Instruction

1. Create a calm atmosphere with some soft background music. Alternatively, ask the participants for silence.
2. Ask participants to take a role card out of the hat. Tell them to keep it to themselves and not to show it to anyone else.
3. Invite them to sit down (preferably on the floor) and to read carefully what is on their role card.
4. Now ask them to begin to get into role. To help, read out some of the following questions, pausing after each one, to give people time to reflect and build up a picture of themselves and their lives:
   • What was your childhood like? What sort of house did you live in? What kind of games did you play? What sort of work did your parents do?
   • What is your everyday life like now? Where do you socialize? What do you do in the morning, in the afternoon, in the evening?
   • What sort of lifestyle do you have? Where do you live? How much money do you earn each month? What do you do in your leisure time? What do you do during your holidays?
   • What excites you and what are you afraid of?
5. Now ask people to remain absolutely silent as they line up beside each other (like on a starting line).
6. Tell the participants that you are going to read out a list of situations or events. Every time that they can answer “yes” to the statement, they should take a step forward. Otherwise, they should stay where they are.
7. Read out the situations one at a time. Pause briefly between each statement to give people time to step forward and look around to note their positions relative to each other.
8. At the end, invite everyone to take note of their final positions. Then, give them a couple of minutes to come out of their roles
9. The last step is the debriefing in plenary. Start by asking participants about what happened and how they feel about the activity and then go on to talk about the issues raised and what they learnt.
   • How did people feel stepping forward – or not?
   • For those who stepped forward often, at what point did they begin to notice that others were not moving as fast as they were?
   • Did anyone feel that there were moments when their basic human rights were being ignored?
   • Can people guess each other’s roles? (Let people reveal their roles during this part of the discussion)
   • How easy or difficult was it to play the different roles? How did they imagine what the person they were playing was like?
   • Does the exercise mirror society in some way? How?
   • What first steps could be taken to address the inequalities in society?

Variations

Inequality as an opportunity

This variation adds a further dimension to the symbolism of inequality. You need a long length of very thin string or paper ribbon that will break easily. When the participants line up at the start, walk along the line unwinding the ribbon as you go. As you pass, each person takes hold of the ribbon, so that everyone ends up ‘joined’ along the ribbon. When the moment comes to take a step forward, some participants will be faced with the dilemma of whether or not to move and break the ribbon.

Those left behind may blame others for breaking the ribbon. It may therefore be necessary to remind people of the rule that ‘every time they can answer ‘yes’ to the statement, they must take a step forward. Otherwise, they should stay where they are and not move.’

Group ideas for social change

Try this method by having the second part of the debriefing in smaller groups, after each role has been revealed. Working firstly in small groups and then having them share their ideas in plenary is one way to get more ideas on the table, and to deepen participants’ understanding. Having co-facilitators is essential if you do this.Ask the groups to explore who in their society has fewer, and who has more, chances or opportunities, and what first steps can and should be taken to address any inequalities. Alternatively, ask groups to take one of the characters and ask what could be done, i.e. what duties and responsibilities they themselves, the community and the government have towards this person.