Decision Making Simulation

“KYA KAREIN KYA NA KAREIN” – NIRNAY LENA (DECISION MAKING) & SAMASYA SAMAADHAN (PROBLEM SOLVING)

INTRODUCTION:

The whole class is divided into 4 types of groups. 5 Families consisting of 4,5,6,6 and 7 members, Volunteers who would form School consisting of 3 members, Police consisting of 2 members, Hospital consisting of 3 members and a Money Lender whose role is played by the facilitator.

Approximate number of children required for the game – 30 to 35

Time Required – 3 to 4 sessions of 35 to 40 minutes each or a Workshop of 2 to 3 hours

OBJECTIVES:

• To make children aware of the challenges “Chunauti” they face in everyday life while taking decisions and the choices “Chunav” or options they have.
• To demonstrate that informed decision making is better than uninformed decision making.
• To demonstrate that each decision taken leads to a different consequence “Parinaam” in the children’s lives
• To illustrate the ripple effect after every decision
• To link decision making with problem solving

PREPARATION:

• Photocopies of goals of game separately for each set of parents and children as well as Hospital, School and Police
• Photocopies of game currency – Rs.100/-, Rs.20/- and Rs.50/-
• Photocopies of Green, Yellow and Red cards
• Photocopies of Family cards according to the number of families
• Photocopies of FOOD and WATER cards
• Large signs for HOSPITAL, POLICE STATION and SCHOOL
• The room should be divided into 4 parts – the largest part will be a cluster a families,  other 3 parts will be where the signs for Hospital, Police Station and School will be put up
• Clay Dough
• Lots of Newspaper and 4 to 6 glue pots

EXPLANATION OF THE GAME:

The facilitator explains to the children that they are about to play a Role playing game and all are required to think and act like their character and stay in it for 3 consecutive sessions. The children also need to be told that during the game if they are confused which is probable they just need to think what their character would do and that the facilitator cannot help them when the game is going on but later everything would be discussed in detail.

The families are asked to sit at the family part of the room and volunteers are sent to their respective corners where the signs have been put up. Every family is given one family card where they will be allotted a number. Each family will get 2 goal cards, one from Group A i.e., Goals of Parents and one from Group B, i.e., Goals of Children. 20 green, yellow and red cards each are given to each player along with a copy of the number and occasions for which they have to give out these Cards to other players. To all families Rs. 1000/- is given at the beginning of the game for 3 sessions.

NOTE – Families are not supposed to show their Goal cards to other families. Hospital, School and Police are not supposed to show their goal cards to others.

The children are further explained that they have to fulfill all the tasks given in their goal cards in 25 minutes. During the game they might get Green, Yellow or Red cards from fellow players based on the decisions they take and the value of those cards are GREEN=10 POINTS, YELLOW=0 POINTS AND RED= -5 POINTS.

If anyone runs out of money they can borrow upto Rs.500/- from the money lender but they will have to return the money before the game ends or else they will lose out on their green cards. For an amount uptil Rs. 200/- if not returned the players will have to forfeit 3 green cards and above that amount the players will have to forfeit 5 green cards.

A demonstration of how to make a paper bag is given.

NOTE – In the second session it is important for the facilitator to tell the children that no one is a boy or a girl in the game and so couples or marriage partners can be formed between two boys and two girls too.

FAMILIES – The family constellation during the game will be as follows

NOTE: The Non-earning members will be able to take responsibility of other household chores like preparation of food and fetching water.

NOTE: Marriage makes a child leave school and get a chance to go to another family who is earning more. After marriage the child who moves becomes an earning member and stops being a child. This might earn green cards from the family but red or yellow cards from School and Police.

Forming a couple can lead to players giving their partner green cards. Children who form couples can choose reduce one goal of their partners in the game but in the process they might get red or yellow cards from School and their parents.

The aim of introducing these aspects in Marriage and forming a Couple is to create some pressure on the players to take part in these activities.

DURING THE GAME:

On the first day the facilitator after 5 minutes of the game goes to see if the children have been enrolled in school. Two children are randomly picked up from the group at school, they are taken aside and asked to push or tease other children in the group so as to elicit anger.

For buying clothes the parents have to deposit the amount with the facilitator