MAINSTREAMING TOOLS — ACTIVITIES

Changing the online game

Author: Intercultural Institute of Timisoara
Team of the Intercultural Institute of Timisoara • iit@intercultural.ro
Issues addressed Bullying, Gender based violence, Leadership and decision-making, Participation, Role of media
Complexity 3
Group size 12-24
Estimated duration 60 minutes
Objectives
  1. To raise awareness of sexism online and particularly in online gaming communities
  2. To develop advocacy skills
  3. To stimulate active participation in combating sexism in the online environment
Related thematic chapters Changing the online game
Changing the online game

Preparations

Prepare copies of the four instruction sheets described below for all participants (considering that they will be divided in five equal size groups and each group will work with one of the sheets). Prepare slides illustrating sexist messages transmitted online (in gaming communities, as comments to online media articles, in posts on social networks, etc.)

Instructions

Step 1 — 10 minutes
Start by presenting the slides with examples of sexist online messages. Allow them to make comments and maybe give additional examples from their own experience. Explain participants that the task in this activity will be to reflect on what can be done to address this situation.  
Step 2 — 20 min
Divide participants in four groups and explain that each groups will have to think about key messages and actions targeting a specific group:
  1. women active online
  2. abusers (authors of sexist messages online)
  3. policy-makers
  4. by-standers
Distribute to each group a sheet with instructions explaining that they target one of the four groups and they have to agree on answers to the following questions:
  1. What information do you need?
  2. What do they need to know?
  3. What do you want them to do?
  4. How can you persuade them to do it?
  5. What are your key messages?
  6. What online tools you can use to reach as many members of your target audience as possible?
Step 3 — 20 minutes
Have each group share the results and discuss them with the whole group. Look for similarities and differences and ask participants if they have additional ideas suggested by what other groups presented.

Debriefing

Ask participants what they found challenging in the exercise. How was it to think from the perspective of the members of the group they were targeting? What are the advantages and disadvantages of acting online? Would they be convinced with the messages and approaches proposed? How would their plans work in practice?

Tested outcomes

This method is directly inspired by the activity Changing the Game from Bookmarks, a publication of the No Hate Speech Campaign of the Council of Europe. http://www.coe.int/t/dg4/youth/Source/Resources/Publications/BOOKMARKS.pdf The original activity is only about sexism in online gaming but the activity is relevant for other types of online sexist messages. Also, the original activity targets more groups and it was adapted for only four groups, which is easier to manage. There is the risk of confusing participants with more groups.  

Tips for facilitation

To work well, it is useful that the facilitator gives an example of answers to the questions in relation to an unrelated group targeted by an advocacy campaign. Make sure that you follow the groups while they work, to avoid misunderstanding of the instructions.

Potential follow-up

Ask participants to share between them the plans to address the different groups and have each group do a risk analysis on those plans: what could go wrong if such a plan is to be implemented and what to do in such a case? Have them engage in the activities of the Council of Europe's No Hate Speech Campaign and in the activities of the campaign in their country of residence.

Needed resources

A collection of examples of online sexist messages in the language of the training or a language participants understand. Flipchart sheets and markers Instruction sheets

Further reading

Insafe is a European network of Awareness Centres promoting safe, responsible use of the Internet and mobile devices to young people. www.saferinternet.org Manual on Hate Speech, by Anne Weber, Council of Europe Publishing, Strasbourg 2009 Starting Points for Combating Hate Speech Online – three studies about online hate speech and ways to address it, by Gavan Titley, Ellie Keen and László Földi; Council of Europe Publishing, Strasbourg 2012  

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