Communication: Onion of identity

Communication

ACTIVITY		20 minutes
	Should I do the activity alone?	It is best carried out in a small group. If you are in a two-parent family, try to do the activity together. Invite your child as well.
	After completing the activity…	I should be able to: understand that everybody has multiple identities, both abstract and concrete, and they have an effect on each other understand that people’s identities may create synergies, but also controversies
	Before I start, what will I need to do this activity?	Print a copy of Onion of identity for each participant. If you work in a group, also have a large-size copy you can put on the wall.
What do I have to do? in plenary participants are given a short introduction to the onion model of cultural identity in small groups they are invited to find two-three common elements for the group and identify the right layer for each, put them on a post-it each in plenary they put their identified common feature to the right place of the large onion on the flipchart the trainer hands out the second template and everybody is invited to find their layers individually this exercise is followed by a pair discussion on similarities and differences at the end of the exercise participants are invited to share findings they found surprising and shocking if any
	What to do next?	Think about your understanding of similarities and differences Did this activity help you to understand how hidden values affect visible features and behaviour? …?