4 • MODULE FOUR: RELATIONSHIPS
- Ask each group to act out two scenes (remember they are heroes and heroines!). From among
the alternative qualities the group chooses two: one from the Heroine and one from the Hero
image. Then they do some role playing or create frozen pictures. The role play has to be short;
it should not exceed a minute. One scene will portray the original quality and the second will
be the altered one. For example, the girl first acts docile and then becomes assertive; the boy
first shows that he can use his muscular strength and then goes on show in the next role play
that he can reason too.
Hold a discussion after each role play, especially after the second one. The purpose of the
discussion is to explore if such changes are possible.
Do not forget to mention that behaving differently from the norm may be difficult. Encourage
the children to think about what friends are likely to say. You may also get a lot of audience
reaction during the role play as a starting point for discussion.
The list of what people are likely to say may look like this:- Made fun of;
- Like a ‘girl,’ not manly;
- Sissy;
- Is something wrong with you?
- You will get it from the elders (especially for a girl); and/or
- Your husband will hit you if you speak your mind.
- Ask the group if there is a local person, of either gender, they know of who demonstrates
these alternative qualities and yet whom society looks up to. Maybe doctors, lawyers or
famous persons who show respect for the opposite sex (relevant for boys) or assertiveness
(relevant for girls). Young people need to know that they can choose what they want to be and
also that it is okay to do so. - Ask the group to choose what qualities they aspire to have. They could tick them off on the
body images they have created. If some of the qualities continue to be selected which show a
gender bias or border on the unrealistic, work on them in later sessions or modules.
Review
Ask each member what was new about what they learned today. What do they feel?