The Ideal Community

From Peacebuilding

Contents 1 Aims: 2 Time: 3 Participants: 4 Materials: 5 Procedure: 6 Debriefing: 6.1 How do you feel? 6.2 What happened? 6.3 What have you learnt? 6.4 How does this relate? 6.5 What if? 6.6 What next? 7 Source:

Aims:

• Provide the group with challenges to deal with for social action

• Have participants plan and strategise nonviolent actions

Time:

At least 1 hour

Participants:

At least 5-6

Materials:

• Flip charts

• Markers

• Ties

Procedure:

I) Divide the plenary into groups of 5-7 people. Ask each group to sit together in a circle with a writing surface in the middle (if this is not available, they can use the floor as a writing surface).

II) Distribute one flip chart and markers of different colours to each group.

III) Tell the groups that their task is to imagine how their ideal community would be. They can let their imaginations run free to visualise the features and characteristics that such a community would have. Allow five minutes for group discussion.

IV) Now ask the groups to draw the ideal community on the flip chart. This should be represented as a real city or village, with houses, facilities, services, etc. Allow ten minutes for drawing.

V) About five minutes into the drawing exercise, ask for one volunteer from each group. Ask the volunteers to stand up, leave their groups and follow you, and ask the remaining members of the groups to continue drawing.

VI) Gather the volunteers together, if possible where you can talk without being heard by the working groups. Tell them they now have a new task: Each of them is the CEO of a major multinational corporation. Give each volunteer a tie and ask them to wear them – the tie symbolises their status.

VII) Brief the volunteers. The corporation is doing very well and is now expanding its activities and interests. They have an expansion plan that will involve the ideal community. Ask the CEOs to use their imagination. Give some examples, such as building a large mall in the middle of the community; or an ultra-modern building right in the historical centre of the village; or building a highway that will cross the city; or building a chemical plant that will pollute the air of the community; or a drive-in MacDonalds. They return to the groups in their new role, communicate and advocate in favour of their plans, take markers and draw them within the ideal community.

VIII) The task of the members of the ideal community (the groups) is to devise a nonviolent strategy and actions that will prevent the multinational corporation from disrupting their community. Allow sufficient time for group discussion.

IX) Ask the groups to communicate and implement their actions (drawing).

X) Ask the CEOs to respond to the actions of the ideal community and pursue their expansion plan.

XI) Repeat the procedure in steps IX and X, as long as you find it useful.

Debriefing:

The following questions (and structure for debriefing) are not prescriptive. You can add, delete or change as necessary.

How do you feel?

• How do you feel about this activity?

• How do you feel about your community?

• How do you feel as members of the community after the multinational corporation intervened?

• How do you feel about the CEO?

• How do you feel as a CEO?

• How do you feel about your nonviolent strategy and actions?

What happened?

• What happened at the beginning of the activity when you visualised your ideal community?

• What have you done that was effective in preventing the corporation from “taking over” your community?

• What was ineffective?

• How did you choose what to do? What was the process for making decisions?

• What was your goal?

• What was your strategy?

What have you learnt?

• What was the most important learning point from this activity for you?

• What have you learnt about nonviolent activism?

• What have you learnt about strategy?

• What have you learnt about group cohesion?

• What is the difference between goal, strategy and tactics?

• What are the basic ingredients to win over an opponent who has considerable power? (e.g. power of money; power of influence over politicians; power of persuading communities (e.g. creating jobs); control over media and the extended public opinion.)

• Who has power in this activity? What kind of power?

• How do you win in this case?

How does this relate?

• How does this activity relate to your real life?

• How can you apply learning points about strategy with your group in real life?

• What is the difference between goal, strategy and tactics with your group in real life?

• How does this scenario relate to contemporary reality? (e.g. a corporation that takes over a community.)

• Can you give real examples of scenarios where communities have organised and struggled to defend themselves and their interests?

• What would you do if this really happened to your community?

What if?

• What if there was little cohesion in your group over what to do?

• What can you do to improve cohesion in your group?

• What if the community had huge financial resources?

What next?

• How would you act differently if you were to repeat this activity?

• What suggestions would you give to a friend of yours who is going to participate in this activity?

• What will you take back to your group/community from this activity?

Source:

This activity has been adapted from an original idea by Karen Ridd of Training for Change and Ouyporn Khuankaewm, the Thai environmental activist. I found the activity on page 114 of the "Trainers’ Resource Manual", developed by the Nonviolence Training Project, http://www.nonviolence.org.au/manual.html.