Role play to help you think about the process of building support. Reflect on the perspectives of individuals you might approach for support.
- Divide into groups of 6
- Within your groups identify an issue that exists within your school (or community).
- Once you’ve come to consensus about the issue you’ll address, brainstorm individuals, offices/civil servants, and other groups that you need to address the issue. As the group agrees upon these people add one name, office or, group to a note card
- Every name you come up with should be on its own note card
- You should create one notecard for each person in your group (if your group has 5 people, there should be 5 notecards)
- Hand out the cards to each member of your group at random
- When you receive your notecard look at what’s listed and take three minutes to consider “what would their reaction be to our request on this issue?”
- Line up facing each other 3 on 3 and take turns discussing your position from the perspective of the person on your notecard.
- After discussion, one line should rotate and take turns discussing your positions with the next person. In the end all 6 people should have spoken with one another
- Come back together and each individual should share out who they think would be their ally and why
- Discuss as a whole group: What did you learn from this about building support? What was difficult about deciding allies? Who was a most surprising ally?