Break the circle

Topic
- Society
- Citizenship & human rights
- Identity & emotions
Learning skills
- Self-awareness
- Empathy & social awareness
- Critical & reflective thinking
- Body awareness
Activity type
- Group discussion
- Circle group game
Materials
- Basic
Age
- 12 - 14 years
- 15 - 17 years
- 18+ years
>15 minutes
+5 players
Intermediate
Medium
Medium (classroom, square)

Contributors

Uit De Marge

Everything you need to play this game

paper
pencils

A step-by-step guide to play the game

Depending on the number of players, choose 3 or 4 volunteers to stand on one side of the room. The rest of the group form a tight and solid human circle in the centre of the room.

Explain that after the starting signal, the volunteers should try to break the circle. The group can decide whether to resist or not. The volunteers can ask to join the group. End this part of the exercise after 10 - 15 minutes or when the volunteers have managed to break into the circle.

Divide the participants into smaller groups and encourage them to reflect on the experience, either through verbal discussion or by making drawings or images. Using visual aids can be especially useful for younger participants to prevent the reflection from feeling too academic or boring. Afterwards, hold a feedback session with the whole group.

You can conclude the exercise with some general conclusions:

We exclude quickly and sometimes unconsciously.
We need to be aware of the (subtle) mechanism of exclusion.

Extra game information

Reflection questions

(1) What happened during the exercise?

If the group has shown strong resistance, some members may experience guilt. In this scenario, it is important to remind the group that the purpose of the activity is not to induce guilt or blame anyone for misbehaviour, but rather to demonstrate how easily we can exclude ourselves without paying attention to our actions.

Did the large group resist? Why? Was that agreed upon?
What strategy did the volunteers use to get into the circle?
Did they ask to be allowed into the circle?

(2) Personal experiences

How did you feel during the exercise? And now?
What did you learn during the exercise?
As a volunteer/group, when would you give up trying to get into the circle?
Have you ever felt that way in other situations?
What would you want to change?

This game is part of the 'All Children, All Right(s)!' toolkit, which focuses on promoting the right to participation.

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