Change Your World with 50 Euro

From Competendo - Digital Toolbox
Jump to: navigation, search
This game anticipates an often heard argument when people explaining why they are not engaged in volunteer activities. From this perspective, “involvement doesn’t matter, only elite people and experts” would have the power to change anything. The goal is for participants to realize that money is not the primary aspect of success and not the main resource. As well the game is introducing the idea of impact, asking, how many impact you might have with a limited resource?

Time 2 – 3 hours

Material usual moderation material

Group Size 10-50 people

Keywords social impact, project development, civil activism



Handbook #4
Creativity
Creativity-book-cover.png

N. Zimmermann, E. Leondieva, M. Gawinek-Dagargulia

Fourth Handbook for Facilitators: Read more

Goal

  • Participants take all kind of resources, especially non-financial for their civil involvement in to consideration
  • They reflect that money is not the essential resource
  • They reflect the impact of activism

How to do it

The trainer takes a symbolic amount of money as an example – 50 EUR for instance (you can also use a smaller amount in your currency) – and asks for inspiration as to what one can do with this amount. Participants brainstorm possible project ideas and develop a concept consisting of goals, methods, and resources. The trainer emphasizes monetary and non-monetary sources for fundraising, motivating participants to become independent project designers.

1. Explanation of the task

Make a suggestion of what you can change with 50 € in a day/in two hours/in two days in your environment/on a specific issue/in your university/... The winners will get a prize.

2. Ideas

Participants divide into teams and plan their concepts.

3. Selection

Afterward, all the ideas will be presented and all the participants will vote for the best two or three concepts. Surprisingly they will actually receive the sum of 50 € to implement the selected project ideas.

Source

  • S. Wehrsig, A Galfanyan, N. Zimmermann: Environment and Civil Involvement - How Can We Connect Education for Sustainable Development and Active Citizenship Empowerment? A handbook for facilitators.Read full text online

Nils-Eyk Zimmermann

Nils-Eyk Zimmermann

Editor of Competendo. He writes and works on the topics: active citizenship, civil society, digital transformation, non-formal and lifelong learning, capacity building. Coordinator of European projects, in example DIGIT-AL Digital Transformation in Adult Learning for Active Citizenship, DARE network.

Blogs here: Blog: Civil Resilience.
Email: nils.zimmermann@dare-network.eu


Experience

This method illustrates on a small scale what happens on a larger scale in successful initiatives. Beginning with personal individual motivations – drawing from all kinds of support – then implementing a concrete small initiative. The initiative’s success does not depend on the initial 50€. A smaller amount in another currency might be even more symbolic to your particular participants.