The Pen Game

Goal:
To successfully pass a pen around the group seated in a circle.

Purpose:
To show how the rules or laws that are made without consulting
all people lead to unfairness and injustice and breed cynical attides.
To draw connections between the rules of a game and human rights.

Set Up:
The group sits in a circle and are told they are going to play the Pen Game.
Tell them the rules of the game will not be explained.

Go!
Give a pen to one person and ask them to start the game by passing the
pen to the next person in the circle.

After the pen is passed, announce that the passer has broken a rule,
and say what the rule was. It can be any arbitrary thing.

Ask the second person to continue by passing the pen to the next person.

Every so often, announce another broken rule; continue the game until the
pen returns to the person who started.

Sample broken "rules": passing pen with left hand, passing pen with tip
forward. passing pen with cap off, passing pen without saying "Bam!", passing
pen with legs crossed, passing pen to someone wearing a ring, passing pen to
someone wearing a green shirt, etc.

Ask:

What mistakes were made?
What were the rules to the game?
Do they accept their mistakes?
Was the game fair?
Who is to blame for the errors, the participants or the facilitator?
What was wrong with the game?
How should it be changed?
How can the game be made fair and just?

Ask:
Have you ever heard of human rights?
Can you explain what they are?
Explain that human rights are those rights which are essential for us to
live as human beings.
Give some examples. Unlike the rules in the Pen Game, human rights
are agreed upon by everyone, make sense and are fair. They are meant
to protect people from unfair rules, and ensure not only access to basic
needs such as food and shelter, but also the chance to grow and develop
beyond what is required for survival.

Explain that after World War II and the formation of the UN, a group of some 50
countries got together and agreed on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
(UDHR) which lists the rights that every person has. John Peters Humphrey, a
Canadian from New Brunswick, wrote the first draft of the Declaration, so Canada
had an important role right from the start. The UDHR is not a law, it is a statement
about what countries should do. However many countries, such as Canada, have
made the UDHR part of their own laws. Canada has done this through the Canadian
Charter of Rights and Freedoms (1982) and the Canadian Human Rights Act.

There are also two international covenants (treaties) based on the Declaration
which bind the countries which have signed them, one on civil and political rights,
and the other on economic, social and cultural rights. Several other treaties on
specific rights, such as the rights of women and of children, have also been adopted
by the UN. Explain that human rights come in different categories but they are all
equally important.

Give examples for each category:

political rights (right to vote),
civil rights (right to freedom of opinion),
equality rights (right to be free from racism),
economic rights (right to be paid fairlyfor work),
social rights (right to an education) and cultural rights (right to speak one's own language).


Explain that the UN works to protect human rights by setting standards and establishing the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to coordinate all its human rights related activities.

Explain that one of the special treaties on human rights is a treaty just about the
rights that children have. Distribute the simplified version of the Rights of the
Child Declaration (see "Children's Rights" sheet in Resource section).

Ask: Children to volunteer to read each right out loud. What does each mean?
Explain. Distribute a copy of the "New School Rules" to each student. Explain that
because of certain problems that many schools are having, a fictitious government
organization has drafted a new set of rules that all schools must follow (see "New
School Rules" in Resource section). Read the rules out loud with the students help.

Ask: What do they think of these rules? Why? Divide them into groups of 4-6 and
ask them to decide which of the Rights of the Child each new school rule violates.
Go over their answers, and clarify any questions.

Ask:
How many have ever heard of UNICEF? Explain that UNICEF, the United Nations
Children's Fund, is a UN Programme that takes the lead role in monitoring the rights
of children and in working to make sure children have good access to adequate health
care and education. Explain that every right implies a responsibility, and give an example
(free speech).

Ask: What responsibilities do the Rights of the Child imply?
As a group, draw up a list of classroom rules that ensure everyone's rights are respected.
Try to reach agreement on each rule. Post the rules on the wall as a miniature
charter of rights for the classroom. This will complement the Class Charter that was
drawn up in Session One.

Ask the students to think of one rule that they believe is the most important
for the world to be peaceful and for everyone's rights to be respected. Get them to
write three lines:

My rule is.... The UN can help by... Canada can help by...