Goals
The idea of this method is to experience global interconnections on things we use in our daily lives. It is a simple method that allows the participants to use their knowledge and widen it at the same time. It is not suitable for a group of very experienced participants.
Steps
Divide your participants in about four groups. Each groups gets one "thing" to work on. These things you work on can either be chosen by the participants or you decide about it. Suggestions for these things are: Tomato, Tshirt, IceTea, Chocolate, Mobile Phone, Shoe, ...
The groups get 10 to 15 minutes to answer the following questions about their certain item they are working on:
What do we know about it?
What do we not know about it?
Who is globally involved?
After the time is over, you work on one question after the other. So one group after the other answers the first question, then the second one and last but not least the third. Answers could look like this (on the example of the tomato):
What do we know about it: The colour, the taste, that it shall be healthy, maybe we know, where it comes from, maybe we know the price.
What do we not know about it: Who was the farmer, what did the farmer earn, what pesticides were used, when was it harvested, who earns how much on it, maybe we do not know where it comes from, maybe we do not know the price, ...
Who is globally involved: Depending on where it comes from, it could be the farmers (or rather farming workers) in Spain or Italy, if it is worked on by migrant farmers, it could be their families at home (from the countrie's own countryside, migrants from Northern Africa, migrants from Eastern Europe, ...)
Evaluation
An important transfer question is, how to find out about the things we do not know. Possible answers are asking in the shop, asking the companies, ...
You can combine this method with Email To A Company, your participants might appreciate this combination.
