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The Mail Carrier

20m
5 – 15
To meet each other and create an atmosphere of trust among the participants of the workshop.
Sensitize
Human rights: Identity
Opening
On-site: Indoors, Outdoors
Group dynamic
Children, Adolescents, Adults
by Defensoría del Pueblo de Ecuador,
adapted from El Cartero, Dinámicas y Juegos, 2009 (http://dinamicasojuegos.blogspot.com/2009/10/el-cartero.html). Copyright 2016
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  • Link with experience20
    • Sometimes when the activity is done with children or adolescents, they should be asked if they know what the job of a mail carrier is and, if necessary, explain it.
    • You need to have prepared a sufficient number of characteristics and questions to tell or ask participants and to perform, depending on the total number of participants.
        Link with experience
        20 min

        1. Ask participants to sit in their chairs forming a single circle.

        2. Tell everyone that during the activity you will be standing in the center of the room, and you will have a ball in your hands,  assuming the role of the mail carrier.  You will announce aloud "A letter has come."

        3. Ask the participants to ask "For who?" to which you will respond immediately "to ..." and reveal a feature such as: "For all the people who have a watch". Immediately, the people who have this feature should rise from their chairs and shift seats as quickly as possible.

        4. Notice who the last person sitting is, and gently throw the ball at them to take it in their hands. Upon receiving the ball, ask them a question that will help the group to know them a little better, for example: Do you have a favorite book? Which one is it?

        5. Repeat this, each time with a different characteristic and a different question for the person sitting last (if a person sits last more than twice, do not make any more questions and continue the game to avoid focusing on few people).

        6. When all or most people have answered a question put an end to the game. If there are still people who have not told something about themselves, give them some time to briefly tell something to the group.

        7. Thank everyone for  their participation, tell them you hope they have gotten to know each other better, and welcome them to the workshop.