Activity No.

Leading the blind

Objectives:
1. To have the students experience how it feels to be blind, or to lack knowledge of some aspects of
what is happening;
2. To raise awareness about the feelings and needs of people who may need assistance;
3. To enhance understanding on the requirements of being a good facilitator.

Materials: Cloths to tie across the eyes, preferably dark colored so light doesn’t pass through.

Duration: 15 minutes

Steps:
1. Ask the students to get themselves into pairs, and then to tie the cloth around the eyes of one person in
each pair, so that they cannot see anything.
2. The person who is not blindfolded then leads the blindfolded person around for 5 minutes (you could
choose a route with obstacles, and you could get them to switch, e.g. the other person puts on the
blindfold after 3 minutes).

Discussion:
1. How did the blind people feel when they could not see?
2. How did you feel about the person who was leading you around?
3. Did you trust him/her? Why or why not?
4. Did you feel that your guide cared for you or that he/she made a fool of you? Why?
5. How did the ‘guides’ feel leading a blind person? What special efforts did they make to lead their
partner?
6. Did they search for easy or difficult things for their partner to experience?
7. Did they give him/her their full attention? Did you supervise him/her tightly or let him/her act
freely?
8. Did you explain each situation beforehand?

From the answers given during the discussion, some general conclusions can be drawn regarding
leadership and facilitation, e.g.:
1. A good facilitator:
- Does not force others to follow his/ her own plans
- Gives sensible and timely explanations.
- Does not threaten others, but does not hide constraints either
- Acts in accordance with the capabilities and emotions of the groups s/he is facilitating
- Delegates those tasks and responsibilities that can be accomplished by other members of the
group
Know yourself
Objective: To demonstrate how poorly we observe the details of things we often see.
Duration: 10 minutes
Steps:
a) Ask the participants to get into pairs.
b) Ask one member of each pair to close his or her eyes. The person with their eyes closed must then tell
the other person in as much detail as possible what she/he him/herself is wearing (colors, pictures or
writing on T-shirts, dresses, kangas etc, holes, watches, jewellery etc). The person who has their eyes
open may probe for details. When they finish the observer gives a score between 0-10, then together they
evaluate the exercise, what was lacking, why was it difficult etc.?

c) Then the roles are exchanged and the previous observer closes his/her eyes and tells his/her partner in
detail what s/he has in her/his pockets or handbag (without feeling or touching). The observer may probe
for details. When finished, s/he has to show the content of her/his pockets to check whether the
description was correct. The observer gives a score between 0-10, and together they evaluate the exercise.

Discussion: As a whole group, what did the participants learn from this exercise? To what extent could
we give details of our own clothes/ pocket contents? Why aren’t we more observant? How can we
increase our own observation skills?
 List as many as you can

Objective: Demonstrate the advantages of working in groups.

Materials: Pieces of paper, ball pens.
Duration: 20 mins
Steps:
a) Invite the whole group to listen while you read a list of twenty unrelated items such as:
Granary Chair Hat Water
Mountain Bed Juice Maize
Light Flower Goat Road
Spoon Phone Watch Baby
Trader Ocean Line Pin
b) After reading the list ONCE, ask the participants to individually write down all the items they can
recall from the list. At the end of three minutes, ask who among the participants was able to list twenty
items, nineteen, and eighteen.
c) Then ask them to work in pairs and give them three more minutes for the task. After three minutes, ask
which pair has listed twenty items, nineteen, and eighteen.
d) Then ask them to group into fours to do the same task in one more minute. When the time is up, ask
which group was able to list all twenty items.

Discussion: Were you able to list more items when you worked alone or when you worked
in pairs? Did working with a bigger group result in your being able to list more items? Why was this so?
Parallel the exercise with working in the community. Ask the participants if they think more would be
accomplished in the community if farmers work in teams rather than working alone. Find out why they
think so. The activity will be most appropriate if the participants are asked to reflect on their experiences
in implementing community or collective projects.

Energisers
Energisers are typically short physical exercises to reinvigorate a tired group of participants. Below are
some examples. The participants may also know some good energisers which they would like to share.

Mirror image
Participants sort themselves into pairs. Each pair decides which one of them will be the ‘mirror’. This
person then copies (mirrors) the actions of their partner. After some time, ask the pair to swap roles so
that the other person can be the ‘mirror’.

For more energisers see: ‘100 ways to energise groups’

http://www.impactalliance.org/ev_en.php?ID=3782_203&ID2=DO_TOPIC