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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 everyonestarts, give each person a playing card. If you get adiamond, 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.
