The purposes of this exercise are two-fold: (1) to draw upon students’ direct experience and ideas about religious-based bullying; and (2) cultivate empathy for people who are bullied.
- Narrate: Divide the class into four groups. Invite them to come up with a real or fictional story about someone who was bullied because of their religion. Distribute the four types-of-bullying cards. Explain that their story should be about someone who was bullied because they were religious or not religious. Invite each group to tell a story about someone who was either (1) verbally bullied, (2) physically bullied, (3) socially bullied, or (4) bullied online.
- Reflect: Facilitate a class discussion about religious-based bullying. Explain that bullying often arises from fears of difference. To prevent bullying, we will be learning about different religions, religious people, and religious places.