7. "THE GOOD ONES AND THE BAD ONES"

Aims : To make the participants identify and analyze the causes of discrimination and social exclusion of people or groups who are "different" by their culture, origin, etc.

Running :
1. Participants are split in two groups. One of them must elaborate the "portrait" of a "social winner" in our society. The other group will make a portrait of a "social looser" in our society.

2. For this, each group will start by listing characteristics, trying to tackle as many of them as possible:

- Social and economical level;
- Education;
- "Race";
- Profession / Occupation;
- Habits/customs;
- Hobbies, free-time occupations;
- Opinions, ideas, values;
- Family profile;
- Housing;
- Consumer habits;
- Interests, themes or fields of interest; etc.

3. Each group will then represent these characteristics in a flip-chart or large board in a visual / graphic manner by drawing a person with the characteristics or symbols that reflect them.

Each group will have approximately 40 minutes for this.

4. After this, the groups will display their drawings and present their conclusions by listing the characteristics they selected, the way they represented them in the drawing, and why they did it.

5. The facilitator will then invite participants to carefully observe both "portraits" and compare them, trying to identify the criteria through which our society puts a value on social "success" or "failure".

In order to facilitate the reflection and dialogue, some questions can be addressed, such as:

What are the essential, fundamental, characteristics of social "success"? And of social "failure"?
What are the causes, the roots, of success and failure, which factors make the difference?
In which sectors or social groups around us, reflect better the portraits elaborated by the groups?
Are all the groups and communities around us in an equal footing to achieve "success"? Which are the best and which are the worst placed?

Foresee at least 40 minutes for the plenary presentation and discussion..

Contents and themes to be dealt with:

The identification of social success with economic success: the "winner" is not the one who reaches a greater level of personal development, knowledge, etc., but the one who becomes wealthier.
The social and economical factors raise or decrease the chances for "social success": poor access to education, marginalisation through "accessory" elements such as the colour of skin, make it so that some groups are from the start in a more disadvantaged situation than others.

Approximate total time:1 hour and 30 minutes.

Materials needed: - Flip-chart paper and markers, scotch tape, pens and paper.

(Source: Equipo Claves. En un mundo de diferencias... Un mundo diferente, Cruz Roja Juventud, Madrid 1992)

For more ideas about how to run "The good ones and the bad ones" you may like to look at "Portraits" in the all equal all different education pack. The two activities are very similar, but there are also ideas for follow up in the Education Pack, which you may find useful.

If the group enjoyed discussing what makes one person a "social" success and another a failure, then they may like to look at the activity "Fighters for rights" in Compass, which profiles six Human Rights activists. What makes someone a "lion" who stands up for human rights and what makes another a "mouse"?