Force the Circle

(taken from All Different All Equal, Council of Europe)

Issues addressed
Majority/minority relationships
The social and political mechanisms which divide society.

Aims
To experience being part of a majority group and being in a minority group.
To analyse the strategies we use to be accepted by the majority group.
To be aware of when we like to be part of the majority and when we like to be apart or in the minority.

Time
40 mins

Group size
6-8 people per circle.

Age
Any

Preparation
Paper and pens for observers Watch or timer

Instructions

Divide the group into subgroups of 6-8 people.
Ask each group to choose one person to be the 'observer' and a second to be the 'outsider'.
Tell the other members of the group to stand shoulder to shoulder to form as tight a circle as possible so as not to leave any space between them.
Explain that the 'outsider' must try to get into the circle while those who form the circle must try to keep them out.
Tell the observer to make notes on the strategies used both by the 'outsider' and those in the circle and also to act as time keeper.

After 2-3 minutes, and regardless of whether they managed to enter the circle or not, the 'outsider' joins the circle and another member has a turn. The activity is over once all the members of the group who wish to have tried to force the circle.

(taken from All Different All Equal, Council of Europe)

Debriefing and evaluation
Bring everyone together to discuss what happened and how they felt. Start by asking the players: How did you feel when you were part of the circle? How did you feel when you were the 'outsider'? Do those who succeeded in forcing the circle feel differently from those who didn't manage it?

Ask the observers
What strategies did the outsiders use?
What strategies did the people in the circle use to prevent the others from getting in?

Then ask everybody
In real life situations, when do you feel an 'outsider' or a minority and when do you appreciate feeling part of the group or the majority?
In our society, who are the strongest groups? And who are the weakest?
In society, the circle may represent privileges, money, power, work or housing. What strategies do minority groups use to gain access to these resources? How do the majority groups preserve their status?

(taken from All Different All Equal, Council of Europe)

Tips for the facilitator
It is helpful if you give concrete instructions to the observers, such as to take note of: What the people in the circle say among themselves or to the outsider. What the members of the circle do in order not to let the outsider in. What the outsider says. What the outsider does.

A variation to the exercise: swimming against the tide
Another variation of the activity might be one that allows participants to consider what it might be like to try and force themselves out of the circle. You could go through the same procedures as the above activity.

Aims
To experience being part of a majority group and being in a minority group.
To analyse the strategies we use to break out of the majority group.
To be aware of when we like to be part of the majority and when we like to be apart or in the minority.

This could be a powerful exercise for working with young people who find themselves caught in particular behaviour patterns with their peers that they are having difficulty breaking out of.

The majority of young people find themselves caught in sectarian or racist behaviour without understanding what they are involved in or how they got there.

Both the above activities require a lot of energy from everyone playing it. In principle, unless the relations in the group are poor, there should be no aggression.

Before starting the evaluation, it is recommended first of all that you let the group comment informally on what has happened.

Follow-up
Ask the group to think of situations where they might be in the majority and the minority - how do they act in these situations, how do they feel?
Are there situations where they are a religious majority/minority?
How do they act in these situations? How do they feel?
Does their behaviour change if they are in the majority or minority?
How do they act towards people in the opposite group?
Ask the group to consider whether this is acceptable behaviour and whether it is challenging sectarianism or perpetuating it?