3.2(a) The Forcefield
Aim:
To anticipate forces which may help and hinder the group in reaching its goal.
You need
A large version of the forcefield as in activity sheet 20, some pens and about an hour.
What to do
Put the name of the priority for action in the centre of the Forcefield, activity sheet 20. Above the line, add in the forces that may help you towards achieving it. Below the line add in the forces that may get in your way. The closer to the centre, the stronger the force is. The further out, the less powerful its likely impact on your plans.
You can do this activity as a whole group or in small groups, coming back together to share your findings. You could of course use the Forcefield for different parts of the plan. For example, if you wanted to tackle transport problems for young people in the area, you may have broken that down into different smaller areas, like bike paths, buses and speeding cars.
What do you think?
Looking at the forces that may work against you, how can you bring them round or neutralise them? How can you best harness the forces that may be on your side? The aim is to find ways to pull the helping forces closer to your goal and push the hindering ones further away.
What next?
Keep the chart safely and you can come back to it later to check out how you are doing. Did the forces help and hinder your work as you had expected? Were there some forces you had overlooked? Are there new ones that have appeared?