MOSAIC - The training kit for Euro-Mediterranean youth work

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Instructions
Begin by asking all the participants to stand up. Place a reference point (for example,
a pen on the floor) to show where they are now, and tell them to imagine the whole
floor is a map. Now ask them to position themselves around the room in relation to
the reference point and each other.
With all participants still on their place on the “map”, ask them to tell the others
about where they come from (this can be the country, the town or even a district
of the city, depending on how international or local the group is).
Ask them if they want to adjust or change their position after they have seen where
the others are.
Ask them where north and south are on that “map” and why they placed them
there. Let them discuss their answers.
Now, ask participants to sit down and show them (project) the Idrisi map.
Let them look at it for a while and then tell them this a map of the world. Invite
them to indicate where their country is on the map (they may simply point with
the finger or use a laser pointer, if you happen to have one).
Encourage them not to give up. If you feel that the group might get “stuck”, tell
them that the map being projected covers Europe, North Africa and the Middle
East but – important detail! – the map has been drawn with south at the top and
north at the foot. Can they now place themselves on the map?
If you made paper copies, you may pass them around and suggest they rotate
the page so as to get another perspective on the map.
What does the Idrisi map convey about the author’s perception of the world in
his day?
Move on to the debriefing and evaluation.
Debriefing and evaluation
Invite the participants to comment and discuss the following points:
What are their general impressions about the activity?
Was it very difficult to place themselves on both maps? Why?
Did everyone in the group understand that north is now at the top of maps and
south at the foot?
Does being placed in the upper or lower part of the map influence the way we
look at other peoples and countries?
To what extent do the maps we use reflect ethnocentric perspectives of the
world? For example, the proportional size of continents, which country or region
is in the centre, how borders are drawn and how countries are named?
Round up the activity by telling them more about the Idrisi map and, if possible, by
showing other forms of representing the earth (see “Further information”).
MOSAIC - The training kit for Euro-Mediterranean youth work