Industry, Debt & Trade

Programme Idea 2

2. Woolly thinking

Sometimes the issues of peace, justice and environmental pollution seem so enormous that we don't know where to begin in order to tackle them! The following exercise should help to make you think about these issues in a fun and active way.

You will need:

• An open space with room to move around 12 people (6 base holders and 6 ambassadors)
• Wool or nylon thread
• Paper or pens
• Top priorities - sample statements
• Woolly thinking grids for each base
• 6 chairs

Place chairs in a circle, one per base. Each base will need a large sheet of paper with the name of the issue at the top, a ball of wool, a grid and a pen. Divide Unit members into two's and assign them to a base. Each pair spends ten to fifteen minutes discussing 'their' issue and its links with as many of the others as they can, using the grid. (See page).

Each base selects a 'base-person' and one ambassador'. The base-person sits on the chair, to which one end of the wool is tied.

The ambassador takes the ball to another base and tries to agree a link with that base-person. When this is established, the wool is wrapped round that base and the ambassador returns 'home' before setting off to another base. The aim is to make as many links as possible. A huge multicoloured web of wool is quickly built up. This shows a powerful image of the links between all the issues.

N.B. Idea taken from World-wide Fund for Nature's Environmental Education Handbook 'Earthrights'.