Peer-to-Peer Activity: Art Inspiration
Overview
Participants discuss how artwork inspires them to uphold the aims of Commitment VII to preserve democracy, dignity, and peace and security.
Competencies
- Participants experience, then interpret, the effects of the artwork.
- They explain how the art resonates with their understanding of Commitment VII.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Discussion Questions
Resources
Facilitator Tips
Faith Quotes
Step-by-Step Instructions
INTRODUCTION
- Art can promote the aim of Commitment VII, to preserve democracy, dignity, and peace and security. (From the Camden Principles on Freedom of Expression and Equality.)
- Choose a provided example, photography from the UN Photography 4 Humanity online gallery, or another selected work. See Resources tab for supportive materials, including a Slide presentation with artistic examples.
- Alternatively, introduce a piece of art that is unique to your own religious traditions and culture and explain the significance of the piece as a way to initiate expressive discussion.
- The optional questions under the Discussion Questions tab may guide the participants’ discussion.
DISCUSSION
- Participants are given time to view and interpret the artwork.
- They may choose to write down their impressions. (They may use their Faith for Rights notebooks, if provided.)
- Participants discuss the significance of the artwork and how it relates to the aim of Commitment VII. They can share how the art affects theirs thoughts and feelings related to faith and rights.
CONCLUSION
- Participants may consider how artwork can increase understanding between people of different religious or cultural backgrounds.
Discussion Questions
- How does the artwork speak out against violence, discrimination, or hostility?
- How does the artwork inspire you to show dignity and equality?
- How can art communicate about sensitive issues related to discrimination when words cannot?
Resources
- Editable PowerPoint file download: Artistic Expression Activity
- PDF: Artistic Expression Activity
- Camden Principles on Freedom of Expression and Equality, principles necessary to ensure respect for freedom of expression and the promotion of equality
- Photography 4 Humanity, a display of photographs that depict a variety of images relevant to Commitment VII
- Module 7 Music This file can be downloaded from SoundCloud prior to the session.
Facilitator Tips
Art interpretation is an individual practice that is often influenced by personal thoughts, feelings, and experiences. Facilitator should exercise sensitivity when choosing artwork for this activity.
Additional Tips for All Peer-to-Peer Activities
- 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
- “Now this is the command: Do to the doer to make him do.” (Ancient Egyptian Middle Kingdom)
- “Repay injury with justice and kindness with kindness.” (Confucius)
- “What is hateful to you, don’t do to your friend.” (Talmud, Shabat, 31,a)
- “Whatever words we utter should be chosen with care for people will hear them and be influenced by them for good or ill.” (Buddha)
- “By self-control and by making dharma (right conduct) your main focus, treat others as you treat yourself.” (Mahābhārata)
- “You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against your kinsfolk. Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Leviticus 19:18)
- “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.” (Matthew 7:12)
- “Ascribe not to any soul that which thou wouldst not have ascribed to thee, and say not that which thou doest not.” (Baha’u’llah)