia sicfeszt egyesület, Romania

ACTIVITY I.7 – EQUIANO

SKILLS & CONCEPTS TARGETED	• Cultural awareness • Perspective taking • Prejudices • Otherness
OBJECTIVES	• To reflect on cultural centrism how a big part of our perception relies on prejudices • To establish how common it is for all of us to see ourselves at the “center”, as the “norm”, looking out at what we regard as different, as the “other” • To establish that each of us can be seen as the “other”
DURATION	30 minutes
PARTICIPANTS	8-30 people
MATERIALS	Extracts from a book written by an African (Oladuah Equiano) in the XVIII century, pens and paper (see Annex)
DESCRIPTION	Preparation Print out a copy of the extracts. The text extracts can be presented as photocopies, cards, PowerPoint – whatever fits better. Part A: Explanation of rules • Facilitators do not explain the purpose of the activity to participants. They tell the participants that they are going to listen to a series of extracts from a book that describes a person’s experience. • It is the participants’ task, individually, to visualize this person, to build up a mental profile of him or her. The facilitators tell them that you will read and show them the extracts, one at a time. • Explain that because the English in the text is not so modern, more straightforward terms have been added to the text (in green between brackets). The square brackets on the extracts indicate words omitted because they would make the task too easy.

ACTIVITY I.7 – EQUIANO

DESCRIPTION	Part B: Reading of the extracts • Facilitators read the first extract and give or show a copy to participants. • The participants will see the simplified term in the green brackets and the square bracket, so you can explain this to them again. Make sure everyone has understood before proceeding. • Now the facilitators repeat this procedure for each extract, until the final one. • The facilitator can then ask if this final extract changed their view in any way. Then ask more questions to clarify further what participants felt. For example: - how did you visualize this person? - did you think of him/her as from this century? - did you regard the writer as European or non-European? Usually, though not always, participants from European cultural backgrounds develop a profile of a European explorer, missionary, or similar, coming into contact with non-European cultures in the past. • Once there is a fairly comprehensive picture of how the group saw the writer, the facilitator let them know the identity of the writer and the source of the material: “The Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa the African.” Written in 1789. • Finally, the participants receive the copies of the text including the omitted words.
DEBRIEFING	• Did you feel you have been tricked by the activity? • Did you feel annoyed or angry that your culture can be seen in this way? • Were you surprised or shocked when told the identity of the writer/? • Are you surprised at (Western) Europeans being perceived/seen in this way? • Does this teach us anything about prejudice – our own prejudice? • Where do these views come from? • Can you apply anything you have learned from this to the present day?
SOURCE	Gerald Dowden, youth work trainer, London on Salto-Youth

ACTIVITY I.8 - (IN)EQUALITY WALK

SKILLS & CONCEPTS TARGETED	• Empathy • Inclusion - Exclusion • Other/Otherness
OBJECTIVES	• To enable participants to play the “role” of someone else in society and experience (through) simulation another social reality • To enable participants to experience privilege and exclusion in society • To enable participants to reflect on inequality, social exclusion, stereotyping, stigma etc.
DURATION	60 - 80 minutes
PARTICIPANTS	12-30 people
MATERIALS	Role Cards
DESCRIPTION	Preparation Print out the Role Cards (see Annex) Description • The participants are told to form a long line, it is important that there is only one single line. • Each participant is given a role card and be told that the card describes a person who the participant has to play (pretend to be) during the activity. • The participants have to think of a name to give to the character/themselves once they have read their role (it is an interesting strategy to make sure each person plays the role of a person of the opposite gender). • Participants are told they will be asked a series of questions – if they can answer “yes” to a question they should take a step forward if they must answer “no”, they should stay where they are.

ACTIVITY I.8 - (IN)EQUALITY WALK


DESCRIPTION	• As participants are playing the role of someone else, they have to make decisions (in answering the questions) about the person using their own life experience and imaginations. • The trainer should read each question twice and make sure everyone understands. If participants are uncertain about an answer, encourage them to imagine themselves as that person and make a decision accordingly. List of questions: - Do you or does your parent(s) earn more than twice the national average wage? - Do you have the right to vote in national elections? - Do you think you have a good chance of becoming a member of parliament in the future? - Do you feel alright talking openly about your sexuality? - Would you feel safe walking home by yourself in the dark at night? - Do you have a good chance to go to university? - Are you literate – can you read a newspaper and fill in an application form? - Are you entitled to free medical care? - Are you allowed to travel abroad? - Do you have the right to free education up to the age of 18? - Do you or your family have enough income to live comfortably? - Do you have regular access to the internet? - Is the language you speak the official language of your country? - Do you feel fully part of the society in which you live? - Do you have a computer at home? - Is it easy for you to use public transport? - Is it easy for you or your parent(s) to find work? • At the end of the questions, ask participants to see where they and the others stands. • Ask each participant to briefly introduce themselves (in their “role”). • Discuss and evaluate the experience.

DESCRIPTION

• As participants are playing the role of someone else, they have to make decisions (in answering the questions) about the person using their own life experience and imaginations.
• The trainer should read each question twice and make sure everyone understands. If participants are uncertain about an answer, encourage them to imagine themselves as that person and make a decision accordingly.

List of questions:
- Do you or does your parent(s) earn more than twice the national average wage?
- Do you have the right to vote in national elections?
- Do you think you have a good chance of becoming a member of parliament in the future?
- Do you feel alright talking openly about your sexuality?
- Would you feel safe walking home by yourself in the dark at night? - Do you have a good chance to go to university?
- Are you literate – can you read a newspaper and fill in an application form?
- Are you entitled to free medical care?
- Are you allowed to travel abroad?
- Do you have the right to free education up to the age of 18?
- Do you or your family have enough income to live comfortably?
- Do you have regular access to the internet?
- Is the language you speak the official language of your country?
- Do you feel fully part of the society in which you live?
- Do you have a computer at home?
- Is it easy for you to use public transport?
- Is it easy for you or your parent(s) to find work?

• At the end of the questions, ask participants to see where they and the others stands.
• Ask each participant to briefly introduce themselves (in their “role”).
• Discuss and evaluate the experience.

ACTIVITY I.8 - (IN)EQUALITY WALK

DEBRIEFING	• How did you feel in this role? • Did you feel privileged or excluded? • (For those who ran out of sweets) Did you feel “stigmatized”? • Did the activity reflect real life in your opinion? Did the activity highlight differences and inequalities in society more than you had expected? • Was the role you played one you found easy (because you could identify with it or know someone similar) or difficult? • If difficult, why. and how did you make your decisions – where did your “information” come from? • Did you make decisions based on “stereotypes”? • Would you change any decisions if asked the question again? • Did you feel sorry for yourself, in your role - did you see yourself as a “victim”?
SOURCE	Adapted by the Entrepreneurship and Social Economy Group (EKO) on the basis of the classical activity "The Privilege Walk"

"The Privilege Walk". Photo credit: Sherry Wong

ACTIVITY I.9 - MIDDLE GROUND

SKILLS & CONCEPTS TARGETED	•Otherness; Othering • Open-mindedness & Perspective taking • Respect for diversity of opinion • Dialogue & Debate skills (Active listening, reflection, self-expression)
OBJECTIVES	• To understand that labels and categories are not enough to reflect people’s wide range of thoughts and beliefs • To get in contact with different points of view • To foster active listening skills, open dialogue and debate • To understand the importance of having beliefs, which we are able to express clearly, respecting others’ beliefs at the same time • To counteract the tendency for “othering” people with different opinions
DURATION	120-190 minutes
PARTICIPANTS	8-15 people
MATERIALS	Big space; Printouts with Statements related to controversial topics (See Annex for examples); Printouts with sets of questions- each set related to one of the controversial topics (See Annex for examples)
DESCRIPTION	Preparation For Part A: • Divide the given space with sticky tape on the floor (6 long lines of tape on the floor, separating the room in approximately equal slices) • Prepare a set of statements about different controversial topics (see Annex) For Part B: • Make a horizontal line in one edge of the room, and a circle with chairs (or sticky tape) in the middle • Prepare sets of questions for each of the controversial topics discussed in Part A (see Annex)

ACTIVITY I.9 – MIDDLE GROUND


DESCRIPTION	Part A: Finding the topic; “Agree – Disagree distribution” • Ask the participants to form a single vertical line. • Present to the participants different topics/observations and ask them to move left or right towards a certain line according whether they: Strongly disagree (the very last line on the left) – Disagree - Somewhat disagree - Somewhat agree – Agree - Strongly agree (the very last line on the right) • Note down the observations that produce the most smooth division among participants (so for which there are roughly the same number of people on the right sides and on the left sides) For an example of an “Agree – Disagree distribution” activity, check the link below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5deuuSZbr0 Part B: “Middle Ground” Debate • Choose the topic(s) that produced a roughly equal number of people who disagreed and agreed on it • Ask participants to divide themselves into 2 groups, depending on the chosen topic(s). For example, if the statement “people need to stop eating meat” had produced a more or less equal distribution, ask them to divide themselves according to their eating habits: are they vegetarian or meat-eaters? • Tell participants that they have to choose one side. They cannot form a third “neutral” group. Make sure the 2 groups are roughly equivalent in size.

DESCRIPTION

Part A: Finding the topic; “Agree – Disagree distribution”
• Ask the participants to form a single vertical line.
• Present to the participants different topics/observations and ask them to move left or right towards a certain line according whether they: Strongly disagree (the very last line on the left) – Disagree - Somewhat disagree - Somewhat agree – Agree - Strongly agree (the very last line on the right)
• Note down the observations that produce the most smooth division among participants (so for which there are roughly the same number of people on the right sides and on the left sides)
For an example of an “Agree – Disagree distribution” activity, check the link below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5deuuSZbr0

Part B: “Middle Ground” Debate
• Choose the topic(s) that produced a roughly equal number of people who disagreed and agreed on it
• Ask participants to divide themselves into 2 groups, depending on the chosen topic(s). For example, if the statement “people need to stop eating meat” had produced a more or less equal distribution, ask them to divide themselves according to their eating habits: are they vegetarian or meat-eaters?
• Tell participants that they have to choose one side. They cannot form a third “neutral” group. Make sure the 2 groups are roughly equivalent in size.

ACTIVITY I.9 – MIDDLE GROUND

DESCRIPTION	• When the groups are formed, tell the participants to stand in a circle, to briefly introduce themselves and share the category they find themselves in. • Afterwards, everyone steps out of the circle and forms a horizontal line in the back of the room/open space. • The trainer starts presenting one by one the statements related to the topic. For example, “I think that changing my personal diet can have an impact on the environment”. • The people that agree with the statements enter the circle and explain why they agree. Afterwards, the people that disagree enter the circle and explain why they disagree. • A brief group dialogue (5') follows with the aim to end up with a consensus / conclusion about the statement. The dialogue round ends after the passage of 5 minutes, regardless of whether the group came to a consensus or not. • The facilitator notes down for how many statements the groups reached a consensus. For an example of a “Middle Ground” Debate, check the link below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6EFHZfISGp4 Part C: Debriefing • The activity closes with a debriefing discussion, in plenary. In the beginning of the debriefing the trainer announces the number of times the groups came to a consensus, and congratulates participants for their achievement!
VARIATIONS	If there are more than 10-15 people, it is possible to have smaller groups that carry on the different activities (i.e. “Middle Ground” discussions on different topics) simultaneously. To do this, you will need more trainers or volunteers to assist you in facilitating the discussions at the same time.

ACTIVITY I.9 – MIDDLE GROUND

DEBRIEFING	• What did you notice during the first part of the activity? Did people tend to divide in 2 opposite poles, or where people more evenly distributed among the lines? • Did you find it difficult to decide on which group you “belonged” before the Middle Ground discussion? • In real life do “labels” tend to come in pairs of opposites or in sets of nuances? Can you name pairs of opposites easily (e.g. religious vs. atheists; pro-vaxers vs. anti-vaxers; vegetarians vs. meat-eaters etc)? Can you name sets of nuanced categories easily? • Were you always agreeing with the people from the same group as you during the Middle ground? Were you always disagreeing with the people from the other category? • Was it difficult to take turns during the discussion part? • Did you feel listened to? Did you feel you were really listening to the other side (i.e. where you listening in order to understand or in order to reply)? • Did you change (even slightly) your point of view after the discussion?
SOURCE	Adapted by EKO from the Youtube channel “Middle Ground” (Jubilee Media)

MIDDLE GROUND, Season 1, Episode 2 - Ivy League vs. Community College
Jubilee Media - Fuse TV

Skills Targeted	Concepts Targeted
Information research and processing	Role of media in society
Source credibility assessment, fact-checking	Conscious & unconscious biases
Critical thinking (analysis, evidence-based interpretation, intellectual openness)	Mis-, Mal- & Disinformation
Recipient design (differentiating expression means according to audience and channel)	Hate speech & Discriminative Discourse
Usage of ethical and inclusive terms	Sensitization towards slurs or discriminative language
Digital Skills	Lack of equal online participation

COURSE II. Fake News and Hate Speech: Representation of Vulnerable Groups in the Media

ACTIVITY II.1 – FIND AND REPORT MISLEADING ACCOUNTS

SKILLS & CONCEPTS TARGETED	• Critical thinking • Reporting news • Digital literacy • Misleading information
OBJECTIVES	• To spot misleading accounts in social media networks • To become aware of and familiar with different reporting mechanism on social media platforms
DURATION	30 - 90 minutes
PARTICIPANTS	20-40 people
MATERIALS	Participants' smartphones, a bell
DESCRIPTION	Preparation • It is necessary to have a wide space where participants can create a circle • This activity can take the form of a challenge or just of a reflection exercise with the participants. Description • Every participant looks through their own social media stream and tries to detect misleading accounts. Those accounts which spread fake news, misinformation, non-declared commercials. If a person is not sure whether this is a misleading account, they push the bell. Then all participants stop their own search and come to help to judge this account. After a decision (report or not report) is done, everybody goes back to their own search.

ACTIVITY II.1 – FIND AND REPORT MISLEADING ACCOUNTS

DESCRIPTION	• If they find misleading accounts, they report them within the network. Every reporting issue is being documented via screenshot. While all participants discuss the accounts, they develop the criteria how to detect it. Write those down on a piece of paper and discuss them, either after the game or sometime later (a week or so). Tips for the Facilitator: do a follow up a week later.
DEBRIEFING	Immediately after the exercise • Do you feel you are more able to spot such accounts than before the exercise? • What are some common elements you saw in most or all misleading accounts? • What was your “threshold” when deciding if you needed to report an account or not? • What are the positive results that can be achieved through reporting such accounts? Do you think there is a downside in the user’s ability to report accounts at their own discretion? Follow-up • Have you spotted more misleading accounts over the course of last week? • Have you reported more such content? • Have you changed your habits? • Have you unfollowed some accounts?
SOURCE	Training material for youth workers, tutors and teachers developed in the context of Erasmus+, project Fake Off!, ÖIAT

ACTIVITY II.2 – WHERE IS MY TRUTH?

SKILLS & CONCEPTS TARGETED	• Digital literacy • Misleading information; Fact-checking; Source validation
OBJECTIVES	• To raise awareness on how messages are shared through social media • To highlight the need of checking the original source • To make participants internalize about the “loss of information” the more nodes are added between the message recipient and the original source.
DURATION	15-20 minutes
PARTICIPANTS	20-50 people (to be divided in two groups)
MATERIALS	/
DESCRIPTION	• The participants get split in two groups and sit down in two circles. • The trainer chooses three people from one of the 2 circles (e.g. the circle on the right) and tells them, without letting the others hear, that their task is to change one word of the sentence they are going to listen. This instruction is NOT given to the participants of the other circle. • The trainer (“original source”) thinks of a message, which should have someone considered coming from a vulnerable group (Lgbqt+, ethnic/religion minorities, disables, women, immigrants) as a protagonist. The length of the message should be 1-2 sentences. • Then, the “original source” whispers the message above to a person in the circle on their left and to a person in the circle on their right. • Once one person from both circles gets the message, they need to whisper to the person on their left side, inside their circle.

ACTIVITY II.2 – WHERE IS MY TRUTH?

DESCRIPTION	• The three people previously chosen (inside the right circle) will have to change something from the message (noun, pronoun, number, or adjective -it cannot be a minor word). • Then, the next one repeats the process and so on, until the message arrives to the last person of both circles, who say the message out loud. • The “original source” then tells everyone the original message. • The group then can discuss about the difference between the two messages and the original one.
DEBRIEFING	• What do you think about the difference between the original message and the two final messages? • Have you noticed any differences in the message spread by the circle that was supposed to keep it identical to the original form? • Do you have the feeling that the same thing that happened in the activity can happen on social media as well? Why? • Have you ever checked the sources of the information you get in contact with? If yes, how often do you do it?
SOURCE	Adapted by the Entrepreneurship and Social Economy Group (EKO) from training material for youth workers, tutors and teachers developed in the context of Erasmus+, project Fake Off!, ÖIAT

ACTIVITY II.3 – THE PYRAMID OF HATE

SKILLS & CONCEPTS TARGETED	• Combating hate and oppression • Social inclusion • Anti-racism
OBJECTIVES	• To understand the different levels of the hate support structure and the contribution of Media to each level • To help participants identify strategies to confront the different levels of hate, also taking into account the role of Media
DURATION	90-120 minutes
PARTICIPANTS	15-30 people
MATERIALS	Flipchart, Markers, Pyramid of Hate handouts (see Annex), 4 I’s model of oppression handouts (see Annex), tape, paper
DESCRIPTION	• Present the Pyramid of hate on a flipchart and discuss it briefly with the participants. • Divide the group in smaller groups (4-5 people), give them some blank paper and assign to each one of them one level of the “Pyramid of hate”. • Every group has 30 minutes to discuss and prepare a flipchart presentation about their level of the pyramid, and specifically examples of its manifestation in the media (found on newspapers/TVs/ online media), or even experienced personally. • The trainer proceeds with presenting the 4“I”s model of oppression: ideology, institutional, interpersonal, internalization

ACTIVITY II.3 – THE PYRAMID OF HATE

DESCRIPTION	• Then the trainer invites participants to identify possible strategies to counteract hate, at the level of the pyramid they are assigned. For each of the provided solutions/strategies participants should also specify on which level of oppression they are acting; Ideology, Institutional, Interpersonal, Internalization. (20 minutes) Examples: education, political action, bottom-up awareness campaigns etc… • Then the group discusses about the possible long run effects that their proposed solutions have on the individual and on the whole society. • Then each of participants is asked to narrow down in form of keywords, and on three different papers: Paper 1: the ways media contribute to the level of pyramid of hate they are assigned; Paper 2: their proposed solutions/strategies and the level of oppression on which they are acting; and Paper 3: the expected long-term effects of these solutions. • With duct tape they recreate a big pyramid on the floor, and they put the three different papers in the space of the level they worked on. They start with the top level and continue till the bottom one. • Each group presents their work and discusses it with all participants.
DEBRIEFING	• Do you feel more aware about how the spread of hate works? • Do you think you will be able to recognize signs of ‘hate’ more easily now in your community? • Do you think it would be possible to implement in your town/region/country some of the possible solutions that have been discussed?
SOURCE	Adapted by the Entrepreneurship and Social Economy Group (EKO) from A Classroom of Difference TM from the Anti-Defamation League, published on SALTO-Toolbox

ACTIVITY II.4 – EVALUATE MEDIA INFORMATION

SKILLS & CONCEPTS TARGETED	• Presentation skills • Critical thinking • Giving feedback
OBJECTIVES	• To improve the ability of youth to evaluate media information
DURATION	120 - 150 minutes
PARTICIPANTS	20 – 40 people (to be divided in groups of 5 or 6)
MATERIALS	Colored pens, pencils, flipchart paper, colored post-its
DESCRIPTION	Preparation • Split participants into groups of 5-6 persons. Explain the steps (10 min). Each group will have a facilitator. • Give each group one piece of paper with a category that might have impact on youth’s behavior on media: e.g. Youth worker, Youth (age 18-29), Trainer, Parent of youth, Journalist, Teenager. Description Part A: Creation of the Persona • Each group brainstorms and “Creates the profile of persona” on the flipchart. Task: draw a profile, give this person a name, and establish their age, sex, location, and occupation (5 min) • Empathy map. Each group writes on individual post-it notes the persona’s thoughts, words, actions, and feelings towards the media (10-15 post-it notes per person). Stick them on the flipchart in the proper corner. (10 min) • Each group writes on individual post-it notes what the persona Feels/Says/Does/Thinks regarding their skill in evaluating media information (10 min)

ACTIVITY II.4 – EVALUATE MEDIA INFORMATION

DESCRIPTION	Part B: Needs & Issues Analysis • The participants will think about what their persona’s needs are in terms of their ability to evaluate media information. What are potential insufficiencies, and what problems are created by these insufficiencies (e.g. vulnerability to fake news; propensity to believe extreme positions; forming prejudicial attitudes; harming oneself because of believing questionable health tips like fad diets)? • Each group notes down issues to be solved and puts them in sequence in order of urgency and importance. Part C: Designing Solutions • Using new flipchart papers, the groups generate as many solutions as possible to solve the problems (the above pain points) (10 min) • Then the groups need to identify which are the most effective/important solutions (20 min). • Each group delegates a person to present the conclusions. Facilitators help group (5 min per group).
DEBRIEFING	• Do you think there is a gap between younger and older generations concerning the skills in evaluating media information? • Which one do you think is the most vulnerable and less prepared category in relation to evaluate media information (in terms of age, education, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, etc)? • In your opinion, how important is the educative background when evaluating media information?
SOURCE	Training Club Magazine developed in the context of Erasmus+ project Media4You

ACTIVITY II.5 – SPREADING FAKE NEWS

SKILLS & CONCEPTS TARGETED	• Teamwork • Communication • Creativity
OBJECTIVES	• To understand how media makers work • To learn how to recognize fake news and misinformation
DURATION	120 minutes
PARTICIPANTS	24-50 people (to be divided groups of 6-10 people)
MATERIALS	Pencils, scissors, glue, colored paper, carton, laptop and video projector
DESCRIPTION	Preparation • Divide the participants into 4-5 groups. The facilitator explains the scope: create and simulate fake news to understand the multiple faces of disinformation, misinformation, and distortion of the reality Description • Groups of participants prepare stories: “Fake News” related to their environments (university), other classmates or something connected to their reality • While inventing the stories participants should emphasize that a certain action/event has happened because the protagonist has a certain characteristic (for example: people with red hair are known to be very selfish people this is why etc…) • Use art and craft materials to make the story suitable to be presented in an acting way.

ACTIVITY II.5 – SPREADING FAKE NEWS

DESCRIPTION	E.g. Presentation of “breaking news”. The moderator is sitting on a chair in front of the table. One teammate with a handcraft TV-camera is “recording” everything. Moderator says: “Breaking news: One of the “participants”, named ...., has been seen doing .... something. Our correspondent is on site of the scene”. Then switch the scene to another group member who is maybe inter- viewing a witness. Maybe find some “proofs” or anything you consider appropriate which the moderator and correspondent are talking about. Continue the story and review the stages before presentation) • Each group presents their scenario
DEBRIEFING	• To the presenters: how did you feel while telling news that you know they were completely fake? Did you use any specific word or a particular type of language to make your claims more reliable? • To people that were the protagonists of fake news: how did you feel while hearing about something you didn’t do? • Do you think mass/social media give enough space for all perspectives to be examined (e.g. counter debates)?
SOURCE	Adapted by EKO from Training Club Magazine developed in the context of Erasmus+ project Media4You

ACTIVITY II.6 – DIVERSITY TRHOUGH MASS MEDIA

SKILLS & CONCEPTS TARGETED	• Group dynamics • Intercultural learning • Diversity • Mass communication
OBJECTIVES	• To increase participants’ understanding on how people’s choices are influenced by their socio-political and financial backgrounds • To give an insight on how people can come up with similar ideas of what diversity and mass media content are • To make people reflect upon how they can improve their knowledge and feelings with respect to other cultures/nationalities • To make people reflect upon the quality of information they are exposed to
DURATION	50-60 minutes
PARTICIPANTS	15-30 people
MATERIALS	Weekly schedule drawn on a big sheet of paper with different-color sheets (each colour is a label for a different program genre), also labelled with the country of broadcasting
DESCRIPTION	Preparation • Prepare a legend describing the program genre each color corresponds to. For instance: Yellow: Daily show (dealing with pop culture, celebrities, lifestyle etc) Green: Movie Blue: News Pink: Reality show White: Talk show (dealing with political, cultural, social and other issues)

ACTIVITY II.6 – DIVERSITY TRHOUGH MASS MEDIA


DESCRIPTION	• Mark each paper with one of the countries for which their media program will be explained in this activity. These can be the participating countries in an intercultural exchange program, or some countries selected by the trainer in case of local training programs / NFE workshops • Print out the TV timetable of the week before the training for 2-3 different channels for each one of the participating/selected countries. The number of countries should be at least as high as the number of groups (e.g., if you have 5 groups of participants you need a set of programs for 2-3 national channels of at least 5 countries) Description • Split the participants into groups of ~5 people • Distribute big sheets of paper with all different colors (each corresponding to a different program genre). Each group has to have papers for all program genres. • Assign to each group one of the selected countries. • Each group gets 15 minutes to skim through the TV timetable they were given and decide for each of the different programs in which genre they are categorized (by noting them into the different colored papers) • In plenary, the groups present the TV timetables they received, and their conclusions with respect to the genres that are more frequently broadcasted (e.g. many more daily shows than talk shows) • After that each group is given 15 minutes to answer the questions below on a sheet of paper: 1. Programs of which genre would like to see more on (free) television? Why? 2. After comparing the timetables of the different countries, the program of which country you think is the best (more interesting, more informative, more balanced etc)? Why?

DESCRIPTION

• Mark each paper with one of the countries for which their media program will be explained in this activity. These can be the participating countries in an intercultural exchange program, or some countries selected by the trainer in case of local training programs / NFE workshops
• Print out the TV timetable of the week before the training for 2-3 different channels for each one of the participating/selected countries. The number of countries should be at least as high as the number of groups (e.g., if you have 5 groups of participants you need a set of programs for 2-3 national channels of at least 5 countries)

Description
• Split the participants into groups of ~5 people
• Distribute big sheets of paper with all different colors (each corresponding to a different program genre). Each group has to have papers for all program genres.
• Assign to each group one of the selected countries.
• Each group gets 15 minutes to skim through the TV timetable they were given and decide for each of the different programs in which genre they are categorized (by noting them into the different colored papers)
• In plenary, the groups present the TV timetables they received, and their conclusions with respect to the genres that are more frequently broadcasted (e.g. many more daily shows than talk shows)
• After that each group is given 15 minutes to answer the questions below on a sheet of paper:
1. Programs of which genre would like to see more on (free) television? Why?
2. After comparing the timetables of the different countries, the program of which country you think is the best (more interesting, more informative, more balanced etc)? Why?

ACTIVITY II.6 – DIVERSITY TRHOUGH MASS MEDIA

DESCRIPTION	3. What percentage of the programs broadcasted in your national TV channels do you think are useful in any way for yourself, and the viewers in general? In which way (entertainment/fun, gaining more knowledge, help in developing informed decisions, critical thinking, inspiring creativity etc)? 4. Have you spotted that some channels are disproportionately broadcasting from one or some specific genres to the expense of others? If yes, think about the potential positive or negative effects this has on the public opinion. • In plenary, the groups present their answers to the above questions. Then the trainer should close with a debriefing.
DEBRIEFING	• Did you agree with the answers to the questions given by the other groups? • Which genres were the most common in the TV programs you examined? Why do you think this happens? • Which country’s programs were mentioned by most groups as their preferred ones? Why? Does it have to do partly with diversity of the different genres? • Do you think all program genres have a big influence in changing people’s minds? Are there differences among genres? If yes, how do you think different genres influence people’s minds in different ways.
SOURCE	Adapted by the Entrepreneurship and Social Economy Group (EKO) from Oscar Miranda: member of the Pool of Trainers of the Alliance of European Voluntary Service organizations.

ACTIVITY II.7 – GOOGLE KNOWS

SKILLS & CONCEPTS TARGETED	• Fact-checking • Source validation • Acquaintance with LGBTQI+ challenges and rights
OBJECTIVES	• To enhance participants ability in source validation • To help participants appreciate the importance of fact -checking • To introduce participants with terms related to LGBTQI+ issues and rights
DURATION	120 minutes
PARTICIPANTS	10-30 people
MATERIALS	Papers, markers, flipchart
DESCRIPTION	The activity happens in 2 parts that can be repeated many times in different days of a training program. Preparation: The trainer needs to prepare a set of 10-15 questions related to the LGBTQI+ community and easily accessible by Google search; that is “Google knows” them. The questions should be able to be answered either with a yes or no, with a definition or short answer: - What is the percentage of people who identify as LGBTQI+ in the population? - Does international human rights law apply to LGBT people? - What are the colors of the LGBTIQA+ flag and what do they represent? - What are the Stonewall Riots and why are they important to LGBTQI+ history? (See Annex for more examples)

ACTIVITY II.7 – GOOGLE KNOWS


DESCRIPTION	Part 1 - Question session (50') • In the first part the questions are given to the participants. • The participants may search for the answers individually or in groups, and they have to fill in all answers within 50 minutes. ! To facilitate an increase in participants’ awareness about the importance of looking for the sources, the trainer should ask participants to provide the sources from where they took the information in their answers. Part 2 - Answer session (60') • In the second part the participants are asked to present their answers to the questions. • Before sharing their answer, they are required to complete a challenge given (e.g: make a dance movement). • Then they present their answer, as well as the source from which they took the information. Part 3 - Debriefieng (10-15') Point system: • The ones that give the correct answers, take points which are calculated until the end of the activity. • In parallel the whole group of participants will analyse, together with the trainer, how reliable the used sources are for each answer given. • There will be one winner, to be decided on the basis of a “points” system. One point will be granted to a participant for each of their correct answers, 2 points for the use of a reliable source in each of their answers, and -1 for the use of unreliable sources. • In the end of the “Google knows” activity the participant that had the most points get a gift (e.g., a small chocolate).

DESCRIPTION

Part 1 - Question session (50')
• In the first part the questions are given to the participants.
• The participants may search for the answers individually or in groups, and they have to fill in all answers within 50 minutes.

! To facilitate an increase in participants’ awareness about the importance of looking for the sources, the trainer should ask participants to provide the sources from where they took the information in their answers.

Part 2 - Answer session (60')
• In the second part the participants are asked to present their answers to the questions.
• Before sharing their answer, they are required to complete a challenge given (e.g: make a dance movement).
• Then they present their answer, as well as the source from which they took the information.

Part 3 - Debriefieng (10-15')

Point system:
• The ones that give the correct answers, take points which are calculated until the end of the activity.
• In parallel the whole group of participants will analyse, together with the trainer, how reliable the used sources are for each answer given.
• There will be one winner, to be decided on the basis of a “points” system. One point will be granted to a participant for each of their correct answers, 2 points for the use of a reliable source in each of their answers, and -1 for the use of unreliable sources.
• In the end of the “Google knows” activity the participant that had the most points get a gift (e.g., a small chocolate).

ACTIVITY II.7 – GOOGLE KNOWS

VARIATIONS	Variation 1 The same exercise format can be used with questions relevant to any other vulnerable social group, in order to increase participants’ sensitization with respect to that group, along with enhancing fact-checking and resource validation skills, which is targeted by this activity design. Variation 2 The exercise can be repeated throughout a training program: daily short sessions, each devoted to facts of a different social group. In the end of the whole training program there can be a big winner of the Google knows, who will be determined taking into account the results of all sessions and will receive a bigger gift (e.g: a T-shirt, a bag, a mug).
DEBRIEFING	• Did you find any mismatching answers during your research? • Did you find any website or newspapers headlines that sounded biased or that were enforcing a negative perception of the topics? • What were the common elements of the sources that were considered reliable? Also, what where the similarities of those that were considered unreliable? • How much do you rely on internet to look for information in a daily basis?
SOURCE	Adapted by the Entrepreneurship and Social Economy Group (EKO) from Manual towards freedom of expression, liberation, and emancipation, spiced up with sexual diversity and gender issues developed in the context of Erasmus+, project Gender Unlocked

ACTIVITY II.8– GENDER COLLAGE GAME

SKILLS & CONCEPTS TARGETED	• Stereotypes • Mass media • Gender issues • Body image
OBJECTIVES	• To analyze and discuss the role of media in creating gender stereotypes • To analyze the role and positions of women and men in different societies around Europe by using media tools • To reflect on the expectations given by the society
DURATION	60 minutes
PARTICIPANTS	15 – 40 people (to be divided in even groups)
MATERIALS	One flip chart paper per group; Scissors, glues for paper, markers, Women’s and men’s magazines The activity heavily depends on the magazines that will be chosen. To facilitate a fruitful discussion, it is recommended to bring popular magazines, such as: Cosmopolitan, Glamour, Joy, Elle, Esquire, Maxim, Men’s Health and/or similar national equivalents. Preferable language of the magazines is English, or languages of the participant’s countries.
DESCRIPTION	• Divide the participants in an even number of groups on the base of gender ("men" groups and "women" groups). Each group can consist of 4-6 people of BOTH genders • The participants are asked to create two personas; a man (by the "men" groups) and a woman (by the "women" groups) by using different men and women magazines

ACTIVITY II.8– GENDER COLLAGE GAME

DESCRIPTION	• It is important to stress that the participants need to work just with the materials that they are provided with. That is, they can only use the photos and sentences available in the magazines; they cannot draw their own images, write their own sentences, express their own opinions or use other additional materials. • When collages are ready both groups are asked to present their work and explain why these photos/ sentences/ words were used in collage. • The point of discussion is to encourage the participants discuss the “pictures” of men and women that are presented in the respective popular magazines, to see which kind of stereotypes these media are using and reinforcing.
DEBRIEFING	• Do believe the personas of men/women who were presented reflect the average man/woman? • Did you see yourself is any of the men/women personas that were presented? • Why do you think media are using these photos/words? • What are these collages saying about men’s and women’s roles in society?
SOURCE	Developed by Ilona Olehlova, on SALTO-Toolbox

ACTIVITY II.9– BEWARE OF CULTURE

SKILLS & CONCEPTS TARGETED	• Cultural awareness • Ethnic minorities • Misuse of cultural concepts • Immigration • Social inclusion
OBJECTIVES	• To reflect on the concept of culture and how certain terms or ideas can lead to the exclusion of ethnic minorities • To analyse negative behaviour in media
DURATION	90-120 minutes
PARTICIPANTS	8-32 people (to be divided in smaller groups of 4-8 people)
MATERIALS	Worksheets, flipchart, pens, cases (in handouts – see Annex)
DESCRIPTION	Preparation Print out the sheets with the cases (see Annex) to be discussed with participants Description • Separate participants in groups of 4-8 people • Each group is assigned a specific case and they discuss about it (15 minutes) • In plenary each groups presents their case shortly to the others (5-7 minutes per group) • In plenary each group tries to reply to these questions (15 minutes): i. What can culture explain in connection to people’s behaviour? ii. What can it not explain? iii. Which other explanations of the behaviour did you come up with?

ACTIVITY II.9– BEWARE OF CULTURE

DESCRIPTION	iv. What happens when we try to explain delinquency, unemployment etc. with the concept of culture? v. When arguing that we should respect culture no matter what, what do we miss in our reasoning? • Sum up the activity with a presentation of stereotypes, prejudices, discrimination, and exclusion. Be aware of cultural differences as a first best guess but beware of the use of culture to explain or excuse negative behaviour.
DEBRIEFING	• Do you understand better the concept and constituent elements of culture? • Do you think people of your community/country are aware of what culture means? • Have you gained a better appreciation of culture’s influence on behaviour? • Do you think people of your community/country have cultural biases? • How important is the influence of mass media in relation cultural biases? • Among your community, which group of people do you think is the most sensitive to the influence of mass media? Is it more related to age, education, exposure to other cultures etc…?
SOURCE	Adapted by the Entrepreneurship and Social Economy Group (EKO) from Youth and Environment Europe Publication

ACTIVITY II.10– MEDIA’S ROLE IN CREATING STEREOTYPES

SKILLS & CONCEPTS TARGETED	• Media Language • Stereotypes & their perpetuation through media (e.g. Islamophobia) • Discriminative Discourse
OBJECTIVES	• To raise the participants’ awareness of misleading, tendentious and stereotyping headings and articles in newspapers, online news, tabloids/the media etc… • To encourage participants’ critical judgment and reflection on information provided by newspaper/the media
DURATION	40-60 minutes
PARTICIPANTS	20-40 people (to be divided in 6-8 people per group)
MATERIALS	Newspapers’ headlines or articles
DESCRIPTION	Preparation The facilitator should gather: a. Headlines, which use misleading and strong language, for example: - Terror in Spain: Gunman screaming “Allahu Akbar” opens fire in supermarket, Daily Express - Christmas is banned; it offends Muslims, Daily Express 02/11/2005 - A kosher conspiracy?, New Statesman b. Articles, which use misleading and strong language c. Articles describing some news for which you can provide and prove its true version, for example: - “GET OFF MY BUS I NEED TO PRAY”. The Sun 28 March 2008 The Sun claimed that the driver had ordered people off his bus so that he could pray.

ACTIVITY II.10– MEDIA’S ROLE IN CREATING STEREOTYPES


DESCRIPTION	What actually happened is that the bus driver had been ordered to stop his bus and to tell the passengers to board the bus behind, in order to maintain the frequency of service, as the bus was delayed, he was told not to allow any passengers to board his bus and was on a 10 minute break so he was allowed to do as he wished.” d. Statistics and data about the language used for addressing Muslims / Islam and other religions in your country and in the partner countries. For example: In different European countries, especially after September 11, 2001, there is an increasing general use of the following terms for talking about Muslims: “jihadist”, “mujahidin”, “fundamentalist”, “illegal”, “extra- Community citizen”, “kamikaze” (though this is a Japanese world not related to Islam originally), “foreign fighter”. e. Comparisons between articles talking about Arabs/Muslims, Jews and other religions to highlight how religious affiliation is often specified on the basis of the nationality. Description Part A: Introduction • Introduce what xenophobia is, mention islamophobia, anti-Semitism and other hateful attitude to religions (see Annex) & explain what a Media Myth is (see Annex) Part B: Media publications’ analysis • Divide the participants in groups and give them articles and newspaper excerpts (2-3), where the press talks about Muslims or other religions (e.g Jews)

DESCRIPTION

What actually happened is that the bus driver had been ordered to stop his bus and to tell the passengers to board the bus behind, in order to maintain the frequency of service, as the bus was delayed, he was told not to allow any passengers to board his bus and was on a 10 minute break so he was allowed to do as he wished.”

d. Statistics and data about the language used for addressing Muslims / Islam and other religions in your country and in the partner countries.
For example: In different European countries, especially after September 11, 2001, there is an increasing general use of the following terms for talking about Muslims: “jihadist”, “mujahidin”, “fundamentalist”, “illegal”, “extra- Community citizen”, “kamikaze” (though this is a Japanese world not related to Islam originally), “foreign fighter”.

e. Comparisons between articles talking about Arabs/Muslims, Jews and other religions to highlight how religious affiliation is often specified on the basis of the nationality.

Description
Part A: Introduction
• Introduce what xenophobia is, mention islamophobia, anti-Semitism and other hateful attitude to religions (see Annex) & explain what a Media Myth is (see Annex)

Part B: Media publications’ analysis
• Divide the participants in groups and give them articles and newspaper excerpts (2-3), where the press talks about Muslims or other religions (e.g Jews)

ACTIVITY II.10– MEDIA’S ROLE IN CREATING STEREOTYPES

DESCRIPTION

• Ask young people to identify the adjectives and the words used to describe a Muslim, Jew, Christian or any other religion. For this they have 10 minutes.
• Let each group present their findings to the others
• Open a discussion with the whole group trying to find out if there are over-used terms, recurring many times with the same negative sense. Also check if there is ‘loaded’ or strong language used to add to the headline and to the articles bias. To better visualize the results fill in a table like the one showed as an example below in a flip-chart during the open discussion:

Part C: Discussion on biased Media language
• After visualizing the results, the trainer should invite the participants to reflect on the following aspects:
- Is a European thief or killer’s religion normally mentioned in the news? Are there forms of overgeneralization in the used language in the articles and headlines? Which feeling does the article trigger in the readers? (Positive, negative feelings, fear, hatred, alienation, etc.)
- Can you relate the people described in the article with your friends or acquaintances belonging to the same religion/culture?
- What is the effect of this media language? What does media aim at by choosing this language?

ACTIVITY II.10– MEDIA’S ROLE IN CREATING STEREOTYPES

DESCRIPTION	- Could you rewrite some of the sentences in a neutral/objective way? (you may ask participants to select one or two phrases to rewrite themselves, or the trainer should pick up the most conspicuous phrases) • Sum up, by retracing the points made on how to critically analyse an article and its headlines. • To conclude in positive way, the trainer can ask participants to think about three headlines of a newspaper article describing the session. One of the headlines should be negative, the second positive and the third realistic.
DEBRIEFING	• What have you learned from this exercise? • What was one of the challenges doing this activity? • Which characteristics of language will you pay attention too next time, while reading a newspaper/news article?
SOURCE	Developed in the context of Erasmus+ project RIDE (Resources for Inclusion, Diversity and Equality)

ACTIVITY II.11– THE ONLINE BEHAVIOUR STOP DANCE

SKILLS & CONCEPTS TARGETED	• Emotional reactions to news • Online behaviour
OBJECTIVES	• To get an insight on the different reactions of people to the same news • To have an experiential understanding of the emotional influence of news on people • To apprehend the dangers of rapid information processing on emotions vs. reasoning
DURATION	20 minutes
PARTICIPANTS	10-30 people
MATERIALS	Projector, Speakers, Music player, Vivid music, Cards of gestures (see Annex)
DESCRIPTION	Preparation • Prepare slides with pieces of real news and pieces of fake news (for examples of Fake News, see Annex) Description • Music will be played and participants are asked to dance to the music • Meanwhile a piece of (fake or real) news will be shown on the screen. (see Annex for Examples of Fake news). The participants do not know if the news is real or fake. • Then the music stops and the participants have to show through body language how they would react to this news. The participants will use specified gestures corresponding to different reactions (see Annex) • Once everybody makes the body or hand sign, some people will be asked to explain their choice.

ACTIVITY II.11– THE ONLINE BEHAVIOUR STOP DANCE

DESCRIPTION	• Then the music starts again and people are asked to continue dancing, while the next piece of news is shown and till the music will be stopped again. • Repeat for 10-12 times, alternating between real and fake news (but with no predictable pattern). • At the end, reveal to the participants, which pieces of news were real and which fake.
DEBRIEFING	• Did you sense a difference in emotional reaction when real news were presented vs. fake news? • Did you notice whether you were reacting most of the time emotionally (like/love/hate/say it’s fake/share….) or rationally (wait-do not react/ search for the source)? How did the group react most of the time? What does this suggest for you reactions towards news in the media? • Stand on pieces of news that elicited very different reactions: Why do you think people react very differently?
SOURCE	Training material for youth workers, tutors and teachers developed in the context of Erasmus+, project Fake Off!, YEPP Europe

Skills Targeted	Concepts Targeted
Leadership skills (integrity, team dynamics management, decisiveness, flexibility, etc)	Characteristics, challenges, and shared value of social enterprises (SEs)
Open-mindedness & Innovation	Social Impact and Impact Measurement
Critical Thinking	Funding & Scaling of SEs
Creative problem-solving	Business Model Development & Innovation
Communication & Teamwork	Inclusive Business Models

COURSE III. Social Entrepreneurship and Vulnerable Social Groups

ACTIVITY III.1– SOCIAL ENTEPRISES GALLERY WALK

SKILLS & CONCEPTS TARGETED	• Social entrepreneurship • Research analysis • Creative thinking
OBJECTIVES	• To understand the purposes of social entrepreneurship • To discuss about the characteristics of a social enterprise and the issues they deal with • To understand the point of view of social entrepreneurs • To promote teamworking and sharing of ideas
DURATION	90-120 minutes
PARTICIPANTS	20-50 people (to be divided in groups of 6-7)
MATERIALS	Pictures and small description of the social enterprises (See Annex), flipchart, paper, markers, internet access
DESCRIPTION	Preparation The facilitators hang the pictures and a small description of the social enterprises (see Annex) on the walls of the room. Description Part A: Gallery Walk Participants have 5-10 minutes to walk around the room and read carefully the examples of social enterprises that have been hung on the walls. They need to pay attention to the logos, the goals and the keywords that are used the most in their short description.

ACTIVITY III.1– SOCIAL ENTEPRISES GALLERY WALK

DESCRIPTION	Part B: Brainstorming • In plenary, participants discuss about what they understood a social enterprise is (15 minutes). • The facilitators write the participant’s ideas and understandings on a flipchart located in the center of the room. • If important information is missing or the participants need some help, the facilitators can make questions in order to guide the brainstorming. i.e. - Who is the target of social enterprises? Can you find some recurring characteristics? - What’s their purpose? - How do you think they raise money? - What are the main issues they need to deal with in your opinion? Part C: Role Play • Divide the participants in group of 6-7 people. • Each group has about 30-40 minutes to come up with an idea for a social enterprise. They need to find a name, create a logo and decide their main objective and the needs that the business wants to cover and how they are going to cover them. • In plenary, each groups presents their social businesses play (around 5 minutes per group). • The activity ends with the debriefing questions.
DEBRIEFING	• Do you feel more aware about what a social enterprise is? • Would you be willing to develop the business idea you and your group came up with? If no, why? • Do you think some of the ideas for new social enterprises could be useful in your own community?
SOURCE	Developed by Entrepreneurship and Social Economy Group (EKO)

ACTIVITY III.2– ALTERNATIVE USES

SKILLS & CONCEPTS TARGETED	• Creative thinking • Innovation
OBJECTIVES	• To come up with new ideas, multiple solutions and uses enhancing problem-solving • To cultivate out-of-the box thinking and creativity • To give an insight into the elements of creativity (innovation, flexibility, fluidity, elaboration)
DURATION	20 minutes
PARTICIPANTS	20-50 people (to be divided in groups of 5-6)
MATERIALS	Any daily use objects (e.g. a wastebasket, a shoebox, a bottle, a hair-band, etc)
DESCRIPTION	• Show an object and ask to participants to come up with as many uses for it as they can (example: Think of as many uses for a wastebasket as you can). • Scoring is based on 4 factors: i. Originality: If the test is given to many people, each response is compared to the total amount of responses from all of the people who took the test. Responses that were given by only 5% of the group are considered unusual (1 point). Responses given by only 1% of the group are unique (2 points). ii. Fluency: This just refers to the total. Simply add up how many uses people came up with.

ACTIVITY III.2– ALTERNATIVE USES

DESCRIPTION	iii. Flexibility: Refers to the number of different categories. For example, if 3 of your answers fit the category “Food”, those three answers count as 1 in Flexibility. iv. Elaboration: how much detail you come up with (e.g., “a hammer” = 0 whereas “a hammer to hit the door in order to make it unusable” = 2 points (one for explaining the hitting, another point for further details about the usability). Higher scores indicate more creativity.
DEBRIEFING	• Is it difficult for you to come up with new ideas on your daily life? • How much do you rely on habits? • What is most scaring about thinking out of the box? • Do you think your creativity is well developed? What could you do to improve it?
SOURCE	Adapted by E ntrepreneurship and Social Economy Group (EKO) from the classic Alternative Uses Test proposed by J.P. Guilford in 1967

ACTIVITY III.3– MY FRUSTRATIONS!

SKILLS & CONCEPTS TARGETED	• Creative thinking • Communication skills
OBJECTIVES	• To improve ways to communicate arguments • To be aware of controversial choices • To reflect upon the difficulties that sustainable businesses may encounter
DURATION	60 minutes
PARTICIPANTS	20-42 people (Small groups of 4-6 participants)
MATERIALS	Flipchart, pens
DESCRIPTION	• Explain to the participants that they will create a list of their own personal frustrations. Explain that the frustrations have to be very specific IN THEIR OWN LIVES! Frustrations such as the “political situation” or “overall security” are not acceptable. The taste of toothpaste is an acceptable frustration. • The group has a quota of creating a list of at least 10-15 frustrations. Give them 15 minutes to complete their list. • When the time is up, give the following instructions: From your list of 10-15 frustrations, come up with at least 3 creative solutions for each of the last three frustrations on your list. • The idea of finding solutions for the last three frustrations is that these are the three that were not immediately thought of. These frustrations may have a real potential for finding a new, creative solution! • Have representatives of each group to present the solutions they came up with.

ACTIVITY III.3– MY FRUSTRATIONS!

DESCRIPTION	Suggestions for facilitators: You can make the exercise more difficult by encouraging the participants to find solutions that only involve “sustainable entrepreneurship”
DEBRIEFING	• How do you feel after conducting this exercise? • How can these activities, and being a creative individual, help as an entrepreneur? • How can being a creative individual help you in your life in general? • Why are creativity exercises included in and why are they important to entrepreneurship? • Was there any proposed solution for your frustrations that could be used for a business idea?
SOURCE	Developed by the Entrepreneurship and Social Economy Group (EKO)

ACTIVITY III.4– IN THE MARKET

ERMIScom ADDENDUM: COMPANION OF NON-FORMAL EDUCATION METHODS AND ACTIVITIES

SKILLS & CONCEPTS TARGETED	• Entrepreneurial skills (communication, marketing, sales skills) • Value for customers • Customer service • Selling strategies
OBJECTIVES	• To define marketing concepts • To gain an experiential understanding of effective communication and marketing strategies • To gain an insight in customers’ needs and how they guide product design
DURATION	90 minutes
PARTICIPANTS	20-40 people
MATERIALS	Variety of stationery materials (to be used for the design of products), pens, markers, paper
DESCRIPTION	Part A: Creation of products (40 minutes) • Participants are split into 2 big groups: buyers and sellers. The sellers are then divided in 5-6 smaller groups • The sellers are given materials to create self-made items (plain papers, newspapers, any available stationery or other materials), with the aim to sell them as products. The products should also be priced. Sellers are given 40 minutes for production. • Sellers have the flexibility to come up with any kind of selling strategy (e.g. buy 2 get another 1 for free; special discounts etc) • In the meanwhile, buyers are given a specific budget (e.g. 25 euros), which they cannot exceed during the mini-market. Sellers do not know about this budget

ACTIVITY III.4– IN THE MARKET

DESCRIPTION

• During the first 40 minutes the buyers are asked to:
a. make a list of their current needs, and order them according to urgency and importance
b. make a list of 20 possible product categories they would be ready to buy, and prioritize 5 on the basis of their needs list
c. make a list of the selling strategies, product qualities and company qualities that they give a lot of attention to when deciding to buy a product in real life (e.g. free samples/ tested product by their friends/ local store vs. well-known international brands etc)

Part B: The Mini Market (20 minutes)
• After production, the mini market will open, and every team of sellers will set up their own stand, where they present their products (they should use their imagination and creativity to make their stand of products, stand out from the others)
• Once the product stands are ready, the teams of sellers take turns to present their products to their customers. Each team has 3 minutes to present their products
• During the market, buyers go around the tables and talk to the sellers. If they are convinced that a product will cover one or some of their needs they buy the product(s) (announcing it to the seller, and noting it down in their list of purchases). Buyers cannot exceed their given budget.
• Sellers will have to test their communicative and marketing strategies in order to sell their product. They can make sales, add free products (also non material objects like a favor, a hug etc.), propose special deals.

Part C: The Winning Product (20 minutes)
• After the second part, the mini market will be closed, and the participants altogether sit down in the room.

ACTIVITY III.4– IN THE MARKET

DESCRIPTION	• Each team of sellers will check the number of sales they made, as well as the income they made, with the help of the trainer who will ask all buyers to read out loud what products they bought and at which price. The team with the highest income will be the winner of the mini market! • One by one, every participant that has bought from the winning team will explain what were the most important features that made them decide to buy that product (marketing, function of the product, selling communication, deals etc.) • The session ends with the debriefing questions (10 minutes)
DEBRIEFING	For the buyers • What were the most important qualities of a product that convinced you to buy them? • Which selling strategies did you like most? • Did the presentation affect your decision? If yes, how much (e.g. did you buy products that did not cover any of your predefined needs?) For the sellers • What are in your opinion the most important characteristics for a product to be considered a valuable product? • How much did you think about your target market (the buyers team) before designing a product? During this training you know your buyers at a personal level, but what would you do in the open market? How would you assess your buyers needs? • Do you have a better understanding of how to attract and satisfy your customers? For all participants • Why do you think the winning team won? • Why do you think the last ranking team, had the fewest sales/smallest income? What could they improve?

ACTIVITY III.4– IN THE MARKET

VARIATIONS	The activity can be extended by adding a 2nd round after the first Mini-Market round, before Part C, to focus more on Social Entrepreneurship. 1. In the 2nd round sellers become the buyers and vice versa. 2. During this round the trainer should ask sellers to create products with a social purpose; anything that the participants have at heart (e.g. to reduce waste, to help people with a certain disability/difficulty, to promote social inclusion, to promote equal education, to help students to study better or faster etc.). Sellers will need to include the social purpose as well in the presentation of their product(s) 3. During production buyers should additionally make a list of social purposes they really care about 4. In Part C of the second round, the buyers should also describe how much their buying decisions were influenced by the social purpose, along the products’ qualities (what was more important to them? The product or the purpose? Did they buy things they otherwise wouldn’t?)
SOURCE	Adapted by the Entrepreneurship and Social Economy Group (EKO) from the Entrepreneurship Development Training Manual of the German NGO, DSW (Deutsche Stiftung Weltbevoelkerung)

ACTIVITY III.5– SIX THINKING HATS Inc.

SKILLS & CONCEPTS TARGETED	• Critical thinking, Analysis & Problem-solving • Creative thinking • Perspective-taking
OBJECTIVES	• To understand the importance of having different attitudes while approaching a new idea or project • To encourage participants to think in a structured and deliberate way about complex problems and issues • To understand the importance of foreseen problems • To elaborate and assess various aspects of a business idea
DURATION	100-120 minutes
PARTICIPANTS	20-50 people (to be divided in groups of 6-8 people)
MATERIALS	Six hats’ cards (see Annex), paper and markers, different coloured hats (optional) or stickers to make the roles visible
DESCRIPTION	Introductory Information This tool was invented by Edward de Bono, a psychologist, author, and consultant who pioneered the technique in his 1985 book Six Thinking Hats. The method involves breaking down ideas into six areas of thought: logic, optimism, the devil’s advocate, emotion, creativity, management. When approaching a new problem or project, each "hat" represents a unique set of priorities and perspectives that will help focus the discussion and consider the project from a wide variety of angles.

ACTIVITY III.5– SIX THINKING HATS Inc.

DESCRIPTION

For example, if you´re wearing the Black Hat, its your job to consider the projects limitations and challenges. It may feel uncomfortable at first to temporarily adopt a very narrow form of thinking, but the extremes can help fully explore a project or idea

Preparation
Six cards, each describing all six-thinking hats and a brief explanation should be printed out (see Annex)
Description
• Split the participants in subgroups of 6-8 people
• The group’s aim is to come up with a solid business idea to develop
• To construct their business idea each group of participants will successively “use” the 6 different hats that will thinking about the business idea in 6 different stages (each corresponding to one of the hats).
• In order to help participants dive into the mindset and facilitate the thinking process, the facilitators can suggest the following methodologies, for each stage of the process (see the summarizing table below, and see Annex for the detailed explanation).
• Once each stage is finished, each group will present their project (around 10 minutes).

ACTIVITY III.5– SIX THINKING HATS Inc.

VARIATIONS	The exercise is very intensive and has very dense learning outcomes. To have more time in each stage and allow participants to digest the learning outcomes, the activity could be split in 2-3 different sessions/days over the course of a training (e.g. 2 or 3 stages each day of the training)
DEBRIEFING	• When coming up with new ideas or projects, do you usually consider every aspect that is involved (each “hat”)? • Was it easy to act accordingly your “hat” during the conduct of the exercises? • Under what “hat” / type of thinking did you feel more at ease? • Under which “hat” did you struggle the most? • How important is it to have different point of views and teamworking during the exercises?
SOURCE	Developed by Entrepreneurship and Social Economy Group (EKO) on the basis of the classic "6 thinking hats" activity created by Edward de Bono.

ACTIVITY III.6–YOU ARE MY LEADER

SKILLS & CONCEPTS TARGETED	• Decision making • Time management • Stress management • Delegation • Group facilitation & management skills
OBJECTIVES	• To help people to deal with stress and time in an effective way • To understand that delegation to others is an important aspect of good leadership • To identify the most suitable choice among different options
DURATION	90 minutes
PARTICIPANTS	Minimum 28 people
MATERIALS	At least 150 lego pieces (photo of examples of the construction, see Annex) 5 sets of letters; 5 sets of numbers; 5 “odd-one-out” questions; 5 riddles, Flipchart, markers
DESCRIPTION	Preparation • Prepare 5 cards with sets of letters. Make sure each set of letters can yield the number of words you are asking to be made out of them. • Prepare 5 cards with sets of numbers. Make sure each set of numbers can yield the result you are asking for through the correct sequence of mathematical operations. • Think of and prepare 5 cards with “odd-one-out” questions. Make sure these questions do not require special expertise or academic knowledge level in a specific field.

ACTIVITY III.6–YOU ARE MY LEADER

DESCRIPTION

• Prepare 5 riddles.
• Write on a flipchart the instructions

Description
• Split participants into groups of 7-8 people. Each group should have two observers, one leader and the others should be players. Give the groups the same number, shape and colours of lego pieces.
• The leader and the players will actively guide the game. The observers will watch the game and take notes on the attitudes of the leader and the players (they will not comment, act or give clues about the challenges).

Leaders: Are they relying on teamwork? Are they only supervising or also taking actively part in the game? Are they assertive while giving indications? Are they able to make the others listen to them? Are they listening to other’s opinions? Does the leader feel respected?

Players: Is everybody actively involved? Is everybody listening to the leader? Is there someone that undermines the role of the leader? If yes, in what way? Are the players following the indications in a submissive way of the leader or also giving their own opinions? Is there a safe environment for the players to express their opinions and give suggestions? Is there tension between players and leader? Do the player feel respected by the leader?

GOAL: The teams should make the blocks correctly in the time they have and before the other team finishes.

ACTIVITY III.6–YOU ARE MY LEADER

DESCRIPTION

RULES
A. In the beginning, all teams will be given 5 minutes to play the game.
- However, they can increase or decrease their time:
1. By finding the odd one out in the set of words that the trainer will give. Each correct answer will add 30 extra seconds. An incorrect answer will reduce the time by 30 seconds.
OR
2. By answering the riddles. Each correct answer will add 2 more minutes.
- An incorrect answer will reduce the time by 1 minute.
- The teams cannot see in advance the task cards, the observers hold them and the leader has to say what game to pick (after discussing with the team first or by their own decision).
- The teams can try to win more time only 10 times in total.

B. The leader is the one able to see the blocks again.
- For two different rounds though, the leader can decide to give the chance to see the blocks to another member of team (only one). If this happens, the leader has to step out from the game and pass temporarily the guiding role to the person who looked to the blocks.

C. The leader decides who is going to look at the blocks for only 10 seconds each time, them or one of the other two members of the team.
- In order to see the blocks again:
1. Teams should produce 10 words with the letters that the trainers will give OR 2. Teams should find the number that the trainer will say by using 4 arithmetical operations: addition, subtraction, multiplication and division with the given numbers only.
- They can use each number on the card only once.

ACTIVITY III.6–YOU ARE MY LEADER

DESCRIPTION	- The teams cannot see in advance the task cards, the observers hold them and the leader has to say what game to pick (after discussing with the team first or by their own decision). - The teams can try to look at the blocks only 10 times in total. D. No mobile phones or electronic devices are allowed! • The first team that builds their block, within their time frame, in exactly the same as the trainers, wins the game. Recommendations Have participants make a block of around 30 Lego pieces with different colors and shapes. Something like the one in the photo (see Annex). Also you can give them 10 additional pieces to increase the level of difficulty.
DEBRIEFING	To the leaders: • How did you feel as a leader? How was your delegation and management style? • When you are in a stress, how do you behave to the others? Were you encouraging? Were you empathetic? • What did you realise with your leadership skills? • If you had a chance to play the game again, what would you do differently? To the players: • Are you able to work in a stress or in a stressful environment? • How did you cooperate with your team-mates? • What was the most difficult part in the cooperation? What did you think worked best, and what did not work? • How was your relation with your leader? • If you were the leader, what would you do differently? Ask the observers to read their notes. The observations will be evaluated with the leaders and the players
SOURCE	“You are my leader” game was generated for the Erasmus+ Training Course “NGO Management and Administration”

ACTIVITY III.7 – DETACT

SKILLS & CONCEPTS TARGETED	• Creativity & innovation thinking • Problem-solving • Entrepreneurial spirit
OBJECTIVES	• To reflect upon how particular solutions are put into practice • To develop creative and entrepreneurial thinking
DURATION	40-50 minutes
PARTICIPANTS	20-30 people (to be divided in groups of 4-6 people)
MATERIALS	Flipcharts, bowl, paper, markers
DESCRIPTION	• Ask a participant to give you a repetitive activity that they often do (an activity such as walking to school, preparing food, cleaning the house, doing laundry, watching television etc.). Ask for DETAILS when in the situation! Once the participant has given details for their activity, explain that this exercise is to take that normal situation and change each detail. It can be completed in whatever bizarre way, but it has to be different. • Explain the following as an example: “One activity that I do often is eating lunch and dinner at a restaurant. The details of completing this activity – I walk to the restaurant and when entering, I look around to see if there is an open spot and take a seat. I then wait for an employee to come up to me and I ask them what they have available to eat. Once I am informed, I will reflect, make my decision, and order. After I order I will wait for my meal to be prepared and served. Once served, I will sit and eat my meal, listening to the radio or watching television. After I eat, I will ask the employee how much it costs, and pay. Once paid, I will take my stuff and leave.”

ACTIVITY III.7 – DETACT

DESCRIPTION

• Now, I will take this normal activity and change how to complete it – changing each detail. “This time around, instead of walking to the restaurant, I will have the restaurant come and pick me up, wherever I am. When entering, instead of finding a seat and asking what they have available, I will immediately walk back into the kitchen, bringing my own ingredients and telling the cooks what they are going to prepare for me, and how I like it cooked. Usually I pay the set price afterwards, but this time I have to negotiate the price and pay before the preparation begins. Usually I sit and wait for my food, but this time while I wait, I play checkers with an employee. This employee is really good at checkers and if I win, I get a free cola, but of course I lose. When my food is brought out, instead of sitting while eating, I go to the dance floor and dance while eating. I have already paid, so I can stay and dance for as long as I want or leave whenever I want.”

• Explain to the participants – “I tried to be as creative as I could when changing this otherwise normal task. It is not about feasibility or being correct, it is about being as different as possible. It is now, afterwards, when I can look at my story and think if there are any feasible ideas. “You know, picking up the clients isn’t such a crazy idea! Maybe that can be a way I will differentiate myself. If my clients want to come to my restaurant, they can call me and I will have one of my employees go and pick them up.”

• Another reflection: “Bringing in ingredients, why not!? That could be an option to give my clients and another way to differentiate myself from competitors and have potential clients choose me!”

• Have the groups conducting this exercise come up with as many different situations as they can in the allotted time (30 minutes).
• Ask the participants to present one of the ideas that were transformed from a normal situation into creative entrepreneurial difference.

ACTIVITY III.7 – DETACT

DESCRIPTION	Suggestions for facilitators: You can suggest some of the ways to trigger creative thinking in the article Powerful Ways for Entrepreneurs to Be More Creative A great source of further information and ideas is the Guide to Creative Problem Solving in Entrepreneurship Further information: You could present to the participants other sustainable enterprises that have been developed from people’s everyday needs; for example: - GoMore (carpooling) - EcoPlum - Axion (recycled products for infrastructure repair) - AptDeco (upcycled furniture)
DEBRIEFING	• How can being a creative individual, help someone in their entrepreneurial activity? • How can being a creative individual help you in your life in general? • Why are creativity exercises implicated and why are they important to entrepreneurship? • Anything you changed in your story that could be used for a business idea?
SOURCE	Adapted by EKO from “A sustainable entrepreneurship, a collection of non-formal education methods” developed by the partners in the KA2 Erasmus+ project “Growing Green”

ACTIVITY III.8 – GOLDEN WASTE

SKILLS & CONCEPTS TARGETED	• Creative reflection • Innovation • Waste products & Sustainable businesses
OBJECTIVES	• To make the participants reflect upon the endless numbers of potential business models that can be based on waste • To enhance innovation and creativity among the participants • To give inspiration to new businesses to use waste products
DURATION	90-120 minutes
PARTICIPANTS	15-30 people
MATERIALS	Pens and prints of printouts (See Annex) Flipchart & markers or computer and projector for the pitching (optional)
DESCRIPTION	• Divide participants into groups of 4-6 people • Each group randomly chooses a card, the card describes one waste product from an industry Brainstorming phase (30-35 minutes): • Ask the participants to brainstorm on how the waste product can be used as a resource/input for a business. - Make sure that the participants understand that it can be used as material in the exact same sector (reuse) but also as a resource for something totally different. - Make it very clear to the participants that there are no bad business ideas. Some of the most profitable businesses were once considered poor or utopic ideas. The goal of brainstorming is to generate as many ideas as possible! - You may consider turning this phase into a competition and give a small prize to the group that generates the most ideas.

ACTIVITY III.8 – GOLDEN WASTE

DESCRIPTION	• Each group should shortly present their different ideas in a plenary discussion (e.g. 4-5 minutes per group). Business model phase (20 minutes): • Ask the groups to choose one type of waste from the printouts (see Annex). If you feel that they have difficulties choosing one you can give them a time limit or split the group into smaller subgroups (2-4 people). It is important that the participants are not using too much time to decide upon an idea. • Give the participants the printout and ask them to use it to describe their business idea. They have to develop a business idea that uses this type of waste as resource for the creation of another product or a service. • The groups have 15 minutes to develop their business idea. Pitching phase (40-60 minutes): • Ask the groups to work on pitching their ideas (30 min). • Give them no more than 3-5 minutes per group for the presentation. • Ask questions, and give constructive feedback, but be careful to not judge the idea!
DEBRIEFING	• Would you like to develop your business idea in reality? • What keeps you from doing it? What help/support would you like to have? • Why did nobody do it before?
SOURCE	From the Manual “A sustainable entrepreneurship, a collection of non-formal education methods” developed by the partners in the KA2 Erasmus+ project “Growing Green”

Skills Targeted	Concepts Targeted
Research and analysis of data & information regarding different vulnerable groups	Vulnerability, including key perceptions, values and heresies which result to prejudicial behavior towards vulnerable groups
Production of innovative research ideas	Cultural and collective identity
Respect of different social groups and multiculturalism	Cultural trauma, personal and collective trauma, intergenerational trauma, trauma in the age of risk society
Ethical approach when targeting vulnerable groups	Critical analysis of how traumatic experiences are presented in media
Criticism and self-reflection on traumatic experiences	Acculturation processes in host society;
Work in an interdisciplinary environment	Role and impact of cultural mediation for the integration of vulnerable groups

COURSE IV. Vulnerable Groups And Cultural Trauma

ACTIVITY IV.1 – CREATING CONCEPTS VOCABULARY

SKILLS & CONCEPTS TARGETED	• Inclusion • Reflection on trauma • Understanding vulnerability • Intercultural awareness
OBJECTIVES	• To present in an interactive way the key terms and terminology • To create a concept vocabulary to ensure that the participants understand they key terms
DURATION	120 minutes
PARTICIPANTS	10-40 people (to be divided into groups of 5-8 people)
MATERIALS	Flipchart, paper, markers
DESCRIPTION	Preparation • Print out cards with the definitions of the following terms: exclusion, inclusion, integration, trauma, vulnerability/vulnerable groups, discrimination, acculturation (See Annex) Part A: Team-building activity • Divide the participants in two groups of the same size • Ask one of the groups to leave the room and wait for further instructions. • Ask for the participants in the room to remove their shoes, leave it on a display, and wait for further instructions. • Ask the group outside the room to remove their shoes, leaving them near the door, and then enter the room. • Instruct the participants entering the room to select and wear a pair of shoes (either wear it, or just hold them in the hands). • The shoes owners should pair up with whoever got their shoes. • The pair should go for a short “in my shoes” walk and talk (time-box it for 10 minutes), in which the shoe owner talks, while the shoe holder must actively listen, without replying or talking back.

ACTIVITY IV.1 – CREATING CONCEPTS VOCABULARY

DESCRIPTION	• The topics for the walk and talk are as follows: o What was the most difficult moment in your life? o What was the best moment in your life o What was the most embarrassing moment in your life? • After the first ‘walk and talk’, everyone should return to the room and leave the shoes there. • Then the listeners should go outside of the room and select a pair of shoes. • Go back to step 6 for the second round of walk and talk (now the talkers will be the listeners, and the listeners will be the talkers, although the pairs might change). Part B: Defining key concepts • Divide the group in mixed subgroups of 5-8 people, and each group should choose one word from a set of key words (exclusion, inclusion, integration, trauma, vulnerability, discrimination, acculturation – see Annex), and in the small group they should discuss (10') about the definition of the word, having in mind that this definition will be used for the next part of the activity (simulation) • Go back in the plenary session and ask them to come up with the summary of their discussion. • Write down the key words of the debate on a flipchart, and after the discussion is finished, make a conclusion on a common definition. Part C: Simulation • Mix up the teams and give them a task to make a simulation in which they will present a situation representing one of the key words (30' for preparation) • In plenary each group performs the simulation that they have prepared.
DEBRIEFING	• Do you feel as is if you were the authors of those definitions? • Were the other people’s ideas useful to have a broader understanding of the concepts? • If there are people coming from different countries: have you noticed differences from one culture to another while analyzing and discussing the key terms?
SOURCE	Adapted by EKO from “Empower vulnerable youth: theater, creative writing and emotion focus” training course implemented in the Erasmus+ context

ACTIVITY IV.2 – ACTIVATING VULNERABLE YOUTH

SKILLS & CONCEPTS TARGETED	• Analysis of obstacles and trauma • Reflection and self-reflection • Empowerment of vulnerable groups
OBJECTIVES	• To identify the obstacles and the trauma preventing the empowerment of vulnerable groups • To address obstacles and trauma and to come up with solutions for vulnerable groups • To learn from existing practices how to empower vulnerable groups
DURATION	180 minutes
PARTICIPANTS	12-40 people (to be divided into 4-6 groups)
MATERIALS	Paper, markers, access to internet (through mobile phones, laptops)
DESCRIPTION	Part A: plenary discussion • In plenary, start a discussion about - the obstacles that prevent vulnerable groups in their communities or countries to actively participate in various activities (participation in education and life-long learning opportunities, employment opportunities, participation in civil society, civic & political engagement etc) - the trauma that people from vulnerable groups might have experienced during their lifetime and that prevent them to actively participate in the communities they belong to. • The trainer invites participants to brainstorm about stories they know from their community (or the world) about successful initiatives of activation and empowerment of vulnerable youth, and present them in the group • After each story, the participants have some time to reflect on the way of transferring these practices in other communities or with respect to different vulnerable groups

ACTIVITY IV.2 – ACTIVATING VULNERABLE YOUTH

DESCRIPTION	Part B: Analysis and Discussion • Divide the group in 4-6 teams and give them the task to find out 3-4 reasons why the youth is inactive, (what are the obstacles they face), and then write them down on 3-4 different pieces of paper • In a plenary session, each group briefly presents the reasons for the youth’s lack of civic engagement • Mix up the pieces of paper with the reasons/obstacles and distribute them randomly among the groups. • Each group discusses about possible solutions to those obstacles (15 minutes) • After finding the solutions, each groups prepares a theater representation with the best practices and solutions they’ve found for the two obstacles (30 minutes) • In plenary, they perform their scene (5-10 minutes)
DEBRIEFING	• Do you agree with the other groups’ practices to address a certain obstacle? Would you do something differently? • Do you ever think about looking for possible solutions of some issues in the experiences of other communities/countries?
SOURCE	Adapted by Entrepreneurship and Social Economy Group (EKO) from “Empower vulnerable youth: theater, creative writing and emotion focus” training course implemented in the Erasmus+ context

ACTIVITY IV.3 – LOTUS BLOSSOM

SKILLS & CONCEPTS TARGETED	• Barriers for inclusion • Social Integration • Intercultural awareness • Personal and collective traumas
OBJECTIVES	• To find the root causes of the problems/issues in resemblance of peeling of the petals of the lotus blossom • To reflect upon problems linked with vulnerable groups in our society • To try to find solutions to a big problem by getting to the roots of it
DURATION	60 minutes
PARTICIPANTS	32-48 people (to be divided in 8 groups)
MATERIALS	Flipchart, markers, handouts
DESCRIPTION	Description • In plenary: the problem or issue (main theme) is written in a circle in the middle of the flipchart paper. • The group is suggested to find the main causes of the problem/obstacle preventing to solve or deal with an issue. It is important that the group would agree on the 8 main causes/obstacles, which are then written in circles around the main problem like satellites. • Each of the 8 main causes/obstacles are written in the middle of a separate paper and becomes the ‘new’ main cause/obstacle. • The participants are then asked to form 8 groups of 4-6 people and to work with one of the cause/obstacles. They have to define 8 causes of the ‘new’ main cause. • As a result, the whole group finds 64 root causes of the main problem/issue which are mostly interconnected. • In plenary, each group presents the root cause they have found to the rest of the participants.

ACTIVITY IV.3 – LOTUS BLOSSOM

DESCRIPTION	Suggestions for the facilitator Main theme: Exclusion of Vulnerable Groups First 8 petals: - Barriers to inclusion, - Ignorance towards cultural identities, - Personal and collective traumas, - Representation of trauma in Media, - Exclusive business model, - Racism and Xenophobia, - Cognitive Biases, - Fake news
DEBRIEFING	• Was it difficult to find 8 main causes for the main problem? • Do you usually stop and think about a possible cause which is at the basis of a problem? • Would it be easier in your opinion to deal with the main issue after having found 8 main causes?
SOURCE	Adapted by Entrepreneurship and Social Economy Group (EKO) from the International Seminar "Participation of young people in the process of youth policy development", Ukraine, March 2010

ACTIVITY IV.4 – CHOCOLATE GAME

SKILLS & CONCEPTS TARGETED	• Communication and dialogue • Teamworking & Conflict Management • Participation & decision making • Sense of justice & fair play
OBJECTIVES	• To focus on one’s motivations, feelings and needs in connection with others • To show mechanisms and relations of inclusion and exclusion, justice and injustice • To show how majority opinions can overcome opinions of minority • To question the notion of power and obedience, and the importance of a leader
DURATION	60 minutes
PARTICIPANTS	20-50 people (to be divided into groups of 10-15 people)
MATERIALS	Papers, tape, object to represent a team on the board, sweets and a prize (for ex. candy, chocolate, toy car or a “20 euros” check)
DESCRIPTION	Preparation Create a board by placing papers numbered from 1 to 25 and add a finish line in a way you like it (circle, box, serpentine, etc.) • Place prizes on step no. 16, 20 and 25 Description • The facilitators divide the group into smaller groups of approximately 10-15 people • The facilitators explain the game. Facilitators have to to remain outside of the game area to observe and should not intervene (Important! The facilitators must give as little guidance and rules as possible).

ACTIVITY IV.4 – CHOCOLATE GAME

DESCRIPTION	• Main rule: Rules can be created and changed by the participants at specific times. • Specific rules: - To win this game teams have to get to the step number 25. - To win prizes teams have to get to no. 16, 20 and 25., or cross them. - To move forward throw a dice, one team after the other. - When a team gets on or over the steps no. 16 or 20, this team will be able to set one new rule. - The game ends as soon as one team wins.
DEBRIEFING	• How do you feel after the game? • How did you feel during the game? Did you like it? • Did you agree with the rules of your team? • How did you decide about setting the rules? Communication, mechanism of decision? • What do you think of the rules of the other team? • What did you think about the different starting positions? • Do you know different and unequal positions in your life or in the society? • Do you know any rules or laws that exclude others? • Do you know fair/unfair rules or laws? • What makes a rule or law fair or unfair?
SOURCE	From the Project “Ready for Dialogue Ready for Positive Change” developed in the context of Erasmus+ programme.

ACTIVITY IV.5 – NINA-GEORGE CONFLICT

SKILLS & CONCEPTS TARGETED	• Mediation & Patience • Impartiality • Listening skills & Perspective-taking
OBJECTIVES	• To use mediation process as a tool for conflict management • To understand different points of view • To learn how to make compromises
DURATION	40 - 60 minutes
PARTICIPANTS	27-45 people (to be divided in groups of 3 people & triplets of 9 people)
MATERIALS	/
DESCRIPTION	Part A: Explanation of the case • Participants are divided in groups of three people and get assigned a role: Mediator, Nina, George. • Then the groups are forming “team-triplets”: They will be interacting with each other, according to their role, but not with the other groups. That is, you will have triplet-groups of 9 people each. • The description of the case is as follows: George is against his neighbor Nina, who lives in the flat above his (one floor up). He placed a call to the mediation center. He declared that Nina plays piano loudly and late in the night. Nina declared that George offended her. Both agreed to visit the mediation center. Nina: You agreed to visit a mediation center because you want to resolve the conflict with your neighbor, George. You state that George offends you by knocking at the ceiling (your floor). By doing that, he interrupts your playing and that is also why some of your vases are broken.

ACTIVITY IV.5 – NINA-GEORGE CONFLICT

DESCRIPTION

You are angry with him because he does not respect your profession. You are a musician and a teacher. You consider that you have the same professional rights that he has.

George: You are nervous because of your neighbor’s behavior, Nina, who lives in the flat above yours. Every morning you must go to work, and therefore you need to have good sleep at night. She plays her favorite music loudly all night long and thus forces you to listen to it. You are angry at her. You think, that when you knock at her floor (your ceiling) with a stick, you communicate your negative emotions quite clearly. You think your protest was ignored because nothing has changed in her behavior. You gave a call to the mediation center in order to make an appointment. You want to visit the center and resolve this conflict.

Mediator: Your role is to help Nina and George solve their conflict in a way that satisfies both, through commonly agreed compromises.

Part B: Role play
• Participants of each subgroup from all triplets have 5 minutes to think about their roles and to decide which line to follow to support their thesis
• After preparation, they have 10 minutes to act out the role play with the other members of their group, (within their triplets).
• Then, the trainer swaps roles (e.g. George becomes the mediator, Nina becomes George, and the mediator becomes Nina). The trainer can also change triplets among groups.
• The same process as above is repeated.
• Every participant has to play each role at least once
• The session terminates with the debriefing questions

ACTIVITY IV.5 – NINA-GEORGE CONFLICT

DEBRIEFING	• What was the role of the mediator? What were the main skills needed to be a proper mediator? • Did your group manage to solve the conflict? In what way? • What were the phases that your group have been through before getting to the solution? • What are the common elements you observe among the teams that manage to solve the conflicts?
SOURCE	Adapted by the Entrepreneurship and Social Economy Group (EKO) from the Training Course Emotional Intelligence and conflict management in the context of Erasmus+, 2019, Struga

Erasmus+ Conflict Management Course by trainer Janja Rebolj (Primera organization)

ACTIVITY IV.6 – ME-MULTICULTURAL

SKILLS & CONCEPTS TARGETED	• Intercultural communication and awareness • Verbal communication
OBJECTIVES	• To establish concrete knowledge about other cultures • To develop cultural sensitivity and awareness
DURATION	60 minutes
PARTICIPANTS	30 people (or other even number of people)
MATERIALS	A3 paper, handout “questionnaire” (see Annex)
DESCRIPTION	• Divide participants into pairs. Give each pair one questionnaire (see Annex). • Explain that couples will read all the questions, then decide together the responses. Each pair will write the answers on a A3 paper. • After 25 minutes the participants should get back in the large group. The trainer reads the questions and the pair reads the answers. • Once all the pairs have answered the questions, ask participants to describe examples from their personal experience for each question. • The exercise finishes with a discussion guided with the help of the debriefing questions
DEBRIEFING	• How did you feel when you answered the questions? Have you had a different of opinion from your colleague? How did you come to consensus? • What have you learned during the group discussion? What surprised you, what was interesting in colleague’s answers? • What has changed in the attitudes you had previously?
SOURCE	From Education & Peace Training on Cultural Conflicts, Toolkit for trainers, co-funded by the German Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs

ACTIVITY IV.7 – THE TRAUMA NEWSPAPER

SKILLS & CONCEPTS TARGETED	• Active listening skills • Storytelling • Personal trauma & Mediatization of trauma
OBJECTIVES	• To help participants get to know each other better and establish openness • To understand how the representation of trauma in media works
DURATION	120 minutes
PARTICIPANTS	30-40 people (to divide in pairs)
MATERIALS	A3 papers, markers/pens, tape, self-adhesive dots, handouts
DESCRIPTION	Preparation • Prepare little pieces of paper in a bowl (as many as participants in the course/workshop). Half of them are blank; the other papers have the first name of half of the participants written on them. Description • Ask each participant to pick one piece of paper; on it there is a role written: "interviewer" or "interviewee" • The trainer then asks participants to identify who is the person they will interview or to wait for somebody to come and interview them (in the cases of those with blank pieces of paper). They then form pairs. • Each person interviews their partner for 15-20 minutes (in pairs – not in front of the other participants) and writes down the answers, after a preparation of 3 minutes.

ACTIVITY IV.7 - THE TRAUMA NEWSPAPER

DESCRIPTION

During the preparation the pairs are given the general interview points: - First, the interviewer gathers some general information about their partner: personal information (name, nationality, place of residence, hobbies etc.) education, where do they work or what do they study, desires and fears for the future
- The main part of the interview is devoted to a personal story that illustrates a traumatic event the interviewee has experienced, but that they are also comfortable talking about.

For example: When I had to move from my hometown; When I lost my keys and my parents got angry at me; When I failed an exam; When I took a fine because I didn’t have the bus ticket, When got bitten by a dog etc…

• The interviewee has to talk about their traumatic experience in the most sincere and honest way. It is important that, even if the trauma could be considered as something silly, it truly arises through the interviewee’s feelings
• After the interview, the interviewer’s task is to represent the trauma story in an appealing and interesting way. They will write down the story on a A3 paper, find a catchy headline and present the story in a way that sells to people.

• After the first round, the interview-pairs swap roles, so that the interviewer becomes the one who talks about their personal trauma experience
• Once finished, everybody hangs the A3 paper they have produced on the wall
• The participants are given a yellow dot sticker and have to vote for the best story on the wall (they cannot vote for their own story)
• The author of the story (not the protagonist/interviewee) with more yellow dotes will receive a prize (the facilitator can choose what type of prize)
• The facilitator closes the session with some debriefing questions

ACTIVITY IV.7 - THE TRAUMA NEWSPAPER

DEBRIEFING	• How did you feel while talking about your trauma? How did you feel while listening to your partner talking about their trauma? • Did you think the interviewer was most interested in what you were saying or in how to make your story saleable? • How did you feel while reading your story on the A3 paper? How did you feel about the fact that your traumatic experience was “competing” against other stories? • During this activity did you feel exposed? Were your emotions expressed in the way you wanted to? Were the facts inflated in any way? • What challenges do you think vulnerable groups face, when their traumatic experiences are turned into pieces of news? Does this contribute to the perpetuation of their trauma or to adding an additional one?
SOURCE	Developed by the Entrepreneurship and Social Economy Group (EKO)

ACTIVITY IV.8 – WHAT INFLUENCES THE CULTURE?

SKILLS & CONCEPTS TARGETED	• Intercultural awareness • Perspective-Taking
OBJECTIVES	• To become aware of how culture influences people’s behavior • To identify and understand the broad spectrum of different behaviors influenced by culture • To increase understanding of the specific differences in various cultures
DURATION	60 minutes
PARTICIPANTS	12-60 people
MATERIALS	Handouts “What influences culture?” questionnaire; “Cultural characteristics” (see Annex)
DESCRIPTION	Preparation • Print out the “What can be a culture difference” questionnaire (see Annex) Description • The questionnaire “What can be a culture difference” is distributed to the participants . Each person should fill it in. • Ask participants to count their “Yes” answers. More «Yes» than “No” answers means that they are more aware of issues affecting culture. • Divide participants into small groups (4-5 people). Ask them to reflect on the questions they answered «No». What led them to negative answer? • Ask participants to return to the large group and conclude the session with the debriefing questions

ACTIVITY IV.8 – WHAT INFLUENCES THE CULTURE?

DESCRIPTION	Tips for the facilitators: • To open the debriefing discussion mention that cultural diversity is a natural social phenomenon and there are cultural differences among every aspect of life. Give examples, such as: - When a person in Mexico is told that you like something that he/she has on (clothes, shoes, jewelry, accessories) this person will try to give you this thing. This feature applies to some Roma people. - According to the anthropologist Edward T. Hall, in the Middle East is common that while talking to each other, people stand face to face so close as to feel their breath. A bigger distance from each other can mean a lack of interest or respect. - In many Asian cultures it is unacceptable to pronounce often the word «No». Usually they use «Doing what you ask is difficult or hard to do.» - Showing your leg to someone is very offensive to many countries in Asia. - In Korea, it is not polite to pour your own water or other drinks in your glass; you have to wait for someone else to pour it for you. - In Bulgaria, nodding with your head “upside -down” means “No”, while nodding “right -left” means “Yes”, opposite to what is common in most other cultures
DEBRIEFING	• What surprised you in the questionnaire? What topics from the questionnaire haven't you think can be influence by culture? • How did you know to which questions the answer was «Yes»? Where and how did you learn about it? Do you have a specific example of a relevant cultural difference to share with the group? • Are there cultural differences that may make it difficult to communicate with others? • Why are some cultural differences more difficult to deal with than others?
SOURCE	From Education & Peace Training on Cultural Conflicts, Toolkit for trainers, co-funded by the German Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Skills Targeted	Concepts Targeted
Intercultural awareness & communication	Protection of vulnerable groups Rights
Production of innovative research ideas	Cultural and collective identity
Critical thinking & Information research and processing through the Media	Social policy, European strategies/measures, and their implementation monitoring
Search for, analysis and synthesis of information about EU and national policies	European Policies on asylum/migration, unemployment, poverty, elderly and COVID crisis
Decision-making	Social Policies representation in the Media: how they affect the integration of vulnerable social groups

COURSE V. Integration Policies for Vulnerable Social Groups

ACTIVITY V.1– BAFA BAFA

SKILLS & CONCEPTS TARGETED	• Intercultural awareness & communication • Respect for difference and multiculturalism • Team-work & Working in an interdisciplinary environment
OBJECTIVES	• To help participants understand the idea, power and importance of culture • To help participants learn how to value cultural differences • To reduce inhibitions and remove cultural barriers in binational or international groups
DURATION	90-100 minutes
PARTICIPANTS	15 -35 people
MATERIALS	• Two classrooms / separate spaces • Descriptions of two different cultures on colored paper (“Culture Overview Cards” – see Annex) • Nametags (half named “Alpha” in red, half named “Beta” in blue) • 1 box of 100 small paperclips for “Alphans” • 1 box of 100 large binder clips for “Betans” (any other small object can be used instead of clips if available in the required quantities) • A special wristband to be taped on the Alpha leader’s wrist
DESCRIPTION	Step 1: Introduction (5’) The teacher/facilitator introduces the simulation to the participants and assigns them membership in either the Alpha or Beta culture (handing out with them the corresponding paper clips & “Culture Overview” cards). Each culture has its own behavior and implicit cultural code that the participants must learn without knowing anything about the other civilization

ACTIVITY V.1 – BAFA BAFA

DESCRIPTION

Step 2: Understanding One's Own Culture (20’)
The participants should define the fundamental principles of their own culture, such as:
• How do we deal with each other?
• What makes us happy?
• Is my culture peaceful or warlike?
• Will my culture rule, observe, adapt?
• What is the goal of my culture (love, rule, growth, diplomacy …)?
• Religion of my culture: Is there an idol or a priest/ess who is worshipped or any other form of religious activity?
• What do people in my culture live from and can I get what I need?
The participants have 15’ to answer the above questions, outlining, thereby, their culture.
Step 3: Practicing Behaviors and Forms of Expression (10’)
Participants should practice behaviors and forms of expression for various emotions and needs such as uncertainty, fear, rejection, welcome, affection, pleasure, love and hate, and how to ask for help and offer help.
Step 4: Observer Period (15’)
Each culture sends an observer to the other to learn as much as possible about the other culture without directly asking questions. During this period, groups roleplay the values, expectations, norms, and customs of their new culture. Step 5: Hypothesis Development (10’)
Based on the report of the observer, each group develops hypotheses about the most effective way to interact with the other culture.
Step 6: Testing and Improving Hypotheses (20’)
After the hypotheses have been formulated, the participants take turns visiting the other culture in small groups. After each visit, the visitors report their observations to their group. The group uses the data to test and improve their hypotheses.

ACTIVITY V.1 – BAFA BAFA

DESCRIPTION	Step 7: Conclusion (20’) Once everyone has had a chance to visit the other culture, the simulation ends. The participants should debrief and reflect on their experience and what they have learned about cultural differences. Tips for the facilitator • The groups should restrict themselves to simple rules, since the discussion is difficult enough. • The teacher should choose neutral civilizations to take the drama out of the dialogue and gain distance from one’s own culture. However, if the purpose of the training is to prepare participants to interact with a different culture, present the facts of that culture as part of the discussion. • Emphasize that culturally competent individuals not only need to adapt and interact with people who are different but also need to design and sustain a work culture that includes everyone and allows each person to do their best work.
DEBRIEFING	• What were your feelings when you were preparing to take on the role of a new culture? • What were your feelings as suddenly strangers came into your ‘home’? • How was it to visit a culture whose language, gestures, and behaviors are unfamiliar? • Did the other culture react the way you expected them to? Why (not)? • How did you try to adapt? • Can you try to explain the culture of the other group? • Can you explain your own culture? • What does this game remind you of from real life?
SOURCE	Adapted by EKO from the INTERCULTURAL LEARNING for pupils and teachers Project: Tools to promote intercultural learning for living in diverse societies Bafa Bafa - Intercultural Learning (intercultural-learning.eu)

ACTIVITY V.2 – NEW COUNTRY, OLD PROBLEMS

SKILLS & CONCEPTS TARGETED	• Critical Thinking • Information research and processing through the Media • Working in an interdisciplinary environment • Creative and inductive thinking - innovation
OBJECTIVES	• To promote the importance of Democracy and address related topics (Media Literacy and Critical Thinking)
DURATION	45-60 minutes
PARTICIPANTS	20 – 30 people (to be divided into four groups)
MATERIALS	Paper & Pens
DESCRIPTION	The trainer starts by reading a story to the participants: Once upon a time a little population wanted to get independence. After a long fight, they finally got it. However, they started to face many problems. Some people wanted to implement democracy as political system, but some of the former elite wanted to undermine the idea, targeting the young people. So they started to control the communication channels: Television, social media and newspapers. Therefore, the people who believed in democracy faced an important mission. They need to think of ways how to prevent manipulation done by the media and raise awareness in young people about the importance of democracy. After dividing the groups into 4 smaller groups, the trainer gives the following instructions: 1. The ones who are part of the TV group should do a report about the election process. They should create fake news regarding the election process and present it as a role-play (as if they were journalists).

ACTIVITY V.2 – NEW COUNTRY, OLD PROBLEMS

DESCRIPTION	2. The ones who are part of the Social Media group should create fake news about corruption of democratic politicians and then post it on the Facebook group or write it on a piece of paper. 3. The ones who are part of the Newspaper should write a short article about the measures about immigration in other countries in a hostile manner (hateful/discriminative language) 4. The ones who are part of the people who believe in democracy should prepare counter-arguments to the fake news and mix them with the pros of democracy (see Annex). • Participants have 25’ to complete the above tasks. • After that, all groups have 5’ to present their work: Democratic people should sit in the center with media in front of them, on the left and on the right. After each media presentation, the democratic people are to present the counter-arguments, like a debate, addressing the fake news. Pointing out the false information and presenting how the reality really looks like and by that showing the pros of democracy.
DEBRIEFING	• What do you think we just did here? • What is your opinion about the media behavior? • What do you think about people’s behavior in a democracy? • What tools can we use to protect ourselves from fake news?
SOURCE	From the Erasmus+ funded project "Keep Democracy Great!" SALTO-YOUTH - Toolbox - Keep Democracy Great! Method Collection to Promote Democracy

ACTIVITY V.3 – BE PART OF THE SOLUTION

SKILLS & CONCEPTS TARGETED	• Leadership skills (teamwork; creative thinking – innovation; decision-making etc) • Debate & Problem-solving • Active engagement perspective and a sense of agency as responsible citizens
OBJECTIVES	• To promote the importance of Democracy • To increase the capacity to deal with different opinions and debate/discuss coherently with one own’s arguments
DURATION	40-45 minutes
PARTICIPANTS	16 - 32 people (to be divided into four groups)
MATERIALS	4 pieces of paper with the paragraph regarding Thesalstrand & 1 of the “representative-roles”, 20 post-it notes to vote on, pens, and a cardboard box with a hole at the top
DESCRIPTION	Preparation The facilitator prepares 4 strips of paper with the same issue written on it. The facilitator will also prepare post-its, a cardboard box with a hole at the top. Description The facilitator divides the 20 participants into 4 groups of 5 people and provide them with pieces of paper in which there is written the following: “In the village of Thesalstrand; Recently Roma immigrants moved there, the children of the immigrants are going to the school of the village. Some of the non-immigrant parents are complaining about the behavior of the immigrant children attending the same school as their children. They are sending angry letters to the mayor office. The mayor calls for a meeting with representatives of citizens”

ACTIVITY V.3 – BE PART OF THE SOLUTION

DESCRIPTION	Each group is assigned a different “representative-role” by the facilitator. The 4 roles are: 1. Association of local Families 2. The school 3. Foundation of Roma Families 4. The Town Council • In the groups, there will be a discussion for 20 minutes, on how they would resolve the situation. • Each group then gets 3 minutes to present how their Association/entity would resolve the provided issue. • After everyone has presented their resolution, the participants will have a debate for 10 minutes regarding the resolution. • Each participant must vote for two proposals.
DEBRIEFING	• Do you think your participation has an impact on solving the issue? Why? • What does identity and culture mean for you? Does it matter for you? • What new perspectives did you gain by being part of the role you were assigned, and through the debate with the other participants? • How did you contribute to the conversation with your group? • What new knowledge did you gain through the activity? • What was the work process like during the discussion in your group? • Are there any threats for EU values and state security? • Does government really understand current problems? • What defines a good citizen? What is the role of citizens in democracy?
SOURCE	From the Erasmus+ funded project "Keep Democracy Great!" SALTO-YOUTH - Toolbox - Keep Democracy Great! Method Collection to Promote Democracy

ACTIVITY V.4 – SOCIAL EMOTION

SKILLS & CONCEPTS TARGETED	• Intercultural awareness & communication • Respect for diversity • Creative and innovative thinking • Active, democratic participation, problem-solving and self-confidence
OBJECTIVES	• To develop social and civic competences as well as expression and communication skills within a team • To develop solidarity and interest in the local community problem solving • To increase the capacity to handle stress/frustration constructively
DURATION	60-90 minutes
PARTICIPANTS	6 - 24 people
MATERIALS	Set of game cards (42 Emotion cards, 30 Situation cards) (see Annex)
DESCRIPTION	• The facilitator chooses 5-6 situation cards which are suitable for the group playing and generally describes the main objectives of the game, rules and the playing process. • The pack of (selected) situation cards and spread-out emotion cards are on the table. • The facilitator takes one situation card and reads it out loud. • The rest of the players pick one emotion card randomly. • All players have to describe/act out what they could feel in the given situation based on their emotion cards. • The facilitator decides who is the first one. The round continues clockwise. • When the circle has finished, the facilitator starts debriefing (see Debriefing Questions).

ACTIVITY V.4 – SOCIAL EMOTION

DESCRIPTION	• After debriefing players put all the cards back on the table and cards are shuffled. • The facilitator takes a new situation card and everything repeats again. The game is played depending on the group size – until all cards are used or when the game master decides it is time to finish. • Round up for debriefing. Final debriefing depends on time limits, there can be options: in a big circle or in smaller groups, or individually with self-reflection templates. TIPS for facilitators: - Make debriefing after every round and make final debriefing at the end of the game - The situation cards are based on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Find more about it: eng.pdf (ohchr.org)
DEBRIEFING	• (Experience) What did you observe during the game (objective facts)? What happened? Did you like the game? What was difficult in this game? Did you have good group work? What did you notice? Which were more difficult moments, what did you enjoy? What were they? …? • (Reflection) How did you feel, when you had to play different (emotion) roles? Why? …? • (Conceptualization) What can we learn from it? What do you think, how important it is for people to understand each other? What did you learn yourself from this game? What did you learn together? …? • (Application in real life) How can we transfer it to our lives? Which similar cases have you noticed in real-life? Have you thought of similar situations before? Which skills are you taking with you from this game to everyday life (for example, the skill to be the group’s leader, notice, etc.)? …?
SOURCE	Tool “8KEYCOM”, developed during The Erasmus+ project “Enterprising and Surprising through 8 Key Competences”.

ACTIVITY V.5 – WORDS SALAD

SKILLS & CONCEPTS TARGETED	• Communication skills - Overcoming language barriers • Creativity, Critical thinking and self-criticism • Leadership and team-work
OBJECTIVES	• To increase awareness about vulnerable social groups and European policies • To promote efficient teamwork whilst increasing healthy competition attitudes • To help being more tolerant of other team members if there is any kind of miscommunication which might lead to failure
DURATION	60 minutes
PARTICIPANTS	20 - 25 people
MATERIALS	Papers, Scissors, Pens, Bowl, Timer, Scoreboard
DESCRIPTION	1. Split the group in three or four smaller groups of even numbers 2. The smaller groups form a circle round a table or on the floor 3. Participants sitting opposite each other are teammates 4. The trainers write some cards with words and concepts related to vulnerable social groups and European policies (e.g. refugee, poverty, Human Rights, inclusion, wellbeing, etc.) and put in a bowl in the centre of the table. 5. Each participant gets 1 minute to pick words from the bowl and describe it to his teammate. This is done in three rounds (using same words each round): 1st round: Describe with words but without using THE word 2nd round: Describe using only ONE word 3rd round: Describe with non-verbal means (mime, use of props etc) Points system: The winning team is the one with most guessed words. If a word is taking too long or the other person is not getting it, you can pick a different card. The round finishes when the bowl is empty.

ACTIVITY V.5 – WORDS SALAD

DESCRIPTION	Tips for the facilitator: You may use more specific terms and concepts, depending on the lecture/course you are integrating this activity in. For instance you may use words such as: Common European Asylum System, European Pillar of Social Rights etc, after having taught the relevant chapters /topics.
DEBRIEFING	• Do you think that after this activity you have a better understanding of the concepts of this theme? • What were the biggest difficulties you felt during the difference rounds? • Do you think that you can use this activity in life? If yes, in what situation/s? • Would you want to repeat this experience?
SOURCE	Adapted by EKO from The Toolkit prepared by participants of the "Eco-Active in the City" Project.

ACTIVITY V.6 – JUMP IN HIS SHOES

SKILLS & CONCEPTS TARGETED	• Creativity and Imagination • Social Development • Representation of vulnerable groups’ Rights and Needs
OBJECTIVES	• To improve the dialogue between different actors and to broaden their circle of interest and knowledge of societal inequalities • To emphasize the role of the institutions in building a peaceful and democratic society • To point out basic human rights and obligations
DURATION	60 minutes
PARTICIPANTS	Adaptable to different group sizes
MATERIALS	Sheets, pens, whiteboard, markers, scissors, whiteboard paper
DESCRIPTION	● Ask participants to divide themselves into small groups of two or three people. In each group there should be a consensus on the roles participants take - a journalist and 1 or 2 citizens. ● On pre-cut sheets of paper, write representatives from different social groups and bend them so that they do not see what is written. Each group must arbitrarily pull on a sheet that will determine their role in society: Eg. • A person with physical disabilities • Retired • Unemployed • Hostess • Worker • Prisoner • Student • A person with a different skin colour • Homeless person • Teenager without parents • A person from a minority group • A person of different ethnic origin • After the participants pick up their roles, take 10 minutes for reflection. At this time, anyone who is in the role of an interviewee should consider a situation according to his/her role in which his/her social rights have been violated, and so they have turned to the media to make the case public.

ACTIVITY V.6 – JUMP IN HIS SHOES

SKILLS & CONCEPTS TARGETED	• Creativity and Imagination • Social Development • Representation of vulnerable groups’ Rights and Needs
OBJECTIVES	• To improve the dialogue between different actors and to broaden their circle of interest and knowledge of societal inequalities • To emphasize the role of the institutions in building a peaceful and democratic society • To point out basic human rights and obligations
DURATION	60 minutes
PARTICIPANTS	Adaptable to different group sizes
MATERIALS	Sheets, pens, whiteboard, markers, scissors, whiteboard paper
DESCRIPTION	● Ask participants to divide themselves into small groups of two or three people. In each group there should be a consensus on the roles participants take - a journalist and 1 or 2 citizens. ● On pre-cut sheets of paper, write representatives from different social groups and bend them so that they do not see what is written. Each group must arbitrarily pull on a sheet that will determine their role in society: Eg. • A person with physical disabilities • Retired • Unemployed • Hostess • Worker • Prisoner • Student • A person with a different skin colour • Homeless person • Teenager without parents • A person from a minority group • A person of different ethnic origin • After the participants pick up their roles, take 10 minutes for reflection. At this time, anyone who is in the role of an interviewee should consider a situation according to his/her role in which his/her social rights have been violated, and so they have turned to the media to make the case public.

ACTIVITY V.6 – JUMP IN HIS SHOES

DESCRIPTION	• Once the discussion time has passed, ask each group to tell about the interview. In this way, the problems of the different groups and professions will be outlined, as well as the relationship between the institutions and the citizens. Initiate a discussion. Ask each group how it felt when it was subject to public attention (in the person of the journalist). • Encourage "society" to ask questions and analyse the situation.
DEBRIEFING	The facilitator places a white sheet of paper (or colourful empty post-its) on the wall and challenges the group to make a summary. On the paper it says: "The ten words I will remember from this activity?". Each of the participants says (or writes him/herself on the papers) a word/term, a phrase that he/she will remember from this learning exercise.
SOURCE	From the Handbook of the Erasmus+ project "No Gaps - Transnational methodology for socio-labor intervention with young women asylum seekers and refugees”

ACTIVITY V.7 - MAKE BETTER DECISIONS

SKILLS & CONCEPTS TARGETED	• Creativity and Imagination • Independent thinking & Self-decision making • Social Development & attitude of active participation
OBJECTIVES	• To help learners think about their needs and values, and focus on what is important to them (self-decision making) • To enhance learners' capacity to identify and select alternatives based on their own’s values, preferences and beliefs, unburdened of others' influence and pressure • To encourage reflection on any changes we can make at a personal and social level, improving decision-making
DURATION	60 minutes
PARTICIPANTS	Adaptable to different group sizes
MATERIALS	Coloured pencils, printed worksheets (see Annex)
DESCRIPTION	• The trainer presents the 4 steps for self-decision, which the learners can practice. (10’) Step 1: Protect yourself from situations when somebody puts pressure on you. Don't be afraid to be different. Don't do anything only because you want to please somebody. Step 2: Think about the consequences before making a decision. Think independently. Use you reasoning skills. Don’t do anything only because you have been told to do so. Think about whether the decision you are making is right and if you will not make a mistake. Consider the consequences of your actions and how they will affect your health and your future.

ACTIVITY V.7 - MAKE BETTER DECISIONS

DESCRIPTION

Step 3: Be prepared for different situations. Only when you have the knowledge of what is good and what is bad, you gain the power to say 'NO'.

Step 4: Act firmly. Explain why you will not follow others and their reaction may surprise you. Every time you defend your position, you get stronger and you show that YOU decide for yourself what to do.

• The trainer distributes a worksheet (see Annex) to each learner and they independently perform the tasks:
A / Color in green those things that fit your needs, interests and values. (5’) B / Color in orange those that do not match your needs, interests and values. (5’)

• The trainer divides the class into smaller groups of 3-4 people and invites the learners to discuss their definitions for a concept "e.g. health" and offer a definitive argument for the meaning of the term. (10’)
• The task of each group is to rank the words from the table in order of importance. (e.g.: 1. HEALTH, 2. CAREER, 3. ...., 4. ...., 5. BEAUTY) (15’)
• Discussion follows on the similarities and the differences identified among the groups, so that each group should defend its decision. (15’)

Tip to the facilitator:
You can adapt the worksheets and create other with different words, according to your needs, or when you want to repeat the same exercise with different self-reflection roles each time. To create new worksheets you can use the helping material in the Annex

ACTIVITY V.7 – MAKE BETTER DECISIONS

DEBRIEFING	• Have you personally experienced situations in which the others have been forcing you to do things that are wrong for your age/background/personality or unacceptable to you and the society? • How do you meet the challenge of being yourself? • Why is it good for everyone to make decisions about her/his own actions?
SOURCE	From the Handbook of the Erasmus+ project "No Gaps - Transnational methodology for socio-labor intervention with young women asylum seekers and refugees”

Activity Worksheet

ACTIVITY V.8 - CIRCLE OF VOICES

SKILLS & CONCEPTS TARGETED	• Social policies & European strategies • Protection of vulnerable groups' rights • Sense of agency and active participation attitudes • Respect, Acceptance and Integration
OBJECTIVES	• To give space for participants to share their views and understanding on Social policies and European strategies (esp. about social inclusion of vulnerable groups) • To learn how to communicate and discuss in order to improve better learning within the group
DURATION	60 minutes
PARTICIPANTS	10 - 25 people
MATERIALS	Chairs for every participant (4 in the middle of a circle)
DESCRIPTION	At the start of the session, the trainers place 4 chairs in the middle of the circle where participants are seated. The trainers introduce the exercise: 1. Only the people who are sitting in one of the 4 chairs (inner circle) are invited to discuss the actual topic that is proposed by the trainer. 2. Anyone anytime can take the initiative to take one of the 4 seats. 3. If all the chairs are taken, a person, who wishes to join the conversation, can approach one person sitting in the inner circle, asking them to give him/her the place. 4. At any moment of the discussion, a person from the inner circle can also change place and leave the inner circle. 5. The exercise finishes when ALL the participants have sat in the inner circle at least once, and contributed to the debate.

ACTIVITY V.8 - CIRCLE OF VOICES

DESCRIPTION	The main questions for the debate could be: • What is the “Europe 2020” Strategy? • What are some tools and methods for monitoring the implementation of European and national policies for vulnerable groups? • What can be the causes of migration for an individual? • What is the difference between a migrant and a refugee? • How much do you agree with the current definition of a refugee (in legal terms)? • What is the effect of migration on individuals and their environment? • What is being done/can be done by Europe for specific parts of the population (youth, elderly, women, unemployed ..)? •Do you know some measures to combat poverty at an (inter)national/local level? • Have you ever been in contact with Roma and homeless people? • How are the social policy issues of vulnerable groups covered by the media? Depending on the flow of the discussion, the trainers are introducing the new questions. It is important to follow the direction of the discussion, giving space to participants to discuss social, political, economic processes that are in the background/related to the topic of interest.
DEBRIEFING	• What do you think about the setting of the activity and its rules on the debate? • What would have been different if the activity did not have this setting, but everyone was free to speak any time? Would people have the same degree of equal opportunities to share their views? • What can we learn from this experience regarding group discussions?
SOURCE	Developed by the Entrepreneurship and Social Economy Group (EKO)

Skills Targeted	Concepts Targeted
Creativity & Innovation	EU Funding areas & programs
Active citizenship attitudes	EU-Recovery Plan
Critical analysis of current social issues	Transparency, Information & Dissemination rules and principles
Project planning and management	EU policy and programs targeting vulnerable groups & integration

COURSE VI. Funds & Grants: Social Integration And Rights Related Projects

SKILLS & CONCEPTS TARGETED	• Project planning and management • Creative and Inductive Thinking – Innovation • Protection of vulnerable groups Rights • Social Development & Active citizenship attitude
OBJECTIVES	• To enhance the participants' skills in developing projects • To help students assess challenges and define precise goals and tactics aimed at supporting marginalized social groups • To break down all the activities and tasks required to organize and implement a project
DURATION	240 minutes (to be split in three sessions: 90' + 120' + 60')
PARTICIPANTS	10 - 35 people (divided in groups of 3 to 5 people max)
MATERIALS	Flipchart papers, markers, pens, colours, post-its
DESCRIPTION	First Session: Problem & Objective Analysis (90’) • Facilitate a brainstorming on key topics that need improvement in the community to better support vulnerable social groups. Write the students’ ideas on a flipchart paper. • Have each group choose one of the topics to work on based on their priorities, needs, competences, and interests, and then conduct a short problem analysis on this topic. • Then ask each group to: i. Identify the main/focal problem addressed by their project. For example, "Young refugees have low rates of mental health service access in the hosting community." Or “Seniors face growing barriers to keep up with the demands of digitalized society, even for day-to-day tasks” or “Low-income families in our city struggle to access healthy and nutritious food options”

ACTIVITY VI.1 - CHARTING THE CHANGE:
CREATING EFFECTIVE PROJECT PLANS

DESCRIPTION

ii. Conduct a more detailed analysis of the underlying causes:
They have to break them down into categories such as policy/legal constraints, institutional constraints, capacity weaknesses, and social/cultural norms. They also have to present relevant background facts and statistics with sources.

iii. Share the identified problems in a plenary:
Each group has 3-5' to present their findings. After each presentation all participants are invited to give feedback and express their thoughts on the other group's presentation

After all works are presented, have groups sit together again and think for 5’ how they can turn the problems into desired states or objectives to be reached. This is preliminary work for the 2nd session that should be implemented the next / another day.

Second Session: Strategy Analysis (120’)
The participants are split into the same groups and asked to:

i. Identify the AIM: to briefly state the overarching goal of the project (preferably in one sentence). This is the long-term, high-level goal of the project, which actually extends well beyond the scope of the project’s timeline and scale of intervention. It is assumed that if the project objectives and outcomes are achieved, then the project will have made some contribution towards this overall goal.
ii. Identify the specific OBJECTIVE: to briefly state the specific objective (preferably in one sentence). This is the medium-term objective of the project and should be selected such that considerable progress towards this objective should have been made in the time frame of the project. The main/focal problem and the project objective are interrelated in that the project objective seeks to directly address the main/focal problem.
For example, if the focal problem is identified as being “Refugee young people have low rates of mental health service access in the hosting community”, then the specific objective might be “To increase the rate of mental health service access for refugee young people in the hosting community”.

ACTIVITY VI.1 - CHARTING THE CHANGE:
CREATING EFFECTIVE PROJECT PLANS

DESCRIPTION

iii. List the Expected OUTCOMES: to write down all the expected outcomes (one sentence each). These are the actual positive changes that will be brought about within the timeframe of the project. The outcomes should be realistically framed, so that they are achievable within the time frame of the project. They should logically flow up from the outputs of the project.
Example: 1. An increased participation of public & private actors in the creation of strategies to increase mental health services targeting refugee young people in the hosting community.
2. Equipped public and private actors with key competences to provide mental health services targeting refugee young people in the hosting community
3. Increased number of mental health services that are accessible by young refugees in the hosting community.

iv. Define the PROJECT STRATEGY: to provide an explanation of the project’s approach and the different components/elements/mechanisms involved as well as a justification of why a particular approach was taken.
Specifically:
* clear explanation of how the strategy will directly tackle the specific problems identified in the problem analysis.
* An outline of the main steps of the strategy and its timeline

v. Identify BENEFICIARIES and GEOGRAPHIC SCOPE: to state the intended project beneficiaries, both direct (those who will be directly targeted by the project) and indirect. Provide an approximate number for each. State the geographic scope of the project (states, provinces, districts, villages etc.), along with names and numbers (e.g the 3 Description provinces of x, y and z, with 15 districts in each).

Third Session: Workplan - Creation of the GANTT Chart (60’)
The so-called GANTT chart is a visual representation of a project’s schedule that shows the start and end dates of all the tasks and activities in a project, as well as their interdependencies. It also includes information about the duration of each task, the resources required to complete it, and the order in which the tasks need to be completed. GANTT charts are widely used in project management to help teams plan, track, and visualize their project progress.

ACTIVITY VI.1 - CHARTING THE CHANGE:
CREATING EFFECTIVE PROJECT PLANS

DESCRIPTION	Ask participants to develop a GANTT chart by using the following checklist: • step 1: for each expected result list the main activities; • step 2: break activities down into manageable tasks; • step 3: clarify sequence and dependencies of the activities; • step 4: estimate start-up, duration and completion of all activities; • step 5: define milestones and expertise that are needed to implement the activities and achieve each expected result. At the end of the activity: Ask each group to present their work and share the learning achievements within the activity. Encourage the group to review both the task, as well as the process (most groups tend to focus on the task). SUGGESTED READING/RESOURCES: Project Cycle Management Guidelines, European Commission: Managing a project \| International Partnerships (europa.eu)
DEBRIEFING	After the First Session: • What surprised you about the problem analysis process? Did you learn anything new about the issue you chose to work on? • What were some of the underlying causes of the problem that you identified? Were there any factors that you hadn't considered before? • How did your group decide on the focal problem to address? Was it a difficult decision to make? • What were some of the challenges that your group faced when trying to turn the problem into a desired state (objective)? How did you overcome those challenges? At the End of the Activity: • What was the most interesting or innovative idea that your group came up with to address the problem? Do you think it is feasible? • How did it feel to present your findings to the rest of the group? Did you receive any useful feedback or insights from other participants? • What are some possible next steps for addressing the problem you identified? How can you turn your desired state into a concrete project plan? • What did you learn about working collaboratively with others during this activity? How can you apply those lessons to future projects or initiatives?
SOURCE	Developed by the Entrepreneurship and Social Economy Group (EKO)

ACTIVITY VI.1 - CHARTING THE CHANGE:
CREATING EFFECTIVE PROJECT PLANS

ACTIVITY VI.2 - ACT IT OUT: THE EU RECOVERY PLAN

SKILLS & CONCEPTS TARGETED	• The EU Recovery Plan • Communication, co-operation and Creativity • Reflection & Critical Thinking • Social Development & Active citizenship
OBJECTIVES	• To increase the understanding of the EU Recovery Plan (Next Generation EU) • To encourage creativity and imagination in exploring solutions to social and economic challenges
DURATION	60 - 70 minutes
PARTICIPANTS	12 - 30 people
MATERIALS	Small piece of papers, pen, laptop, projector
DESCRIPTION	• Divide the participants into groups of 2-3 people. • Prepare small pieces of paper with one of the seven key features of the EU Recovery Plan written on each paper • Distribute the papers to the groups depending on their size. • Instruct the groups to take a few minutes to decide on a thematic area covered by the Plan that they have chosen to present in a small scene to the others • After the groups have prepared their acts (30’), ask them to present and let the others guess which heading is being presented. Each act should be 2-4 minutes long. • After the presentations, discuss with the participants: * Which of the goals are crucial in their understanding for their community, society, or in global measures

ACTIVITY VI.2 - ACT IT OUT: THE EU RECOVERY PLAN

DESCRIPTION	* Which, in their opinion, are the most urgent issues that the participants wish to tackle locally or globally * What are some good practices that they know of that can contribute to the achievement of the goals • After the discussion you may project some website links and look for further details, news, and updates. Tips for the facilitator: • It can be also given as an option to present the given topics not only in pantomime acts, but in drawing as well. • Further resources related to The EU Recovery Plan and its Seven Key features: Recovery plan for Europe \| European Commission (europa.eu) •The EU’s 2021-2027 long-term Budget and NextGenerationEU
DEBRIEFING	Start by reviewing the activity itself and then go on to what they have learnt about the Plan. • How did people feel about this activity? Was it more or less difficult than they had first imagined? What were the most difficult aspects, or the most difficult things to represent? • Did people learn anything new about the Plan? Were they surprised that they actually knew more than they thought they did? • Were there similarities and differences in the different presentations? • Were there any fundamental disagreements over the idea of the key features within the group? How were these resolved? • Based on the presentations, what do participants think are the most important and shared topics/themes of the Plan?
SOURCE	The activity is based on and adapted from the exercise ‘Act it out’ (Council of Europe – Compass), by the Entrepreneurship and Social Economy Group (EKO)

ACTIVITY VI.3 - LIFE CYCLE OF A PROJECT

SKILLS & CONCEPTS TARGETED	• Cooperation and Team-work • Project Cycle • Reflection, Critical Thinking & Decision-Making • Social Development
OBJECTIVES	• To introduce participants to the key phases of the project cycle • To explore synergic key competences inside a team
DURATION	60 minutes
PARTICIPANTS	Adaptable to different group sizes
MATERIALS	Flipcharts, papers with the project cycle phases printed on them (1 phase per paper), pens, stickers
DESCRIPTION	• The facilitator puts the six papers, each with a different phase of the project cycle on the floor, and asks the participants to guess the correct sequence. • Then, the facilitator introduces the project cycle and the key concepts related to its six phases: 1. Programming 2. Identification 3. Formulation 4. Financing 5. Implementation 6. Evaluation

ACTIVITY VI.3 - LIFE CYCLE OF A PROJECT

DESCRIPTIO	• The facilitator puts the six papers on the floor again, this time in the correct order. Participants are then asked to place themselves near the phase, which they feel they could contribute most to/ they identify the most with. • Possibly people identify with more than one phases, which is normal. The facilitator asks everyone to select one that suits better than the rest. • Afterwards the participants are invited to divide themselves into discussion groups (6 groups) related to which phase they have chosen. They are asked to exchange ideas on 1. what is the role of the specific phase in the project cycle & why is it important; 2. what is its connection to other phases; 3. what are the main tasks to be completed during this phase; 4. how can stakeholders be involved or engaged during this phase, and which stakeholders are the most important now; 5. what are some common challenges/risks that can arise during this phase, and how can they be addressed • The in-groups discussion lasts for 30-40’ • At the end of the discussion, each group needs to announce a representative, who will summarize the group’s views and main points discussed in plenary. • Close the activity by summarizing the main feedback. Highlight that a team should be composed by synergic and complementary key competences related to all project phases. Manual on the 6 phases of the PMC in short
DEBRIEFING	• Was it easy to place yourself to a specific PMC phase? • Can you see parallels between your placement and your daily work/experience? • Why is the project cycle supposed to be never ending?
SOURCE	Developed by the Entrepreneurship and Social Economy Group (EKO)

SKILLS & CONCEPTS TARGETED	• Different readings of history & Multiculturalism • The role of history and media in shaping our beliefs • Critical thinking and self-criticism
OBJECTIVES	• To raise participants’ curiosity about other people's heroes • To allow self-reflection about one's ethnocentrism • To reflect about the role of history teaching & media as hero-makers
DURATION	90 minutes
PARTICIPANTS	10-40 people
MATERIALS	Flip chart, markers, paper and pencils
DESCRIPTION	• Divide the participants into groups of 5 to 6 people. • Ask people to start by thinking on their own about 3 people (famous or not) who are their personal heroes. • After about 5’ invite the participants to share their choices and say what they admire in those people. Allow sufficient time for a real exchange and questioning. • Ask each group to list on a flip chart the names of the heroes, their nationality and, if appropriate, the areas in which they became famous, or in which they excel e.g. sports, music, culture, politics, family... ) • In plenary, ask each group to present its flip chart to the other groups.
DEBRIEFING	• Were there any surprises or any heroes who were unknown to anybody? • Was there a trend in terms of, for example, nationality or gender? If so, why are most heroes from the same nationality, cultural background or gender? Are they nationals or foreigners? • What is it that makes us appreciate some heroes rather than others? • Do you think your heroes are universal? Why or why not?
SOURCE	From The Education Pack “All Different – All Equal”, Council of Europe, 2016

ACTIVITY VI.4 - PERSONAL(?) HEROES

ACTIVITY VI.5 - THE GARDEN OF EARTHLY DELIGHTS

SKILLS & CONCEPTS TARGETED	• Responsibility for one’s personal actions • Showing social responsibility • Critical analysis of social issues • New ideas to address social topics
OBJECTIVES	• To critically review our society from multiple points of view; • To use art as a means to trigger deeper reflections
DURATION	60 minutes
PARTICIPANTS	Adaptable to different group sizes
MATERIALS	A copy of The Garden of Earthly Delights painting (see Annex) for each group
DESCRIPTION	• Split the participants into groups of 4-5 people. • Each group receives a copy of The Garden of Earthly Delights painting. The groups have to carefully look at the images depicted in the painting and to decide on an aspect/part/section of the painting which represents aspects from our society at the present time. These can be very concrete behaviors of people or different institutions/structures, or these can be abstract features which reflect values or moral issues which exist or don’t exist anymore in our society. • The chosen section should be transferred in a short theatre scene. The group members can use any materials, props, location and helping elements in order to depict their interpretation of that specific section • After each performance, ask the audience: o What are the main messages of this performance? o What from it resembles the society we are living in at the moment? o What other thoughts and impressions do you have from it? • After all the performances have been delivered move to the discussion.

ACTIVITY VI.5 - THE GARDEN OF EARTHLY DELIGHTS

DESCRIPTION	Recommendations/Adaptations - You can also use a different painting for each group, to have more diverse perspectives. Options for other paintings are: other Bosh’s paintings such as The Haywain Triptych, The Last Judgement or paintings by Pieter Huys, Mad Meg or The Triumph of Death by Pieter Bruegel, etc - If you want to focus on specific actors from the society (state or non-state) you can suggest to specifically identify, in the painting, behaviours of different society actors (as the participants see them at the present time) and to portray them in a short performance.
DEBRIEFING	• How did you choose the elements you wanted to portray in the performance? What criteria have you used? • What similarities/differences have you noticed in all the performances? • How did you see yourself reflected in the painting or on the performed scene? • What kind of the society are all the scenes reflecting? • What stands out for you as the most disturbing aspect of the society ? • What gives you hope? • What can be done to address some of disturbing issues you have mentioned?
SOURCE	From the project “Using Theatre to Make Politics” (InterAlia NGO)

The Garden of Earthly Delights - Hieronymous Bosch

ACTIVITY VI.6 - COMMUNITY NEEDS SOLUTIONS

SKILLS & CONCEPTS TARGETED	• Problem solving skills • Team work • Awareness of civic responsibility
OBJECTIVES	• To understand the needs and issues within a community • To come up with potential solutions to address community problems • To develop an understanding of how community issues are experienced by those who are marginalized • To raise awareness of civic responsibility and encourage active involvement in the community, preparing this way the motivational ground for acting as citizen journalists
DURATION	90 minutes
PARTICIPANTS	12-32 participants (divided in groups of 3-4 people)
MATERIALS	Flipchart papers, markers, post-it notes Handout_Sources of Information on Community Issues (See Annex)
DESCRIPTION	Part A – Identifying Community Needs and Solutions • Divide the participants into small groups of 3-4 people. If they come from different countries, create same-country groups • Each group gets a flipchart, some post-its and markers • Ask the groups to read the Handout (Sources of Information on Community Issues) and research relevant sources to gain an overview on important issues faced by their communities (at the city or country level) – 10 minutes • After the research each group has to brainstorm and list the needs and issues within their community on the flipchart using post-it notes. These can include issues related to housing, education, healthcare, transportation, safety, environmental problems, resources and services for families etc – 10 minutes

ACTIVITY VI.6 - COMMUNITY NEEDS SOLUTIONS

DESCRIPTION	• Once the groups have finished listing the main needs and issues, ask them to organize the post-it notes into categories – 3 minutes • After that, ask the groups to think of potential solutions for each need/issue included in their list. Each “problem/issue post-it” has to be matched with a “solution post-it” – 10 minutes • Once the groups have finished, ask each group to present their needs, issues, and solutions to the whole group – 5 minutes per group Part B – Examining Community Issues through a different lens • After completing the first part, ask the teams to select one minority group that is prevalent in their community (e.g. low-income families, migrants, people with disabilities, senior citizens etc) and go through their listed problems, thinking how these are experienced by their selected minority group. • At the end they have to select 1 problem that they consider as the gravest problem for that group – 10 minutes
DEBRIEFING	• What did you learn about the needs and issues in your community? • How did your group approach the task of identifying the main issues faced by your community? • How did you identify the solutions to those problems? • What were some of the challenges you faced while working in your group? • What did you learn about the experiences of the minority group you selected? Were there any surprises or new insights that came to light as you considered the problem from the perspective of this group?
SOURCE	Developed by the Entrepreneurship and Social Economy Group (EKO)

ACTIVITY VI.7 - THE WORST FUTURE

SKILLS & CONCEPTS TARGETED	• Reflection and Critical Thinking • Showing social responsibility • Critical analysis of the society we live in & Future perspectives • New ideas addressing social topics
OBJECTIVES	• To critically reflect about the consequences of the present situation on the people in the future • To identify the main priority areas for intervention in the present • To develop a deeper understanding of the society's problems
DURATION	90 - 100 minutes
PARTICIPANTS	15-35 people
MATERIALS	Papers & pens for notes; Different props to be used in theatrical plays minutes
DESCRIPTION	• Split the participants into groups of 3-4 people: If you implement this activity after the VI.6 “Community Needs Solutions” you should keep the same groups. • Each group has 10’ to brainstorm and list the needs and issues within their community. These can include issues related to housing, education, healthcare, transportation, safety, environmental problems, resources and services for families etc: If you implement this activity after the VI.6 “Community Needs Solutions” you may skip this part and ask participants to work on the same topics as before. • In each group, participants are tasked with imagining the worst possible outcome that could arise from a specific problem that the group is working on. The scenario they envision should be a realistic possibility and not an extreme dystopia. While they are encouraged to think freely, the focus should be on creating a very negative but plausible scenario, after discussing with each other in their groups. The groups have 10’ for this step.

ACTIVITY VI.7 - THE WORST FUTURE

DESCRIPTION	• Then the groups have 20 minutes to prepare a performance (of 3-5 minutes), which shows their version of the worst possible future. They should include different society actors in their alternative future. • Each group should present their piece and the audience has to reflect on the performance, answering questions such as: - What societal actors were included in the performance, and how were they portrayed? - What is happening to them? - What kind of challenges does this community face? How is life for the members of this community? • The discussion after each performance has to focus only on decoding the main content of the play. The interpretations and impressions from each play will be addressed in the follow-up discussion, after all scenes have been performed.
DEBRIEFING	• How are you feeling after seeing all these performances? • What were the common elements in the performances? What were some unique elements? • Which ones do you think are likely to happen? • Which scenarios for the future could you tolerate more, and which ones you don’t see yourself ever living in? • What is necessary for materialisation (or not) of these futures? • What needs to change now, in order to reduce the possibilities of such futures to take place? • What are the most urgent and important things that need to be done now? • Who is responsible for these things? • How can we determine/influence these changes?
SOURCE	From the project “Using Theatre to Make Politics” (InterAlia NGO)

ACTIVITY VI.8 - COMMUNITY STORYTELLING

SKILLS & CONCEPTS TARGETED	• Community Engagement through journalism • Persuasive & motivating writing skills; Artistic & Creative Expression • Presenting information in a meaningful and engaging way • Empathy and Understanding
OBJECTIVES	• To train a wide array of skills needed to become a competent journalist (e.g. writing skills, critical thinking, creative expression, collaboration skills, empathy etc) • To promote empathy and understanding among participants about the challenges faced by different communities and social groups • To encourage the use of journalism as a tool for community engagement, giving a voice to those who are often marginalized and unheard
DURATION	90-120 minutes
PARTICIPANTS	12-32 (divided in groups of 3-4 people)
MATERIALS	Flipcharts, Post-its, Markers Handout (Sources of Information on Community Issues); Handout (How to write a good feature article) (See Annex) Presentation “Feature Article Basics”
DESCRIPTION	Preparation • Divide the participants into smaller teams (3-4 people per group) • Give each group a set of post-its and markers as well as the first Handout (Sources of Information on Community Issues) Part A – Identifying issues of marginalized groups (25’) • Assign each team a different group of people with fewer opportunities within the local area (e.g. low-income tenants, senior citizens, immigrant communities, etc.) through random selection (for instance, paper strips

ACTIVITY VI.8 - COMMUNITY STORYTELLING

DESCRIPTION	with the different social groups in a cup, out of which each team has to randomly draw one strip) • Each team has to research and gather information about their assigned social group and identify a list of issues that they face in their community. To facilitate the research process, the teams can use the “Sources of Information on Community Issues “ Handout, which can help them navigate through relevant sources more easily • Then, each team has to select one problem out of their list; the one they think has the greatest negative effects on their selected social group. Part B – Feature Article • Begin with a short presentation about what a feature article is, and tips on how to write a good one – 10-15 minutes • Share the Handout “Writing a Feature article” to all groups • Each team has to create a Feature article (800-1000 words long) presenting a “Human Interest Story” or a “Profile feature article” regarding a person from their selected social group that a. highlights the selected community issue from the perspective of that group; b. provides some ideas on possible solution c. includes a call to action (i.e. telling the audience to do something, either explicitly or implicitly) – 30-40 minutes • Allow time for each group to present their articles to the rest of the participants – 3 minutes per group • After the presentation of each article ask from the rest of participants to provide their feedback and recommendations fro improvement for each part of the article (Topic, Headline, Introduction, Body, Conclusion) – 5' per group
VARIATION	If during a training you implement the Activity “Community Needs Solutions” you can skip part A of the present Activity

ACTIVITY VI.8 - COMMUNITY STORYTELLING

FOLLOW-UP QUESTIONS	These questions can help participants provide useful feedback in a structured manner: Topic: ◊ Is the topic relevant to the selected social group and the issue being highlighted? ◊ Does it effectively address the issue from the perspective of the group? Headline: ◊ Does the headline effectively communicate the essence of the story? Is it catchy and attention-grabbing? Introduction: ◊ Does the introduction provide sufficient background information on the selected social group and the issue being highlighted? ◊ Does it effectively engage the reader and set the tone for the rest of the article? Body: ◊ Does the main part of the article provide sufficient detail and information to support the story being told (e.g. does it “show” or “tell”, are the opinions expressed adequately corroborated? ◊ Are the sources of information credible and reliable? ◊ Does the article make use of effective rhetorical and literary techniques? Conclusion: ◊ Does the conclusion effectively summarize the main points of the article? ◊ Does it include a clear call to action that is relevant to the audience?
SOURCE	Developed by the Entrepreneurship and Social Economy Group (EKO)

ACTIVITY VI.9 - PERSONAL IS POLITICAL

SKILLS & CONCEPTS TARGETED	• Reflection and Critical Thinking • The main Social Actors • Social responsibility & Personal Agency • Issues of political relevance & Dynamics of power analysis
OBJECTIVES	• To increase awareness on what/who defines a political issue • To draw connections between personal realities and issues of political relevance • To increase critical thinking regarding the power dynamics around prioritization of political interest issues
DURATION	90 minutes
PARTICIPANTS	Adaptable to different group sizes
MATERIALS	A big board; Paper/Pens for all the groups
DESCRIPTION	• Together with the group create a list with answers to the following question: What issues from your private life are important to you? Answering this question is a group brainstorming; everything the group says goes on the board/paper of suggestions. If necessary, clarify what this question refers to by providing examples such as: career, house chores, romantic relationship, children rearing, clothing, body hair, physical looks, money, sleeping routine, etc. • At the end of the brainstorming split the participants into groups of 3-4 people. Each group has to analyse the outcomes of the brainstorming, i.e. separate the items noted on the board in two lists; one should include the private issues which represent political relevance, meaning that systemic decisions/structures are invested/ touch upon those issues, and a second list with the remaining issues. Give 15 minutes for this task.

ACTIVITY VI.9 - PERSONAL IS POLITICAL

DESCRIPTION

• Each group presents their findings to each other. In case of disagreements ask the groups to justify and explain their reasons better. Use the following questions to facilitate a small discussion:
o How did you decide which issues have political relevance or not? o Which topics were harder to decide upon and why?
o To what extent does political relevance mean that those issues are regulated by the state? Could you exemplify?

• Ask participants to go back to their groups (you may create new groups if you find it more enriching for the process) and analyse their original lists, the revised versions (if they have made changes after the group discussion), choose 1 to 3 issues from any of the lists, which should be in the attention of the political and systemic structures; they should select issues which aren’t regulated by the state at the moment.
• They need to prepare a short performance in which they will argue for those specific issues, to come into the attention of political structures and system. They are free to use any props and format they wish for the performance. Give them 20 minutes for this part of the process.
• Each group presents their theatre plays - ask the other groups which issues they have noticed and what arguments they identified; what other comments, observations they have from the performance and depicted aspects;
• After all groups have presented their work move on to the big discussion with the entire group.

Recommendations/Adaptations
The phrase “The personal is political”, or else “The private is political” brought to the public discourse the connections between personal experience and larger social and political structures. The phrase has been repeatedly described as a defining characterization of second-wave feminism or feminism in general, BUT in this activity we use it in order to create awareness about what aspects of our personal/private life are political or not.

ACTIVITY VI.9 - PERSONAL IS POLITICAL

DEBRIEFING	• What are your main thoughts/reflections from all the performances? • How did you decide which issues to depict in the performance? Why those issues and not others? • What about the arguments you have used in order to lobby for these issues, to have political interest? How did you come up with them? • Could you add more arguments for any of the presented issues? • Why are these issues not politically regulated? What does it mean to be politically regulated/managed? • What about the issues that are regulated? Should they be regulated? Which private issues should remain private and which shouldn’t? Why? • If personal is political – what does this actually mean for us and for our community? •If ‘‘the personal is political’’, aren’t we all politically engaged? What makes the difference between engagement in a political party and any other entity/structure of a society? • What should we do regarding the issues we have discussed today?
SOURCE	From the project “Using Theatre to Make Politics” (InterAlia NGO)

Skills Targeted	Concepts Targeted
Critical thinking & analysis	Constructivism & Socio-constructivism
Learning to learn	Cognitive & meta-cognitive skills
Personal Development planning	Phenomenon-based approach to education
Self-reflection & exploration of own strengths and weaknesses	Practical pedagogical approaches (Problem- & Platform- based learning, community service learning, experiential learning etc)
Stress-management & Mindfulness	Teaching approaches to fake news, disinformation & hate speech
Collaborative Learning & Teamwork	Higher education pedagogy
Active participation & Sense of Agency	Mobile and e-learning

COURSE VII. Transformative Methodological Approach:
Teaching, Training, Learning

ACTIVITY VII.1 - TWO SIDES OF THE COIN

SKILLS & CONCEPTS TARGETED	•Life-long Learning & learning to learn skills • Self-Reflection & Critical Thinking • Awakening Curiosity & Personal Development • Exploring strengths, weaknesses & personal limits
OBJECTIVES	• To help participants articulate what they have learned and what competences they still need to develop • To reflect on the importance of acknowledging what they do not know
DURATION	20-40 minutes
PARTICIPANTS	Adaptable to different group sizes
MATERIALS	Paper coins (see Annex)
DESCRIPTION	Rationale Learning outcomes are like the two sides of a coin. For everything we learn, there is something we have yet to discover. Being aware of what we do not know is a great way to discover new learning paths and generate curiosity, and that is important if we want to keep learning. This exercise is meant to help participants do that. Description The activity has to be implemented at the end of a lecture. • Give one paper coin to each participant and ask them to write one thing they have learnt during the lecture on one side. • Explain at this point that they will later discuss what they have written, but they can keep the coins for themselves in the end. • Once they have finished, ask them to write a “however” sentence on the other side of the coin, explaining something relevant that they have not learned yet or need to improve on.

ACTIVITY VII.1 - TWO SIDES OF THE COIN

DESCRIPTION	Example: Side 1 - I learned about EU institutions; side 2 - However, I am still curious to know more about how the different institutions cooperate. • Hand out two more coins to each participant. Ask them to do the same with these additional coins, identifying other things they have learned on side 1 and the related challenges on side 2. • Finally, invite the participants to read out what they wrote. Tips for the facilitator: • If you have time, you can ask participants to write down how they can develop that competence further. Example: Side 1 = I have learned how to write my own reflections; Side 2 = However, I still need to develop that skill further. I can take a creative writing course to gain more confidence and improve my writing skills. • Make sure you let students know that it is ok to have questions and admit what they do not know. • During the process, you may choose to fill in a coin of your own and share your own learning and learning needs with them. • Do not collect the coins in the end. Treat them as personal material, like a diary, that they should keep for themselves. If you want to collect the information about what your students would like to learn more/did not understand sufficiently, keep notes during the activity. During debriefing, you can read your notes out to them and ask them if they want to include anything in their self-assessment.
DEBRIEFING	• Real coins have a monetary value. Do you think the things you wrote down have value? • What side has more value? Side 1 or 2? Why? • Is it important to think about what we don’t know yet? Why? • For non-formal education programs: Are there sentences on your coins you would like to use in your Youthpass?
SOURCE	Adapted by the Entrepreneurship and Social Economy Group (EKO) from the Handbook "Valued by You, Valued by Others: Improving the visibility of competences in Youthpass"

ACTIVITY VII.2 - CONNECTING THE DOTS

SKILLS & CONCEPTS TARGETED	• Collaborative Learning • Self-assessment; Creating Understanding & Evaluation • Recognizing the Learning Experience; Learning to learn skills • Shared memory/knowledge
OBJECTIVES	• To allow participants to use each other’s words and memories to make sense of a specific learning experience
DURATION	approx. 40 minutes (depending on group size)
PARTICIPANTS	Adaptable to different group sizes
MATERIALS	Large poster or roll of paper; Pens with different colours; Highlighters
DESCRIPTION	The activity has to be implemented at the end of a lecture. Step 1: Prepare the Materials Prepare a large empty poster for the group and give one pen of a different colour to each participant Step 2: First Round During the first round, ask participants to write down words related to topics they learned about in that specific lecture (e.g., Cultural trauma, Social Entrepreneurship, Discriminative Discourse, Common European Asylum System...). Allow 2-4 minutes per round. Step 3: Second Round During the second round, ask participants to write down words about things they have experienced, such as activities, or things they tried (e.g., writing a feature article, defining SMART goals for a project plan, working on a business model…). Allow 2-4 minutes per round. Step 4: Third Round During the third round, ask participants to write down words about things they actually learned (working in a team, being patient, expressing their thoughts in public, writing persuasively, using

ACTIVITY VII.2 - CONNECTING THE DOTS

DESCRIPTION	a certain digital tool, empathizing with challenges of different groups…). Allow 2-4 minutes per round. Step 5: Connect the Words After the last round, ask participants to connect different words (theirs or others') on the poster, creating a maze or drawing a line with their own highlighters. Each participant should select any words on the poster that they feel are relevant to their learning path, even if those words were written by someone else. They can connect them in any way they want, as long as it makes sense to them. Step 6: Write a Text Ask each participant to use the words they connected in a written text that should be written on a separate piece of paper. Allow 15 - 20 minutes for this step. Step 7: Optional Step Yoiu may ask learners to read their texts out loud or to use the poster as inspiration for creating their evaluation.
DEBRIEFING	• How did it feel recalling the memories from your learning experience? • Did it help to use other people’s words? • Looking at your text now, how do you feel about your learning experience? • What can you use from this text for your Evaluation?
SOURCE	From the Handbook "Valued by You, Valued by Others: Improving the visibility of competences in Youthpass"

ACTIVITY VII.3 - HEROES & ANTI-HEROES

SKILLS & CONCEPTS TARGETED	• Learning to learn • Self-awareness & Self-improvement (identifying personal strengths, abilities, skills and talents) • Brainstorming ideas and creating a Learning Plan • Evaluation and Reflection
OBJECTIVES	a) To provide the participants with a creative framework for self-reflection and for identifying their strengths, abilities, skills and talents (If applied as an evaluation & self-reflection tool) b) To provide participants with a basis for setting learning objectives and developing a personal learning plan (If applied as a needs-analysis tool)
DURATION	40-60 minutes
PARTICIPANTS	10-35 people
MATERIALS	- Pens and Papers for each person - For the Variation (below) you may also need a tripod, a camera and an assistant
DESCRIPTION	Version 1: Self-reflection & Evaluation It can be helpful if, before this exercise, participants do a personal SWOT analysis (see Annex). Step 1: Creating a New Superhero (5’) Explain to your students that the purpose of this activity is to increase their self-awareness. Each student should work alone to create a new “superhero” based on their actual skills and talents (it is essential that the superhero is the student him/herself; not a mix of an imaginary hero and the student). Step 2: Writing an article (20’-30’) Participants should describe their superhero and write a story about an event in which this hero demonstrates their powers. Students should imagine that there's an article published in the newspaper about the event.

ACTIVITY VII.3 - HEROES & ANTI-HEROES

DESCRIPTION

To trigger their inspiration give a set of some possible titles for the article (however, students are free to come up with different titles for their articles):
"The world is looking for a mysterious hero" "Local hero saves the day!"
“I, HERO”
"From ordinary to extraordinary: [Student name] saves the world"
"The legend of [Student name]: a story of bravery and courage"
Step 4: Small Group Sharing (15’)
Divide the students into groups of 2-3 people and ask them to share their stories within these small groups. If the participants know each other well, they can also give each other feedback on the listed skills, strengths, and abilities to support the personal development of each other.

Version 2: Needs Analysis & Learning Plan development
Before the actual writing exercise, participants should have listed their strengths and weaknesses. Focusing more on strengths than weaknesses is a positive approach to reaching one’s aims. However, it’s the weaknesses that undermine us and sometimes even diminish the strengths we have. Sometimes we’re only able to access our strengths when our weaknesses are not in the way. Thus, one of the best strategies for self-improvement is to focus on the development of a few main strengths or talents while eliminating the weaknesses.

Step 1: Introduction; SWOT (7’)
Ask students to think about their aims and dreams, then decide on the three strengths most important for them to continue to develop and the three weaknesses that should be eliminated.
Step 2: Creating Hero and Antihero Characters (8’)
Invite students to create two characters - a hero and an antihero - exaggerating their actual traits: three strengths and three weaknesses as selected before. The hero character should represent the best they can become, while the antihero character should represent their worst.

ACTIVITY VII.3 - HEROES & ANTI-HEROES

DESCRIPTION

Step 3: Visual Image and Photos (10’)
Ask students to form pairs. They will collaborate in this round, in that 1 person will be the “photographer” while the other will be the (anti)hero. Each student will need to think about a visual image of their hero and one of their antihero, and create two photos that represent them (using accessories, face expressions, posture etc) with the help of the photographer.

Step 4: Sharing and Feedback (10’)
Ask students to share their photos or stories with the group. Provide a safe and supportive space for them to express themselves freely and encourage the rest of the group to give constructive feedback.

Step 5: Brainstorming and Learning Plan (25’) To conclude the activity, instruct the students to brainstorm ideas and draft a learning plan that aims to develop their strengths and eliminate their weaknesses. They have 15’ to do so. When the students are ready, ask from 2-5 people to share their learning plans and give constructive feedback.

ACTIVITY VII.3 - HEROES & ANTI-HEROES

DEBRIEFING	• What did you learn about yourself through the process of creating these characters? • How did you feel when you created visual images for your hero and antihero characters? • What impact do you think these strengths and weaknesses (will) have on your personal and professional life? • What did you learn about yourself from sharing your photos or stories with the group? • Did anything surprise you about the strengths and weaknesses your fellow students chose for themselves? • What do you conclude about how we view ourselves vs. how others view us? • How can you use what you learned from this activity to continue developing your strengths and eliminating your weaknesses? • Should we focus more on developing our strengths or eliminating our weaknesses?
SOURCE	Adapted by the Entrepreneurship and Social Economy Group (EKO) from the "Creative Writing Cookbook", created during the "Creative Learning Cookbook" Erasmus+ Project

ACTIVITY VII.4 - STRESS FOR SUCCESS

SKILLS & CONCEPTS TARGETED	• Stress Management – Increase Stress Relief • Commitment towards a Winning Attitude • Team-work • Mindfulness & Self-awareness
OBJECTIVES	• To focus on the present moment rather than dwelling on the past or worrying about the future (introduction into the Mindfulness concept) • To release stress by learning to get fully absorbed in the moment • To understand that the ability of “multitasking” is a myth • To discuss how important is to focus on responsibilities and use time management to get each one done individually and thoroughly
DURATION	60 minutes
PARTICIPANTS	15-40 people
MATERIALS	Stress balls (5-6 per smaller group of participants)
DESCRIPTION	• Form groups of 5 to 8 players. If there is only one group, then the facilitator can join in. If there are more groups, the facilitator should not join a group, as they have to walk around and keep an eye on all groups. • Once the groups have come together, have them form a circle and hand out one stress ball to each group. • The first player who has the ball must begin by throwing it to another member of the group IN THEIR circle. This person then throws it to another member and so on, never the same person twice until everyone has had a turn. Players must remember who they threw the ball to first, as this is the pattern they will be following. • On the second round instruct the groups to throw the ball a little faster, on the third even faster etc. Repeat for 3-4 rounds, until everyone learns the sequence of tosses within their circle.

ACTIVITY VII.4 - STRESS FOR SUCCESS

DESCRIPTION	• Once everyone understands the throw pattern, increase the challenge by adding another ball. Repeat for 3-4 rounds, and then add one more ball. • The groups could reach 5 to 6 balls active in the circle. During the activity, balls will fall to the floor. In this case, players just have to pick them up and continue with the game (no penalties or changes in the game). • After the group has reached their desired level of challenge or if they have gone as far as they can go, conclude the activity. Tips for the facilitator This activity is a good way to introduce Mindfulness and how you should be completely present in a moment. You can use the activity as a Reflection of real life: Lesson 1: Many if not all of us have hectic schedules and we try to juggle as many things as possible. What this activity is trying to teach is that if you lose your focus or make a half-hearted attempt, you will drop the ball both literally and figuratively. Lesson 2: Another conclusion is that when our attention is split between multiple tasks, our ability to concentrate and maintain performance decreases. This can lead to increased stress and reduced enjoyment, as the strain caused by divided attention takes hold. This highlights the misconception of multitasking as an effective method of task management.
DEBRIEFING	• What was challenging about this activity? • How did the addition of more balls affect the difficulty of the task? Did you notice any differences in your performance as the game progressed? • What strategy did you use to keep track of the ball pattern and maintain focus? • What did you learn about your ability to concentrate and multitask during this activity?
SOURCE	From Stress Management Activities \| WorkRFun

ACTIVITY VII.5 - LET’S MEET (Empty Chair)

SKILLS & CONCEPTS TARGETED	• Lowering stress, anxiety, and tensions within a group • Facing fears and conflicts • Self-awareness • Emotional expression • Communication skills • Role taking dialogue
OBJECTIVES	• To help students become aware of what they are feeling and their obstacles (with respect to mental and emotional states) • To help students explore how their surroundings/past experiences have contributed to their present state • To help people create a holistic view of themselves
DURATION	60 minutes
PARTICIPANTS	10-30 people
MATERIALS	Enough free space and 2 chairs (one for the participant & one for “the conflict”)
DESCRIPTION	Step 1: Identifying a Conflict Instruct the participants to think of a conflict they are having. It could be with a person, with a part of themselves, or even with a situation. Step 2: Dialogue with an Empty Chair Have the participants sit in front of an empty chair and have a dialogue with that person, situation, or part of themselves they are in conflict with. Step 3: Expressing Feelings and Needs Tell the participants to express loudly how they are feeling towards the situation, what their body sensations are, what emotions are rising, what thoughts are coming up, and what they need to express to that situation. Invite them not to judge or repress any words, thoughts, or emotions that need to come out in the dialogue. Encourage them to express themselves freely. Becoming aware is the first step to transformation.

ACTIVITY VII.5 - LET’S MEET (Empty Chair)

DESCRIPTION	Step 4: Give the Situation/other person a Voice Once the participants have expressed their feelings and needs, have them sit in the empty chair that represents the situation and give it a voice. Ask questions such as, "How does this situation/person feel? Describe it. What is actually happening? What are the sensations of this situation/person ? What does this situation/person say to me? What does this situation/person need from me?" Step 5: Dialogue between the Chairs Encourage the participant to continue to have a dialogue between the two chairs, switching back and forth between their own chair and the empty chair representing the “other side”. Keep going until both parts have listened to each other and have made some kind of integration encountering each other. The questions that can guide you in this journey from chair to chair are: 1. Who am I here in this chair? How do I feel? What do I need to express? 2. What do I need from the other chair? (person/situation/part of myself) 3. What do I value in the other chair? 4. What would I need to find peace with on the other side? Do I need to ask anything?
DEBRIEFING	• Do you feel that you are more aware of emotions/behaviours that may often take over? • Are you able to manage those parts of yourself that are less accepted/ understood/known? • Have you acquired useful tools to cope with situations that can lead to conflict? • Have you acquired useful tools to cope with stressful situations in a more appropriate way?
SOURCE	Adapted by the Entrepreneurship and Social Economy Group (EKO) from the "Re-inclusion after ESC Guidebook", developed within the Project "Re-Inclusion is important”

ACTIVITY VII.6 - WHERE DO YOU STAND?

SKILLS & CONCEPTS TARGETED	• Responsibility for one’s personal actions • Self-reflection and Critical Thinking • Active listening & perspective taking • Respect for difference of opinions • Debating skills
OBJECTIVES	• To raise participant's self-awareness of the role they play as members of society • To encourage everyone to express their opinion and views on challenging statements, in order to draw out differences in thinking within the group and break down communication barriers • To make participants aware of how quickly we sometimes have to come to a decision and then how fiercely we tend defend it unable to accept the other's point of view
DURATION	60 minutes
PARTICIPANTS	10-40 people
MATERIALS	• Sticky tape to separate the space in a (+)/”Agree” and a (-)/ “Disagree” side • Flip chart and markers or alternatively an overhead projector. • A list of statements (see Annex). • Before starting the activity write down the statements on flip chart or an overhead transparency.
DESCRIPTION	Preparation Prepare a list of 10-12 thought-provoking statements regarding a topic of your preference (e.g. concepts that you just taught in class). They have to represent a controversy or some kind of moral dilemma, and be expressed vaguely enough to leave room for debating.

ACTIVITY VII.6 - WHERE DO YOU STAND?

DESCRIPTION

For more elaborate guidelines to develop a good set of sentences see Annex. Examples of statements
- We are responsible for the kind of system that governs our society
- If you want to protect public health you need to compromise democracy to some extent
- Nowadays, anyone with access to the necessary digital tools can become a journalist
- The media has a responsibility to present unbiased and objective news, even if it goes against the interests of certain social groups
- The impact of social media on communication & creativity has been in total more positive than negative
Main Activity
• Explain that you are going to read out statements and then those participants who disagree with the statement should move to the side of the room with the minus sign.
• Read out the first statement. Those who agree should move to the side with the plus sign. Those who have no opinion or who are undecided should stay in the middle, but they will not be able to speak.
• Once everybody is standing in their chosen position ask people in the + and – parts to explain why they chose that position. They should try to convince the rest of the group that they are right and therefore, that the members of the opposite side should join them.
• Make sure you coordinate whose turn it is to speak (people in [+] and [–] sides should speak in alternation). You may invite members who are particularly silent to voice their opinion. In the same way ask someone who intervenes too often to wait a bit. Continue for about 5 -10 minutes, or until everyone has expressed their thoughts.
TIPS for the facilitator
- The statements are controversial (i.e. different people have different opinions about them) and vague (different people have different interpretations about them, even if in essence they have similar views) by design. It is important to explain this at the end of the activity.

ACTIVITY VII.6 - WHERE DO YOU STAND?

DESCRIPTION	- Explain that it is common for individuals to interpret a statement differently based on their background and experiences, while it is natural for people to hold diverse opinions and perspectives. It is not always a matter of right or wrong, but rather understanding the underlying reasoning behind the position.
DEBRIEFING	• Was it difficult to choose between the [+] and [-] positions? Why? • Was it difficult to stay in the middle and not be able to speak? • What sorts of arguments were used, those based on fact or those which appealed to the emotions? Which were more effective? • Did you feel listened to? Did you feel you were really listening to the other side (i.e. where you listening in order to understand or in order to reply)? • How does vagueness in our expression affect the risk of being misunderstood? • Did you change (even slightly) your point of view after the discussion?
SOURCE	From The Education Pack “All Different – All Equal”, The Council of Europe, 2016

ACTIVITY VII.7 - P/M/A EXERCISE

SKILLS & CONCEPTS TARGETED	• Critical thinking & Analytical skills • Problem solving through innovation • Media, news stories
OBJECTIVES	• To encourage young people to explore a variety of possibilities • To generate ideas and new ways of thinking about a particular issue and to create the outline of an action plan
DURATION	40-60 minutes
PARTICIPANTS	20-40 people
MATERIALS	Pens and paper
DESCRIPTION	Preparation • The facilitators select a topic that they would like to address. For example: vulnerable groups in newspapers and media, representation of trauma in media, vulnerable groups in society Description • Ask each participant to draw a table with three columns on their page – one for ‘plus’, one for ‘minus’, and one for ‘action’. • For 5', ask the participants to write down all the possible positive outcomes about the topic in the plus column. (i.e., give visibility, raise awareness, give voice, etc.) • For the next 5', ask the participants to write down all the possible negative things about the topic in the minus column (i.e., risk of ridiculing, risk of stigmatization, risk of disempowerment, misinformation etc.) • Then, in the last five minutes, ask the participants to write down all possible actions to improve the situation related to the topic (i.e., organize workshops for vulnerable groups to help them understand how

ACTIVITY VII.7 - P/M/A EXERCISE

DESCRIPTION	to talk with media, to train people to become mediators between media and vulnerable groups etc.) • The session ends with plenary discussion about the findings and debriefing questions
VARIATIONS	The facilitators can assign a list of 3 or 4 topics, upon which the participants need to reflect and which they need to address. Instead of having 5 minutes for each column, the participants will have only 2 minutes.
DEBRIEFING	• Did you gain any fresh insights or different ways of thinking about the subject or action? • What questions remain on this issue? What can you do to find out more? • Has the activity produced any ideas about actions you could take to address a particular issue?
SOURCE	Adapted by the Entrepreneurship and Social Economy Group (EKO) from the Erasmus+ project "Ready for Dialogue Ready for Positive Change "

MIDDLE

COMPANION OF NON-FORMAL EDUCATION METHODS AND ACTIVITIES

Florian Ludwig

ERMIScom ADDENDUM:

.

Table Of Contents

.

Table Of Contents

.

Table Of Contents

.

.

Table Of Contents

.

PART A: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND

WHAT IS NON-FORMAL EDUCATION

Kinds of learning

Formal Learning

Advantages and Disadvantages of Formal Learning

.

Informal learning

Advantages and Disadvantages of Informal Learning

.

Non-formal learning

Advantages and Disadvantages of Non-Formal Education

.

.

Learning processes

.

.

Characteristics of non-formal education

.

NON-FORMAL EDUCATION METHODS

.

NON-FORMAL EDUCATION AS A COMPLEMENT TO FORMAL EDUCATION

.

REFERENCES

.

PART B: COMPANION OF NON-FORMAL EDUCATION ACTIVITIES

COURSE I. Stereotypes and Prejudices: Xenophobia and Racism

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

COURSE II. Fake News and Hate Speech: Representation of Vulnerable Groups in the Media

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.