My Life Is Not A Show

Topic
- Digital technology
- Citizenship & human rights
- Identity & emotions
Learning skills
- Self-awareness
- Critical & reflective thinking
- Communication & expression
Activity type
- Group discussion
Materials
- Basic
- Printable downloads
Age
- 12 - 14 years
- 15 - 17 years
- 18+ years
>15 minutes
+5 players
Intermediate
Medium
Medium (classroom, square)

Contributors

ARSIS- Association for the Social Support of Youth

Everything you need to play this game

Flipcharts and pens
List of statements (see additional game info)
Tape or string to mark a long line along the floor

A step-by-step guide to play the game

Start with a brief brainstorming session on bullying. Ask participants to take a couple of minutes to think about bullying, what it is and how it is manifested.  Then collect their answers and write them on a flipchart.

Do the same again with a clean sheet of flipchart paper, this time thinking about cyberbullying, what it is and the forms it takes. 

Mark a line on the floor with tape or string that you call the "yes line". Ask the participants to line up in two straight lines, one on either side of the "yes line".

Explain that you are going to read some statements about cyberbullying and that you want them to respond, but without using any words. If they can answer "yes" to a statement, they should take a step sideways onto the "yes line." They should respond honestly.

Read out the first statement. Give people time to think and respond. Then ask them to look around and take a note of how many there are on the "yes line".

Ask people to return to the starting lines and read out the next statement.

At the end, draw everyone into a circle and move on to the evaluation and debriefing. Start with comments about the statements and people's experiences and then go on to talk about how common the different sorts of bullying are and how to tackle them (see additional game info).

Extra game information

STATEMENTS

Has anyone ever opened your email box without your consent?
Has anyone ever read any of your text (SMS) messages without your consent?
Has anyone ever sent you insulting messages, nasty pictures or videos, either to your mobile phone or email?
Has anyone ever sent information / pictures / videos of you to someone else without your consent?
Has anyone ever posted pictures or information about you on a website or social network site without your consent?
Has anyone ever manipulated / transformed any of your pictures or videos without your consent?
Have you ever given your passwords to anyone else?
Has anyone ever insulted you in an interactive game room or in a chat?
Have you ever received disturbing / nasty phone calls?
Has anyone ever made inappropriate comments on your blog / social networks?
Has anyone ever sent false / nasty information / rumours about you by email or SMS?
Do you know anyone who is a victim of cyberbullying?
Do you know that there are special laws for this kind of violence?
Do you think there should be limits to what people can place on the Internet?
Is it right to forbid mobile phones in schools?

Debriefing and evaluation

What did you know about cyberbullying before you did this activity?
Are all the statements serious enough to be labelled cyberbullying? Why? Why not?
Are there other ways of cyberbullying that have not been mentioned?
How common is cyberbullying in your community and in your country?
Which human rights does cyberbullying violate?
Why do people bully? Why do people become victims?
Why is it that people who have been victims sometimes go on to bully others?
What can be done to stop cyberbullying? By the victim? By others?
What can you do to protect yourself against cyberbullying?
Which human rights are at stake when people are bullied?

TIPS FOR FACILITATORS

Bullying and cyberbullying are sensitive topics and you should be aware that some participants get emotional when they remember bad experiences. People who have been bullied feel guilty and ashamed; they do not see themselves as victims and those who bully may not fully realise why they are doing it.

More information/examples on how to respond to bullying, how to protect yourself from bullying and the consequences of bullying/being bullied can be found here: https://www.coe.int/en/web/compass/my-life-is-not-a-show-

COVID-19

While this game focuses on cyberbullying, it also provides an opportunity to discuss the ways in which COVID-19 has increased instances of online harassment and the importance of being kind and supportive in our online interactions during this time.

Variations

Many people who are bullied become bullies, so it is important to get people thinking about personal responsibility. After reading the statements, conduct a second round based on the same statements, but now made from the point of view of the person who bullies.
If bullying is a recognised problem, you can address the issue at a deeper level. Forum theatre is a good way to build understanding of the causes of bullying and ways to tackle it. Ask people to talk in small groups about true cases of bullying. This could be an incident they have experienced themselves or that someone they know has experienced. Participants should try to imagine why the bully is bullying, how the bullying actually happened, what happened next and what the consequences were. The groups should then develop their work into a short play to present to the rest of the group. After the play, repeat the last scene, "what happened as a consequence", and ask the "audience" to suggest alternative actions the victim could have taken.

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