Equality Political Systems Workshops
Who
Italy, Padova, Equality Cooperativa Sociale ONLUS
Why
The purpose is to ensure that all youth regardlessof political interest or awareness gets toexperiment different kind of political systems andmethods of decision making.Variant: This workshop can be used when a brandnewgroup is constituting in order to see how itsmembers organize themselves
What
4 workshops on Political Systems aiming to explain how political systems function and how differently they work. Equality has been tested it on groups in4 consecutive weeks with good outcome. The target-groups consist of mix-gender and mix-backgrounds young people in Equality residential care service between 15 and 20. At the end of each workshop a discussion is led on the degree of satisfaction, the results obtained and the feeling, ease or unease during the activity.
How
Autocracy: All the participants are divided in two groups. The conductor chooses one of them that will take a role of a leader. At this point to the participants is given a box with straw, needles and glue. Indications are to follow the leader who orders to build a structure. To one of the groups is told that they must obey the orders of a leader although they do not like the instructions.
Democracy: All the participants are gathered in one group and we deliver them modelling clay. Input is to create something together with the material, putting everyone together and making decisions together. The educators/conductor stays with the group taking the role of a mediator to3prevent someone from taking a leading role or being in conflict.
Absence of rules : Give to entire group a piece of large paper, pens, ,markers and all the materials available to paint. Instructions are that each one of them does what everyone wants for 20 minutes on that piece of paper.
Conclusion: Take the art work created in threeprevious workshops on political systems and invitethe group to evaluate which workshop they feltbetter doing explaining the three systems theyhave experienced.
Effect/Assessment
Increased knowledge on the topic proposed that can be 'assessed' through questionnaire before and after the involvement in the activity.
When
Continuously, whenever we have a new group of beneficiaries of our residential host service.
Resources
Straw, needles, glue, modelling clay, paper, pens, markers and painting material.
Human resources: trainer and animator