Plan
- Do I have the suitable supplies?
- What does the word “fair” mean?
- What does it feel like to be treated unfairly?
- How does discrimination/unfairness affect people?
Do
- Work in small groups – you can either give each person in the group their own card (so everyone in the group has their own advantage or disadvantage), or you can assign one card to the whole group.
- Before everyone starts, give each person a playing card. If you get a diamond, you are not allowed to speak, and spades are not allowed to use their hands. Other advantages or disadvantages may be added.
- Have everyone build their towers out of newspaper and tape in the allotted time – don’t forget to follow any rules that were set for you!
- At the end, give everyone a chocolate apart from one group. You may choose any group on random, but the idea is to show how unfair things can often be!
Review
- How did the diamonds and spades feel during the activity?
- How did the people who received chocolate feel after the activity?
- Why were they treated differently?
- Now that you know a bit more about how discrimination can affect people, what are some others ways that people might be affected by it?
- This is an activity to demonstrate discrimination/unfairness. After the review, ensure everyone receives a chocolate so nobody truly feels discriminated against.
Materials
- Playing Cards
- Tape
- Paper/Newspaper
Keep it Simple
- Keep it simple and only have one type of disadvantage.
- You could also eliminate the need for cards by choosing an attribute – nothing too personal! For example, anyone wearing white socks may not use their hands.
Take it Further
- Take it further by continuing the conversation around human rights. Create human rights posters or info brochures to share with family and friends. Get people involved in the conversation.
