EXPLORING THE CONCEPT OF GENDER AND SEXUAL ORIENTATION
[6 hours].
This session offers participants the opportunity to better understand the concepts of gender and sexual orientation in a playful and participatory way. The aim is to provide a better understanding of the different terms related to these subjects and to raise awareness of violence connected to sexual orientation and gender identity.
5 min
Present the workshop and its objectives
Explain that this workshop is the first part of a sequence on gender and sexual orientation. First, you will review the vocabulary and concepts around gender. Then, you will listen to audio testimonies of people concerned about the subject. All of this will help you to better understand the issues related to these subjects.
5 min
Energizers: Stop and Go
Wake up with an activity that engages the body and concentration!
To see the explanation of this activity, click here.
5 min
Icebreakers: Name + ball
Review each other’s first names with this funny activity!
To see the explanations of this activity, click here.
10 min
Explaining the main concepts.
Take the time to explain the main concepts:
– Explain the difference between gender and biological sex
– Explain the difference between gender and gender identity
– Explain the difference between gender identity and sexual orientation
– Explain the difference between sexual orientation and romantic orientation.
You could, for example, prepare a PPT presentation to ensure that these concepts are understood.
50 min
Introducing the vocabulary related to gender and sexual orientation
This activity invites participants to discover the specific vocabulary related to gender and sexual orientation in order to assimilate it. It then enables them to use the most appropriate terms in their radio creations.
To see the explanation of this activity, click here.
5 min
Debriefing [10 min]
You can ask the following questions:
– Can anyone recall the difference between gender and biological sex?
– Can anyone recall the difference between gender identity and sexual orientation?
Then each group can take turns to speak and answer their questions:
– Who were you with in the group?
– Is there a definition that you did not agree with?
– Is there a term you did not understand?
– Is there a thought you would like to share?
5 min
Icebreaker: listening to the world
Before you start listening to testimonials, and after you’ve taken a break, it’s important for everyone to be able to come back into the “moment”. The “listen to the world” energizer helps to stimulate active listening before plunging into podcast listening.
To see the explanations for this activity click here.
40 min
Listening session based on testimonies
To better understand the concepts proposed in the previous activity, organise a listening session of testimonies related to sexual orientations and gender identities with the voices of people directly concerned. This step allows you to mix cold (theoretical) and warm (experiential) knowledge, in order to better understand how these concepts are present in everyday life. Listening to testimonies also helps to develop empathy and to deconstruct stereotypes around minority groups.
To see the explanation of this activity, click here.
Ask people to write down any unanswered questions on a piece of paper. Collect them anonymously. You can then use them for future sessions or pick out a few and answer them.
To conclude, form a circle. Invite one person to go to the centre of the circle and say something they liked – or didn’t like – about the workshop. Everyone who agrees is invited to join him or her in the circle. Then everyone returns to their original places. And so on.
5 min
Introduce this second part of the workshop. Explain that you are now going to move on to radio creation. You will first do a testimonial writing activity, and then together you will interview an expert on gender identity and sexual orientation.
10 min
Icebreakers: To guide and being guided
Suggest a game to work on confidence through two small guide activities.
To see the explanation of this activity, click here.
Collecting anonymous memories
We propose to collect the stories of the participants related to their gender identities and sexual orientations through a microphone. This activity makes it easier for people to speak out on subjects that are sometimes taboo or sensitive, particularly by ensuring their anonymity. This may be the first time that some of them will share their stories in front of a group.
To see the explanation of this activity, click here.
Here you prepare a radio programme together, during which the excerpts from the previous activity can be listened to. This programme is also an opportunity for the participants to ask questions to a specialist in these fields. You can also use the questions in the FAQ box to enrich the expert’s interview.
To see the explanation of this activity, click here.
Make a line on the floor (with chalk or masking tape). Put a “+” at one end of the line, a “-” at the other. Ask people to stand on this line according to the questions you are going to ask. Ask questions such as: “How was the buffet”, “How did you find the organisation”, etc.