And Then, How Should We Proceed

From Peacebuilding

Activity – And Then, How Should We Proceed?

Contents 1 Aim 2 Time 3 Participants 4 Materials 5 Procedure 6 Source 7 Handout

Aim

To identify negotiation as a tool for transforming conflict

Time

At least 30 minutes

Participants

At least three participants for the role-play, but it works better with a larger group

Materials

Copies of the handout (see below)

Procedure

I) Distribute one copy of the handout to each participant. Allow sufficient time for reading.

II) Ask for three volunteers to take the roles of Andrew, Cecile and Bernard. Allow a couple of minutes for volunteers to “get into” into their roles.

III) Start role-playing. Invite volunteers to act out the situation, “Andrew is locked in his room, with his parents knocking on the door and asking to talk with him.” Keep it brisk!

IV) After the role-play, discuss with participants and volunteers. Questions you might ask at this stage include:

• How do you feel about what happened? (ask both volunteers and the rest of the participants)

• What actually happened here?

• When did things change?

• Who made an important contribution towards reconciliation? How? What did s/he do exactly?

• What have you learned from this role-play?

• How do you manage a situation like this?

• How does this apply to your everyday reality?

V) After discussion, ask if any other volunteers wish to role-play the same situation a second time. If so, repeat steps III and IV of the procedure.

Source

Adapted from an activity suggested by Father Juan Ignacio Cardona and Monsignor Hector Fabio Henao from Caritas Colombia.

Handout

Andrew, a 16-year-old young man, has asked his parents to let him go to a party he wants to attend at his best friend’s house. Since he’s in the middle of his school exams and his marks have gone down, neither his mother nor his father want him to go there as he’ll probably come back late and won’t be ready for his exam early on Monday morning.

After his parents told him he couldn’t go to the party, Andrew replied that he was being treated like a kid and that they weren’t letting him decide. He said he knows what’s best for him and what he’ll do with this life. He left the kitchen in a rage and locked himself in his room.

His parents, Cecile and Bernard, are worried about the situation. They decide to sit down and negotiate with their son. Before facing him directly, they analyse the situation and try to identify Andrew’s alternatives, as well as theirs.