Around in Circles
Key message
This exercise is aimed at older teenagers and seeks to encourage them to consider how their radical behaviours and tendencies could affect their lives on a personal, interpersonal and global level, to examine the psychological and social effects of their radicalisation and to re-evaluate their radical beliefs and ideas.
Key words: exit strategies for radicalisation, the effects of radicalisation, understand the impact of radicalisation
Summary
The exercise gives participants the opportunity to reflect on the impact radicalisation has had on their lives and relationships. This is explored on three levels the personal, interpersonal and global.
LessKey message
This exercise is aimed at older teenagers and seeks to encourage them to consider how their radical behaviours and tendencies could affect their lives on a personal, interpersonal and global level, to examine the psychological and social effects of their radicalisation and to re-evaluate their radical beliefs and ideas.
Key words: exit strategies for radicalisation, the effects of radicalisation, understand the impact of radicalisation
Summary
The exercise gives participants the opportunity to reflect on the impact radicalisation has had on their lives and relationships. This is explored on three levels the personal, interpersonal and global.
Key message
This exercise is aimed at older teenagers and seeks to encourage them to consider how their radical behaviours and tendencies could affect their lives on a personal, interpersonal and global level, to examine the psychological and social effects of their radicalisation and to re-evaluate their radical beliefs and ideas.
Key words: exit strategies for radicalisation, the effects of radicalisation, understand the impact of radicalisation
Summary
The exercise gives participants the opportunity to reflect on the impact radicalisation has had on their lives and relationships. This is explored on three levels the personal, interpersonal and global.
- Group size
- small
- medium
- Module
- Exit strategies
- Duration
- 1 hour
- Group age
- 16 - 19
Exercise Category: Activities / Exercises
CC - Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike
Purpose
- To encourage participants to critically examine the consequences of their involvement in radical activities
- To help participants understand the effects of their radicalisation from a psychological and social perspective
- To challenge participants to question the validity of their old ideals
- To nurture the development of healthy alternative attitudes
Participants
The resource would work best with a reasonably small group (no more than 8). This would offer participants some sense of safety and comfort in their sharing; non-gender specific.
Description
Step 1:
The facilitator introduces the exercise and hands out the circles worksheet to each individual.
Step 2:
Everybody in the group is asked to listen to a number of personal development questions and then fill in what comes to mind into the first circle (personal).
Questions
- At a personal level what are some of your main concerns about having been involved in radical activity?
- How do you feel it has affected you at a personal level?
- What are some of the things that cause you to feel anxious or frustrated as you leave this part of yourself behind?
- What are the things that you find now make you feel joyful and happy?
- Now you are moving forward what are some of your hopes, gifts, talents, limitations?
Step 3:
In the same way as previously the facilitator poses a number of questions relating to interpersonal relationships and asks participants to think about a response and fill in the second circle (interpersonal).
Questions
- What are your concerns about dealing with and relating to those around you?
- What makes you angry, fearful, happy in relation to your peers, or other groups you engage with currently?
Step 4:
Global ... (wider society)
- What are your main concerns about the world today?
- What do you feel Passionate/Angry/Fearful/Happy about in what you see happening in the world today?
Step 5:
In pairs share your thoughts with a partner and discuss the common issues emerging for the both of you
Step 6:
Group discussion:
What are the necessary ingredients needed in order for you now to live in harmony?
- With yourself,
- Those close to you
- Society at large?
Materials needed
Circles worksheet, Pens
Methodology
Individual reflection, Sharing in pairs, Group discussion
Advice for Trainer
The worksheets could be reviewed at a stage in the programme to assess if participants have shifted their position in relation to any of the content they first inputted into the circles. Literacy skills are needed, however you could adopt the exercise and ask participants to use symbols instead of words if writing was an issue.
Source / Literature
Original material developed for the purpose of the YCARe project.