ALTERNATIVES TO PUNISHMENT ROLE PLAY: COLLECTIVE PROBLEM SOLVING

Come up with a situation where harm has happened in your community. For this role play you need a person to play the harmer, one to play the person being harmed, and others to play friends and family for both people. Remember that friends and family can be connected to both people–especially if the harm in question is in the setting of a family or neighborhood.

For the exercise, you as a group have to figure out:

1. How you’re going to meet. Who will facilitate, especially when emotions are high? How ill decisions be made?
2. What is the harm that happened, and how is it still felt or experienced?
3. how can you resolve the issue without prisons or policing?

If you can come up with a situation that is specific to the group you’re working or living with, great. You could also look to the Alternative Practice Role Play: Circle Mediation, or listen to stories from OPP for scenario ideas.

Of course, if people aren’t comfortable doing a role play, you can still set up the situation and have a conversation about it.