Page - 90 - in Reflective Cosmopolitanism - Educating towards inclusive communities through Philosophical Enquiry

90 REfLECTIvE COsMOPOLITANIsM 17. Are there any situations where making somebody feel lonely may be a good thing? 18. When is being alone a good thing? When is being alone something bad? Activity/Exercise: Putting forward alternatives, listening and empathizing with others We reflect a bit more on situations where being alone or feeling lonely may be a problem, and we look at ways to face each situation. The participants will think about solitude and loneliness and will practice looking for solutions. They will also have the opportunity to see their ideas mirrored in others’ ideas. Explanation Duration 17 (LG=Large Group, G5=Groups of five, F=Facilitator, I=Individual) G5. The class is split into groups of five. Each group thinks of three situations where a person could feel lonely, and then tries to number the emotions that a person feels in such situations. Then, they have to think about ways how to avoid this person feeling lonely. LG. In turns, the groups present their situations (one per turn). After listening to the first situation of the first group, the other groups get together for a few minutes to decide on a solution. They then write it down on a card (all groups must have identical cards). All the cards with the solutions to the same situation, including that of the group which presented the situation, are put together and read aloud in random order so that no one knows which group´s card it is. Each group discusses which solution they think is the best (they must have reasons to back up their choice) and vote (secret ballot, voting for one’s card is not allowed). Votes may be counted if we want this to be a game, or we can create a discussion where we explain why we choose one solution over another (argument and counter-argument). We could also combine counting with a discussion. This interactive LG stage must be fun and be carried out in a spontaneous way. E.g. Points for votes: Each vote your solution gets =1 point. If you vote for the solution put forward by the group who presented the situation =2 points. If you voted for the most popular solution =2 points. Activity: Identifying our own feelings and others’ feelings In advance, the facilitator will prepare cards with different feelings written on them. They can be basic feelings or not, like feeling: guilty, proud, happy, friendly, respect, solidarity, hatred, embarrassment, loneliness, insecurity, love, gratitude, etc. 8 minutes 20-25 minutes (just for one round) 17 The given times in this exercise are estimates for a group of 20. Teachers should adapt the time to their class size.