GEA Role play to make youth people think about social stigma, inequalities in society, stereotypes and prejudices.
The facilitator, with the help of the other volunteers, sticks the assigned characters behind the participants’ backs. Example of character cards: famous singer, homeless person, drug addict, famous sportsman, politician, doctor, sex worker, etc. Participants are asked not to read aloud the characters they can read behind their classmates’ backs. Participants are asked to walk in the space in silence.
After this, the game is divided into 4 actions that will be stated by the facilitator time by time:
The first action (3′) consists of walking and casting a glance at the people/characters you meet.
The second action (3′) consists of walking and making a gesture according to the person/character you meet.
The third action (3′) consists of walking and saying a word to the person/character one meets.
The fourth action (3′) consists of picturing a bus and inviting the person/people to take a seat.
At the end of the exercise, participants are asked, again in silence, to arrange themselves in a line according to how they felt during the game. From felt well accepted to did not feel accepted.
For example, the facilitator will say: on the left are all the people who felt important, loved, etc. on the right are the people who felt isolated and despised. Participants position themselves along the line.
As final question, the facilitator asks participants if they have figured out which character they can be. After guessing, participants are asked to peel the card off the back and reveal their identity. A discussion about the characters and their feelings follows.
