Activities
EXPLORING STEREOTYPES
Number of participants
Objectives
● To develop expression skills through storytelling and sharing
● To foster critical thinking
● To develop empathy and listening skills
Where does the activity take place within the process (beginning, middle, end)
Duration
Material needed
Preparation
Prepare the room/space so that it is as spacious as it can be, without obstacles.
Step by step description
1. Divide the participants into smaller groups of 4 -5 people. It is good to have diversity of ages in every group.
2. Initiate discussion to explore their thoughts of what a stereotypical perception of today’s youth / middle-aged person / older person person is like.
3. After 10 minutes discussion, ask the group members to plan a mini-improvisation.
4. After 10 minutes discussion, ask each group to create a scenario inspired by one or more of the examples. The scenario should include a scene that illustrates ageism taking place. Decide who is in the scene, where it is taking place and what is happening.
5. Watch the mini-improvisations one at a time.
Alternatively, you can also assign different ages to be explored and presented in different groups; one group can portray adolescence, another can portray young adulthood, and so on. The aim is to make stereotypical thoughts visible and open them up for examination.
Closing up
The work can continue with a discussion:
● What realities lie behind these stereotypes?
● What challenges do people of different ages face?
● How could they support each other?
This latter theme could be further explored through the short improvisations.