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Wearing a Different Hat*
Suggested Method:
Divide the children into groups. Give each child a character that works in the outdoors or uses the outdoors for recreation. Alternatively, allow them to choose. Try to ensure a range of recreational users and landowners - use the issues guide overleaf to help.
Ask the children to think of all the issues they might have with the other characters (e.g. what issues might a mountain biker have with a horse rider, a fishing ghillie or a dog walker?) They can ask the rest of their group for help or look at the issues guide (overleaf). The children who are the landowners may require additional help.
Give each child a prop and/or a sticky label to identify them to others. Ask the land managers to stand in a line facing the recreational users. Give the group a set time to start a role-play conversation with the person facing them.
After the time is up, give a signal and ask the land managers to move along a place (the one at the top of the line moves to the other end of the line). Each land manager now faces a new recreational user and the role-play continues. Characters do not have to seek conflict – you can steer the meetings by making a suggestion about the initial approach. For example ‘land managers starts with polite question’ or ‘recreational user starts with confrontational statement’ etc.
Alternatively, allow the children to wander round the room/area role-playing as their character. When you give a signal, they meet with someone (a recreational user or landowner) and role-play any issues that arise.
Ask the landowners to give their thoughts on the recreational users and vice versa. What do the landowners think of the landowners and the recreational users of the recreational users? Do they think that conflict is inevitable in the outdoors? Do they think the Code can help?
* Based on an activity devised by Shirley Paterson (Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group)