MODULE 5: Who We Include as Members TOOLS Member Chart Inclusion Circle In the Group/Out of the Group Drama 7 8 This module can help a children’s group.

MODULE 5:Who We Include as Members

TOOLS

Member Chart

Inclusion Circle

In the Group/Out of the Group Drama

78

This module can help a children’s group identify membership patterns and develop ways of becoming a more inclusive group.

9

OBJECTIVE

Key Questions?? ?

Steps 123MATERIALS

TIME

Identify who is included and excluded from the children’s group or from specific roles.

Flipchart paper, stickers or markers

60 Minutes

• Who are the members of our group?

• Have any children been excluded?

• What efforts are made to include younger children, children with disabilities or other groups of children?

• What are the barriers to inclusive membership?

• How can the group get past those barriers?

1. CREATE: Draw a “Blank Member Chart”, large enough for everyone to see, like below:

How

WhoNotes

7Member

Chart

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8, 9,10

2. BRAINSTORM WHO: Think about all of the types of children in your community and add them to the left hand column of the chart.

• For example: Girls, boys, children with disabilities, religious or ethnic groups, working children, children who attend school, etc.

Members LeadersAnimator

s Treasurer Educator

How

WhoNotes

3. BRAINSTORM HOW: Think about how children can participate in your group and add them to the top row of your chart (as a drawing and/or text).

• For example: members, leaders, animators, treasurers, educators, etc.

Girls

Boys

$ $

4. DISCUSS: Discuss who

each member is and ways they participate and place an “x”, or other symbol, in this square or squares in the chart to show who does what.

Disabled Children

Module 5 – Page 3

5. ANALYZE: Examine patterns in the chart and discuss the answers to the “key questions” as a large group.

NOTE: If you have worked in separate groups, come together to share and discuss small group findings in a large group with all members.

6. WORK TOGETHER: Write or draw brief statements in the “Notes” column of the chart that summarize ideas for how the group can be more inclusive, or steps the group is willing to take to recruit additional members.

Notes

Girls play many roles in the group, but they are not leaders. They should be given the chance to become leaders in the group.

Boys like the idea of having more roles in the group. They are willing to share leadership with girls.

It would be helpful if other members helped as educators, leaders or coordinators. There can be leaders for many different kinds of activities

The group is very diverse. Children from different cultures have important roles in all aspects of the group.

Notes$ $

Module 5 – Page 4

Groups do not necessarily have to be inclusive of all children in a community. Sometimes it is necessary to form groups to support a certain population of children within a community. For example, some children’s groups form to protect the rights of girls; and some groups form to protect the rights of working children. Each group should decide how it might be more inclusive based on their mission, vision, and the community context. But once they have decided what groups of children their group is meant to serve they should work hard to make sure that all possible members have been invited to join.

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There may be real challenges on the number of children that can be invited to join the group, such as the space available for meetings. Rather than do nothing in those situations, this presents an exciting opportunity to call a meeting of all interested persons to see what can be done in the community to start an additional children's group. Maybe this new group could spin off form your existing group or some of your members could play a training role in getting the new group started!

MATERIALS

TIME

Identify which girls and boys from different age groups or backgrounds) are most actively involved in or excluded from their children's group.

Large flip chart paper, colored paper for creating figures, colored stickers, colored markers.

Key Questions?? ?

Steps 123

• Who is most actively involved in our group? Why?

• Who is excluded from our group? Why?

• What actions can we take to improve the level of involvement of all children in our group, and in our community?

• What actions can we take to make our group more inclusive?

1. EXPLAIN: Introduce the Inclusion Circle as a tool to help identify which girls and boys (from different age groups or backgrounds) are most actively involved in or excluded from your children’s group.

60 Minutes

OBJECTIVE

2. CREATE: Create a series of figures or drawings on small pieces of paper to represent the different children in the community. For example:

• Boys and Girls• Different age groups: Under 12, 12-17, 18-25, 26 and older)

Use different colored stickers or markings to show children from different backgrounds. For example:

• Caste, ethnicity, or religion • Children in school or working children• Children with disabilities

If your group completed the Organizational Diagram, you may use the same symbols in this activity as well! Look at the examples on the next page.

8Inclusion

Circle

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7, 9,10

3. DRAW: On a piece of flipchart paper (or any available writing surface) draw three circles that will represent the different levels of involvement of group members. For example:

A) Inner Circle: Children are very actively involved in your group

B) Middle Circle: Children are sometimes actively involved in your group

C) Outer circle: Children are informed but not involved in your group

D) Outside the outer circle: Children not involved in your group or your group’s activities

A

B

CD

Green GreenBlue BluePurple PurpleRed RedFemale

ChildUnder 12

Male Child

Under12

Female Adolescent

12-17

Male Adolescent

12-17

Female Youth18-25

Male Youth18-25

Female Adult

26 and up

Male Adult

26 and up

Module 5 – Page 7

Someone with a disability

Someone out of school

Someone from a social minorityYello

wGre

enGroup leaders Blue

Red

4. CREATE: Ask each member to think about their level of participation and involvement in the group. Allow 3-5 minutes. After reflection, every member should take a figure according to their own age, gender and background. They should then place their figure in the circle they feel best represents their level of involvement in the group.

A

B

CD

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5. DISCUSS: Once everyone has placed their stickers they are encouraged to reflect upon and to discuss the patterns of distribution. Write the explanations on large sheets of flip chart paper.

• Who are in the inner circle? How are they very active? • Who are in the middle circle? What prevents them from more active?• Who are in the outer circle? What might the group do to include them in group activities?• Are any children/young people excluded? Why?

6. RE-CREATE: Once the entire group has discussed reason for why each member placed their stickers, ask each member to think about what an “ideal” Inclusion Circle might look like. Re-create the Inclusion Circle on a new sheet of flip chart paper or re-arrange the existing chart. In either case, document the changes and why members decided to make those specific changes. If your children’s group has access to a camera, take a photo of the before and after. Revisit this activity periodically to see if the group has become more or less inclusive, or if it has stayed the same.

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REAL(Before)

IDEAL(After)

A

B

CD

A

B

CD

OBJECTIVE

Key Questions:?? ?

Steps 123MATERIALS

TIME

Understand how and why children and adults join or leave a children’s group.

None, props (optional)

40 - 60 Minutes

• Why do children join our children’s group? Why do they leave our group?

• Why do adults who support us join or leave our group?

• What are our expectations for each member, such as membership fees, time commitment and rules?

1. PREPARE: Write the list of drama topics shown below on a large piece of paper for everyone to see:

•Becoming a Group Member

•Membership Expectations

•Group Rules

•Leaving the Group

2. PERFORM: Stand in a circle as one large group. Members take turns acting out a brief drama related to any of the four topics. Dramas should be improvised, meaning they are acted out spontaneously by either individuals, in pairs, or in small groups.

9In Group/

Out Group Drama

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5, 7, 8,10

Allow each topic to be explored with improvised drama until everyone has had a chance to participate and all topics that interest the group have been explored.

3. DISCUSS: As a large group, discuss the issues or ideas from each of the short dramas. Here are some questions to help a discussion:

• What can your children’s group do to be more inclusive

• Should expectations and rules be altered to be more inclusive?

• What can your children’s group do to recruit and retain more members?

4. ACTION: Develop a plan for how your children’s group might take action on the issues discussed. If time permit, pick one or two dramas to “re-script” (perform again) based on the group’s ideas to improve membership practices.

It may be difficult for younger children to understand some of the topics for dramas. Older group members can provide examples of a drama first to help encourage their participation.

This activity may not be relevant to new groups, but could be used as a visioning or planning tool to determine ideal membership practices. The focus of the dramas and discussion would then be on, “Who do we want to be a member of our new group?” and “What rules do we want to follow as a new group?”

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Paul StephensonRuthi Hoffman-Hanchett Ravi Karkara

Character images created by CERG through www.bitstripsforschools.com. Bitstrips For Schools is not associated with The Article 15 Project.

Annette Giertsen

Module 1 – Page 12

The Article 15 Project

Please visit CRC15.org for all Resource Kit modules.

CERG is a Key Institution of the Childwatch International Research Network