4 Responses

1. An activity to demonstrate cultural sameness and differences
   Hi Caroline

   This activity aims to demonstrate how we view and are affected by similar and different personal and cultural characteristics; it demonstrates how we feel most comfortable when we perceive other people as very like ourselves, and uncomfortable when we perceive other people as very unlike ourselves. I have modified it to make it suitable for youth groups.

   The free holiday

   Ask each trainee to complete a profile of their main personal characteristics: examples include gender, ethnic background, age group, language spoken, marital status, leisure activities I like, leisure activities I dislike, music I like, music I dislike, a TV programme I like to watch, a TV programme I don’t like to watch, a holiday I would like, a holiday I would dislike, a career I would like, a career I would dislike. Any personal and cultural characteristics can be used provided they are ones that the trainees will not feel are intrusive or be embarrassed to discuss. The characteristics need to be presented on a handout with two columns, one column headed This Is Me, and one column headed This Is My Room Mate. The trainees should be asked to fill in the This Is Me column at this stage.

   Working in pairs, they swap their lists of characteristics and take in turns to say: You have been offered a free holiday but there are no single rooms; you have to share a room with one other person who you have never met. This is what this person is like: describe them using the information in the This Is Me column.

   Group feedback: get feedback on how they would feel sharing a room with this stranger who has identical characteristics to their own. Would they go on holiday or would they turn it down?

   Working in pairs with each other’s list, they fill in the This Is My Room Mate column, making each characteristic as different and opposite as possible. Then take in turns to say: You have been offered a free holiday but there are no single rooms; you have to share a room with one other person who you have never met. This is what this person is like: describe them using the information in the This Is My Room Mate column.

   Group feedback: get feedback on how they would feel sharing a room with this stranger who has very different characteristics to their own. Would they go on holiday or would they turn it down? Which characteristics would they feel comfortable or uncomfortable about, and why? How would their room mate feel about sharing if they had a description of them? What does this tell them about themselves and how they view other people? How can they use what they have learned to get along with other people?

   If you need clarification please ask; feedback will be appreciated.

2. Thanks
   Thanks Eddie,

   It sounds like a good exercise and I appreciate you sharing it with me, I will let you know if I use it and how it goes.

3. 3 ideas
   1. I guess the obvious one (particularly suited to your target audience) would be to show clips of the recent big brother and discuss the issues raised.

   2. Another idea I use is to put up pictures around the room on flipchart and ask people in silence to go round and write on the flipchart what they see. The pictures all have 2/3 different things/people in them, depending on how you look at them. Illustrates different people see things differently. (Email me if you are interested in a copy of the pictures)

   3. Read out story called ‘The Sneetches’ by Dr Seuss and then discuss what it is about.(I have discussion sheet & powerpoint images you can have)

   Derek Hughes
   derek.hughes@wolverhampton.gov.uk

4. Diversity
   I have an exercise called STEPPING STONES which I can send you

   Warm Regards

   Jennifer