My experience with…….
…. democracy and participation
Activity: the aim of this activity is to stimulate in the participants a reflection on their own experiences of participation. They will share positive and / or negative examples of democratic participation and give their definition of participation.
Time: 90 minutes.
Materials: large paper (flip chart paper) and colour pens/crayons.
Step 1
The first step is the individual drawing and symbolizing process concerning the personal experiences with ‘democracy & participation’ in a ‘life line / biography line’ (made with crayons on a large piece of paper). The participants are invited to mark or to symbolize as much as they want to express.
Step 2
The second step is the sharing process in small groups (usually three people).
Some guiding questions for the group work might include:
− Was it is easy or difficult to remember personal experiences (good or bad) with ‘democracy and participation’? What kind of ‘images’ came up regarding this question?
− Do you have special memories of a ‘good example’, where you felt you participated well? (If you want to give and share a negative experience / example, please feel free…).
− How do you personally describe the term ‘democratic participation’? What is your definition? What are your criteria of an ‘ideal democratic participation’?
Step 3
Debriefing: Try to collect significant aspects of the experiences (similarities, differences, good examples…) in the community / society.
The trainer should conclude with an ‘outlook’ leading to the next step and follow-up.
Adapted from the manual “Yalla, let’s start…. Democracy & Participation in Youth Work” http://tinyurl.com/jsf652s
Extra Activity:
I like, I don’t like, I wish….. (Optional – not included in the Training Plan)
Evaluate in a dynamic, quick and informal way a training or workshop. It can be used at the end of the activities.
Time: It depends on the number of participants. 20 minutes would be enough for 20 participants.
Materials: 3 chairs.
Instructions: Three chairs are positioned in the middle of the room.
Each chair represents respectively the” I like…”, “I don’t like…” and the “I wish…” of the training that the participants attended. In turn every participant will be asked to sit in each of the three chairs and express a thought answering the questions. Participants should use a few words to share their feelings with other participants.
