Peer-to-Peer Activity: Translating
Overview
Participants stimulate discussion about Commitment IV by “translating” the commitment into child-friendly language or into a local dialect.
Competencies
- Participants translate Commitment IV into simple terms.
- Participants articulate the importance of equality for everyone.
- Participants share their statements with others via social media or some other means.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Discussion Questions
Resources
Facilitator Tips
Faith Quotes
Step-by-Step Instructions
INTRODUCTION
- Review with participants the text of Commitment IV under the Resources tab.
- Instruct participants to “translate” Commitment IV into simple terms suitable for a youth or lay person. Participants may also create a concise statement in their local dialect.
- Facilitator may demonstrate how to do this by using another commitment as an example.
- It may be helpful to display the Module 4 Definitions (under the Resources tab) to review the elements of this commitment.
- Facilitator may also use questions under the Discussion Questions tab to stimulate thought.
ACTIVITY
- Allow time for participants to share their statements with the group.
- Participants may also explain why they chose to write their statements the way that they did and how their statements educate others on religious or belief pluralism.
CONCLUSION
- Encourage participants to share their translations of Commitment IV with family and friends or on social media, where appropriate.
Discussion Questions
- What are the elements of Commitment IV?
- How can these be simplified?
- What action points are necessary?
- Who bears responsibility for action?
- How can you support and promote equal treatment of others of different faiths or beliefs?
- How are “State religion” or “doctrinal secularism” used to discriminate against individuals or groups?
- How can you prevent such discrimination?
Resources
Commitment IV: We pledge to support and promote equal treatment in all areas and manifestations of religion or belief and to denounce all forms of discriminatory practices. We commit to prevent the use of the notion of “State religion” to discriminate against any individual or group and we consider any such interpretation as contrary to the oneness of humanity and equal dignity of humankind. Similarly, we commit to prevent the use of “doctrinal secularism” from reducing the space for religious or belief pluralism in practice.
- Editable PowerPoint file: Module 4 Definitions
- PDF: Module 4 Definitions
Facilitator Tips
- The #Faith4Rights modules are flexible and require adaptation by the facilitators before their use. Case studies related to peer-to-peer exercises in the 18 modules need to be selected by the facilitators from within the environment where the learning takes place. The #Faith4Rights toolkit is a prototype methodology that requires contextualization, based on the text of the 18 commitments, context, and additional supporting documents.
- Not all issues raised need to be resolved. This would be an impossible and even a counterproductive target. The aim is rather to enhance critical thinking and communication skills, admitting that some questions could receive many answers, depending on numerous factors.
- Tensions may occur during discussions related to “faith” and “rights.” Most of these tensions are due to human interpretations. Learning sessions are spaces for constructive dialogue in a dynamic process where tensions can be reduced with the help of clear methodologies, including pre-emptive situation analysis and evidence of positive results in areas of intersectionality between faith and rights.
- When preparing the sessions, facilitators need to factor in the profile, age, and backgrounds of participants. Focused attention on the learning objectives can transform tensions into constructive exploration of new ideas.
- Meaningful engagement requires democratically pre-established rules. Facilitators should dedicate time with participants to elaborate these rules together at the outset and act all along the training as their custodians.
- The time frames suggested in this #Faith4Rights toolkit are merely indicative. Facilitators may adapt them freely to suit the needs of their group of participants. The key balance is between respecting the overall time frame while not cutting short a positive exchange momentum.
- To ensure optimal and sustainable benefit, facilitators may create a “training notebook” for participants during their peer-to-peer learning sessions. It would contain a compilation of templates to help participants keep track of what they have learned throughout the program and eventually use this notebook as their personalized follow-up tool.
- When technically feasible, facilitators are also advised to project the module under discussion on screen in order to alternate between discussions thereon and showing the audio-visual materials listed in each module or any other items selected by the facilitator.
Faith Quotes
“Then Peter began to speak: ‘I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism.’” (Acts 10:34)