The Snake

Tails - Each participant will be given a bib or a scarf to get it from the others without losing their own. The bibs are tucked into the trousers or the shorts at the back of each person. The game can be used as a warm-up exercise. Explain to the participants that they must have at least half of the bib on show for others to catch it (5 minutes).

Snake - Separate the group into 3-4 teams (the teams should be of around 4-5 people).
Please give them the instructions. They are supposed to act as a snake to steal the bib/scarf attached to the last member of the other team (for example, tucked into the shorts).
Catching the bib/scarf will be awarded points only if the chain of people is not broken.
Introduce the referee.
Play the activity (15 minutes)

Discrimination exercise - Stop the game and let the participants know that they are allowed 2-3 minutes to decide on a strategy within their teams to get better results.

Let them play again; this time, the referee has to act accordingly to the instructions offered in the tips for facilitation. (15 minutes)

Debriefing + Closing – (40 minutes)

Debriefing
Questions you prepared for your debriefing session related to the topic:

*Ask them to describe the activity, their feelings, and their learning.
• What happened during the game?
• How did you feel during the exercise?
• If any, what were the differences between the three stages/rounds?
• Did you learn anything new about yourself?
• Did you manage to work together?

*Help the group analyse how they worked together and what makes good group work.
• What problems did you have getting organised?
• What responsibility did each group member have?
• How could they improve their performance?
• What skills did they need? Responsibility? Listening and responding skills? Cooperation?
• What else?

*Learning outcomes
• Who got the highest score out of all the teams?
• How did you play to win?
• Who has the lowest score? How do you feel? What happened?
• Where were any agreements between teams made to cooperate? Why?
• How did the others (the ones left out of the agreement) feel?

*Feedback about the exercise
• Did you enjoy the game? What did you like/dislike about it?
• Is it an activity you would use/adapt for others?

Inputs that you want to mention in the Abstract Conceptualism phase of the workshop:
The exercise is a three-stage physical activity that aims to be an eye-opener for participants into the concept of Education through Sport by showing the difference between education for, by and through sport. The referee will make it so that it can be an exercise that raises awareness of the topic of discrimination.

Notes from your Implementation:
• The role of the referee (introduced from the beginning) is to discriminate against one of the teams in the third part of the exercise. This can be subtle things like high-fiving the other teams and ignoring the discriminated one, giving points for cheering/encouraging others/team spirit to just the privileged team, and taking points away for various reasons from the discriminated team.
• However, there should be a gradual transition from impartial to clearly helping some teams while disadvantaging the other, so make sure the role of the referee is given to a person who can stay in character throughout the session, thus keeping it realistic.
• Since this activity often demands a level of emotional involvement, there should be sufficient time for the participants to come out of character – especially the members of the discriminated team.
• Spend time at the end of the activity talking over what people learned and how they see it relating to their own lives and their communities.
• Make sure everyone gets a chance to speak to know that their opinion and participation are valued/ appreciated.