Tool "The Rainforest Summit"

Language: English

Project Featuring This Tool: All Together Against Climate Change

Themes:Environment

This activity explores the importance of rainforests through role play.

Time 90 - 120 minutes
Approximate number of participants 10 - 30
Age 10-15, 15+
Date published 3 Feb 2012, 15:25

Objectives

To raise awareness of the importance of rainforests for the climate
To consider different interests in rainforest protection and destruction

Materials

Fact files (appendix I)
Role cards (appendix II)
Thick paper and markers

Setting

Copy and cut out the fact files and role cards (one for each group and an entire set for the chair)

Step-by-step instructions

1. Explain that everyone will participate in a summit on the sustainability of the rainforest, taking place in Brasilia, the capital of Brazil. Different interests will be represented. The aim of the summit is to recommend to the government what should happen in a particular area of the Brazilian rainforest. Two big agricultural companies would like to buy 25,000 hectares of land each to produce soy and to farm cattle and many civil society organisations don’t want them to do this.
2. Elect a chair (or two chairs) to host the summit. They are the Brazilian minister of the environment. They will be responsible to facilitate discussions and must take into account everyone’s needs. Give the chair their role card and a list of all roles, so that they can prepare themselves.
3. Split into five groups and give each group a fact file (the chair will prepare their role during this time). The fact files inform them about one particular aspect of rainforests and are important to prepare for the following rainforest summit where everyone will be a delegate. Give enough time for each group to read their fact file.
4. Every group should summarise the two or three main points of their fact file to the rest of the group.
5. Distribute the role cards. Form pairs or groups of three if you have more participants than roles. In that case some or all organisations will have two or three representatives. Give everyone some minutes to read their cards and to discuss their roles with the delegates from the same organisation. They should also make name tags with their name and organisation on thick paper that they can put in front of them on the table.
6. Ask everyone to note down what their preferred outcome of the summit is.
7. The chair opens the summit. The facilitator should take the role of the chair’s ‘assistant’, write the speaker’s list and watch the time (if there are two chairs, they can divide these roles between them).

Debriefing

Tell everyone that they are now themselves again and not in their roles anymore. They should jump around and shake off their invisible role suits.

Are you satisfied with the results of the summit? Why (not)?
How did you feel during the negotiations?
Was it difficult to come to a result? Why is that?
What were the different interests at stake? Which arguments did you find convincing?
What can we as young people do to help protect the rainforest?

Tips

You find the appendix in the attach file

Attached files