Instructions

1. 1. Divide the children into two teams and give each group a copy of the rules and twenty snacks.
   2. Explain the rules and make sure that the children understand them, especially the rule that all the snacks in all round are returned to you if no agreement is reached between the groups.
      • This game involves deciding how to divide snacks between the two teams. Each team has twenty snacks altogether for the game. There will be three rounds and each team has a turn in each round.
      • In each round, each team will be told how many snacks they have to divide between themselves and the other team. The first team proposes a way to divide the snacks, which the other team can accept or reject. If they accept, the snacks are divided as proposed. If they reject, the first team gets a second chance to propose a way to divide the snacks. However, if their second proposal is also rejected, then all the snacks to be divided are returned to the facilitator and noone gets any.
        • For example, Team A is told to divide ten snacks and decides they want to give themselves eight and Team B only two. Team B rejects this proposal. Team A then has one more chance. They decide to divide the ten snacks equally. Team B accepts this proposal and each team gets five snacks.
        • On the other hand, if the second time Team A proposes they get seven snacks and Team B gets only three, Team B may reject that proposal. In that case, the facilitator gets all ten snacks.
      • After the first team has made its proposals, the second team offers to divide their snacks according to the instructions.
      • The second round proceeds like the first with new instructions for each team on how many of the remaining snacks to divide.
   3. Explain that you will mark the results of each division of snacks on the blackboard or flipchart, showing the number of snacks each team received. After all the rounds, make a total score for each group. The chart should look something like this:

1. Explain these details regarding the snacks:
   • Children can eat the snacks they get in the activity after the debriefing.
   • Snacks cannot be broken into parts.
   • Snacks eaten by team members during the activity are not replaced.
   • Reemphasize that when a team cannot agree on the division of snacks, all the snacks will be returned permanently to the facilitator.

Debriefing and Evaluation

1. To avoid distraction, collect all the snacks and explain that they will be returned for eating after the activity.
2. Discuss the activity using questions such as these:
   • What happened during the activity?
   • How did you feel during the activity? What was most exciting? Most frustrating?
   • Did you have a strategy? How did you develop your strategy?
   • Did anyone negotiate? Was it successful?
   • If you played this activity again, would you act differently?
   • Do you believe that the final result was fair?
3. Discuss the implications of this activity, asking questions such as these:
   • Did you trust the other team to divide fairly? Why or why not?
   • What do you mean when you say “fair”? Or the word “share”?
   • What has trust to do with sharing?
   • Can you think of situations in life where children need to share? Is it important to share fairly? What happens when sharing is unfair?
   • Can you think of situations in life where adults need to share? What happens when adults do not share fairly?
   • Can you think of examples in life where people do not get a “fair share” of things that they need?
   • What can we do in our daily life to make sure that everybody has a fair share?
4. Relate the activity and discussion to human rights, asking question such as these:
   • Human rights are based on what everyone needs, not only to survive but also to live a life of dignity with an adequate standard of living. What are some of the things every human being needs? List these things as they are mentioned.
   • What happens when people don’t have these things (e.g. enough food, shelter, education, family)?
   • Can you see a connection between having a “fair share” of necessities and human rights?

Suggestions for follow-up:

• The activities ‘The Invisibles are Coming’, p. 171, and ‘Capture the Castle’, p. 89, also involve cooperation against a common ‘enemy’.
• The activities ‘Sailing to a New Land’, p. 152, and ‘My Universe of Rights’, p. 122, distinguish between wants and needs.

Ideas for action

• Ask for examples of ways the children can improve sharing fairly within their group, at home and in the community (e.g. opportunities to speak, use toys and equipment, have adult attention, act as a leader).
• Contact local or national NGOs working on fair trade. Invite them to explain to your group what they do. Organise activities to support these NGOs.

Tips for the facilitator

• The relationship between human needs and human rights is fundamental to human rights education. If this concept is not already established, you may wish to precede this activity with another activity such as ‘Sailing to a New Land’, p. 152, that focuses on this concept.
• With older children, you may want to relate fair sharing to development. For resources on development education, see page 235.
• This activity can effectively be run a second time. In this case, use different and more desirable snacks to maintain interest.
• You can have several groups playing this activity at the same time. However, be aware that the behaviour of one group can influence another. To encourage this interaction, make a common score board so all groups can see which divisions have been made. Discuss this influence in the debriefing.

• If they wish to, allow children to re-divide the snacks after the activity.

Adaptations

• To lower the level of complexity: The number of snacks to be divided is intentionally uneven in order to challenge the trust and promote negotiation. However, if this strategizing is too complex for your group, make numbers even for both teams in every round.
• To raise the level of complexity: Include an extra rule that puts Team A in a different power position. If Team B refuses a proposal, they get nothing, but Team A gets to keep three snacks anyway. However, if Team B refuses a proposal, they do not get anything.
• To emphasise the relationship of the activity to human rights: If you have more than one facilitator, consider breaking the children into two or more smaller groups for debriefing question 4, the discussion of the relationship between human needs and human rights. The smaller the group, the deeper the discussion is likely to go on this important topic. Conclude by bringing the small groups together to share their discussion. Add another 30 minutes to the activity for this adaptation.

HANDOUT: INSTRUCTION CARDS