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YLT-The Label Game

How do you treat other people? How does it feel when people pay attention to you? What about when they ignore you? Try this exercise and take on different roles to learn why it is so important to treat people with respect.

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Plan

How will you secure your cards to your foreheads?

Do

  • Count the number of people in your group and divide the total by three.  
  • Make an equal number of cards—numbered one, two and three—for the size of your group.  
  • Draw cards randomly, and don’t peek at the number you’ve drawn. Wear your card on your forehead so that others can see your number. 
  • Interact with the group and behave according to the numbers people have on their foreheads. Actively avoid #1’s, treat #2’s neutrally and seek out #3’s to pay them attention. 
  • Ensure you have at least one interaction with at least one person from each number group.  
  • After one round, mingle again, but treat everyone like #3’s. 

Review

  • What do you know now that you did not know before?  
  • What didn’t you like about it? What vibe was the group giving you?  
  • What did you notice was different between the two rounds? Which one was faster?  
  • How does this idea apply to your Patrol meetings and adventures? What can you do to make your Patrol feel more like the second round than the first round?  
  • How does a good leader make you feel? What kind of group dynamic do you like? Is it structured? Friendly? Competitive? Welcoming? Exclusive? 

Keep it Simple

Write down different people on post-it notes. These should be people like characters or celebrities. Place a sticky note on each person’s forehead without the person seeing what’s on their forehead (you might need tape to help with this). Take turns asking other people yes or no questions to try to figure out who you are! 

Take it Further

Rather than just having numbers, come up with different possible labels, like “ignore me,” “be nice to me,” “interrupt me” etc. Place one of these labels on each person’s back (multiple people can have the same label). Based on how people treat you, try to guess what your label says.