BEING (DIFFERENT)

SOME THINGS TO THINK ABOUT ALONE OR IN CLASS. 
THESE QUESTIONS MIGHT INSPIRE YOU TO HAVE AN HONEST CONVERSATION WITH YOUR PEERS.

Who am I? This is an intriguing question, that often stays unanswered for your whole life. This search for your true identity, who you really are, who you would like to be, is not easy. One is easily satisfied, the other wants to know himself through and through and make very thoughtful choices.

EXERCISE

Think about these following questions. Write down what you think or discuss them with a friend / peer.

• Describe yourself in 1 word. Is that an accurate description? 
• Find 5 words with the same first letter that describe your personality. 
• If you would be your own best friend, which character would bother you about yourself the most? 
• Find some categories (e.g. activity, responsability, forgiveness...) and rate yourself from 1 to 10. Share this with the members of your group. Do they feel the same way about you?
• Now rate someone else from the group on these same categories. How do you feel about doing this? When do you feel fine, when does this make you feel uncomfortable? 
• What is the difference between describing yourself or describing someone else?

When someone is bullied, it is often because there is something "different" about that person. Or the bully thinks that something is 'different' about that person. These can be very ordinary things: certain clothes he / she wears, a specific hair color, school results, the brand of their mobile phone, a physical characteristic, ...

EXERCISE

• What makes someone 'different' from the rest’?
• What makes you 'different' from the rest? 
• What makes you feel the same as everyone else in the group?
• If someone is 'different', no matter the reason, should you look at this person differently? 
• Can someone who is 'different', no matter the reason, be a part of the group?