Workshop: Where's the "P" Between You and Me?




Objective(s) & Context

1. Explore personal views on power.

2. Encourage recognition of our own power and potential.

 

This activity initiates reflection about the concept of power by focusing on personal assumptions about power. It will help participants identify their own sources of power and how they encounter power in their daily lives. The idea behind this is to challenge limited and traditional views of power and powerlessness.

 

Duration

2 hours, minimum

Depends on available time and group size

 

Group Size

10–20

 

Age Group

15 +

 

Skills

Social analytical skills, personal development, reflection and creativity

 

Format(s) & Technique(s)

Presentation, large group discussion, brainstorming

 

Materials

Art supplies: coloured paper, pencils, tape, glue, stars, ribbon, butcher paper or flip chart paper, markers, etc.

 

Facilitation Tips

  • Working to understand power at personal and structural levels can raise some strongly held beliefs and analyzing them requires sensitivity.

  • It is best that these types of activities are conducted with groups that have strong group dynamics, in secure environments where participants feel comfortable with each other.

  • Given the fact that this activity may lead to sensitive and difficult discussions, a group larger than 12 should ideally have two facilitators.

  • It may be tempting to divide known sources of power into “negative” and “positive” sources of power.

  • Try to explore how a source of power can be at once both negative and positive and why.

  • Support participants to think through and draw their own conclusions about sources of power.

  • The Defining Power: Reference Sheet can be distributed to older participants or used as a facilitator resource to guide the discussions.

 

Popular Education Prompts

  • Encourage the participants to look to their own lives for examples of empowerment and disempowerment

 

Leading the Activity: Steps to Take

Preparation:

There are two parts to this activity.

 

Part 1: Brainstorm and large group discussion (45 minutes)

  1. Lead the participants in a brainstorm about what is power?

  2. Write the word POWER at the centre of a flip chart paper.

  3. Ask participants to call out the words that come to mind when they think of the word.

  4. As participants call out the terms, write them exactly as they are said on the flip chart, around the word POWER An example is provided in the box. (5 minutes)

 

  1. On a new flip chart write down SOURCES OF POWER.

  2. Ask participants to identify what these can be. Some examples can be taken from the Defining Power: Reference Sheet to help guide the discussion. Flip chart their responses.

  3. Ask participants to identify POSTIVE SOURCES OF POWER and consider some of the positive aspects of power. Some examples can be taken from the Defining Power: Reference Sheet to help guide the discussion.

  4. Flip chart their responses.

  5. On two separate flip charts write EMPOWER and DISEMPOWER.

  6. Ask the participants for their understanding of these concepts and clarify if necessary.

  7. On a new flip chart, write down EMPOWERED and DISEMPOWERED as two separate columns.

  8. Explore how some sources of power can both empower and disempower. Some examples can be taken from the Defining Power: Reference Sheet to help guide the discussion.

 

Part 2: Small group work and creative interpretation (1 hour and 15 minutes)

  1. In preparation of their small group work, lead a large group discussion using the suggested questions below.

  2. Remind participants that they can refer back to the resources available from Part 1.

  3. Flip chart their responses to these questions:

    1. Looking at the lists created in Part 1, what are some structures in society that empower people or disempower them?

    2. Talk this through and ask why? (Chart this in two separate columns if it is easier to follow.)

    3. Ask the girls where they feel empowered and disempowered in society.

  1. Randomly divide participants into two small groups:

Group A – Empowered

Group B – Disempowered

  1. Ask each group to create a skit, a drawing, or a poster to represent their concept of power, either empowered or disempowered, using the terms and results of their discussion from Part 1.

  2. Once each group has their turn, ask participants for the reflections:

  1. What is the main message of the group’s drawing or skit or poster?

    1. How does it portray the concepts of empowered and disempowered?

  1. Depending on the age and maturity of the group, lead a discussion using the following suggested questions:

  1. Are we limited by our position in society? Why?

  2. In what ways can we create change?

  3. How do limitations have consequences in society? For example, what happens between people as a result of these limitations?

  4. Do differences really matter? Please explain.

  5. Can you give some examples of women who are empowered in society?

  6. How are these women empowered?

  7. How are these women using their power to change society?

  1. Summarize the results of this discussion with the group.

 

Debrief

  • It is important to debrief this activity afterwards to ensure that participants do not leave feeling powerless.

  • One way is to ask them to write a note on a piece of paper describing how they know they would like to create peaceful and positive change to the social system of power.

  • Ask them to hand in the note either anonymously or signed, which you will then post on the “wall of change.”

  • If there is time, this can be used to launch a discussion about creating change in our community or this discussion can be saved for the next session.

 

Source: Adapted from: Making the Peace, Session 3, pages 51–52 and L. VenKlasen and V. Miller, A New Weave of Power, People and Politics: The action guide for advocacy and citizen participation (Just Associates, World Neighbours, 2002, pages 39–45).