Topic 1 Self-reflection exercise
Where do we start from?
- What do we know about people? (Type of population, general problems, something of its history…)
- What do we know about the subject? What dimensions does it have, local and global?
- Are there participatory processes underway, citizen movements, etc.?
Through what mechanisms have we defined the theme of the process?
- Does the subject defined respond to a need felt by the community, by us, by the Administration…? By some movement (in particular, in general)?
- Who occupies and who is concerned about the issue that is the subject of the process?
- Do we listen only to what is said in more formal meetings, or also to the positions that are hidden, so that the process is not blocked?
What position do we occupy?
- What role do we occupy in the community network (external agents, protagonists…), with whom do we relate?
- What access capacity do we have to the sectors involved: social agents, Administration, etc.?
What kind of participation are we going to incorporate into the process?
- In the design (The process is made open from the beginning, it is not only ours)
- Throughout the process (Motor Group, meeting spaces, etc.)
- In the follow-up (Monitoring Commission, newsletters…)
- In the return of information throughout the process
- In the negotiation and construction of proposals
- *THE SOCIO-DRAMA
Socio-drama is a method whereby a group studies a particular topic, a social situation, or themselves through a creative group process guided by an instructor. It is the same members of the group who can choose the roles or can be assigned.
It refers to the dramatization of a situation of daily life through the representation of the situation by people in a group. These people will represent the characters holding different roles. Representing the scene of life allows one to put oneself in another’s place, to experience feelings, to realize and understand. It allows the rest of the group to learn, understand by observing and also analyse what happened.
What is needed?
- A situation related to the subject matter. Example: a meeting between different social agents in a neighbourhood to decide which lines of work to follow, how to negotiate with the Administration, etc.
- A stage: the space in which the dramatization will take place.
- The characters or actors: volunteers are asked in the group to personify the roles.
In the sociodrama, the volunteers are asked to get away from the rest of the group to explain the situation and to discuss how they will stage it, allowing them a few minutes to reach agreements. They can also be given cards with behaviour guidelines and/or profiles of each character they are going to represent so that they can be used as support. Finally, we proceed to the dramatization and then to the analysis and debate.
What is the most important thing in socio-drama?
- The elaboration of the characters, the actions, verbal expressions and feelings.
- Attention when observing the smallest details.
- The analysis guided by the facilitator of the group.
- The participatory willingness of all the members of the group who will comment on any observation they have made.