Snapshots

Issues addressed
Dealing with challenging social situations.
Managing conflict and change.

Aims
To increase awareness of how certain actions lead to certain consequences and how changing one action can create a completely different outcome.
To encourage participants to think about how they could change things in their lives to make them better.
To explore potentially upsetting or threatening situations in a safe environment and to formulate safe and appropriate responses to those situations.

Time
30 mins

Group size
6-10 people

Age
Any

Preparation
Scenarios
Props for scenarios

Instructions
This is a role play activity with a difference. Instead of playing out the full scene you freeze the scene midway through and substitute different actors who take up the same position that the frozen actor had but they can then react in a different manner to what is going on, e.g. where a person is about to throw a punch when the scene is frozen, the new actor might turn it into a hug or a salute. The scenario is also played out without sound.

Once the scene is frozen discuss what people see, what they think is happening and what is going to happen before substituting new actors. After the scene is finished discuss how the new actors changed things and whether this improved matters or not.

Tips for facilitators
This activity can be run as given scenarios or as a free flowing drama piece from a basic concept.

Allow the participants to use this to explore real life and how to change those situations, e.g. how to deal with sectarian bullying.

Scenario 1
A few young people are playing football and get into a heated discussion. One goes to throw a punch. STOP THE SCENE. When the scene starts again the person who was about to throw the punch gives the person a hug instead.

What has happened here is that friendly rivalry has become something a bit more but by making this one change it has returned to friendly rivalry rather than becoming an all-out fight.

Scenario 2
A group of friends are watching an Old Firm game together and a couple start to sing sectarian songs. Another friend gives them a friendly punch and starts to tell them to stop; the scene gets aggressive. STOP THE SCENE. When the scene starts again the people who are getting aggressive start to listen to one another and decide to sing a different song about football which is not sectarian.