Activity goal: Help participants put themselves in someone else’s shoes (real or imaginary), reflecting on what that person might be feeling, thinking, saying, and doing. This promotes empathy, active listening, and teamwork—no visual materials are needed.

Preparation: Choose a person or character to explore. You can choose a case yourself or ask the group to suggest one. Some ideas include:

• A classmate who doesn’t participate much in group activities.
• Someone new to the group who doesn’t know anyone yet.
• A person who broke a rule and got in trouble.
• Someone who seems upset or sad lately.
• An invented profile, like: “Martin, 15 years old, doesn’t want to play with the others.”

Start of the activity: Start by explaining that we often see what people do or say, but we don’t always stop to wonder what they’re feeling or thinking inside. This activity will help us imagine and understand different realities.

You can say: “Today we’re going to imagine being someone else. We’ll try to see the world from their perspective—understanding what they feel, think, say, and do. This is key to improving how we live together, how we support one another, and how we avoid judging without knowing.”

Implementation: Work in small groups or as a whole group (depending on size). Ask them to answer these 4 guided questions, either out loud or by writing, one at a time. No visual aids are needed—just structured reflection. Ask one at a time and allow time to think or discuss):

1. What do you think this person is feeling? (e.g., nervous, sad, insecure, lonely, hopeful…)
2. What might this person be thinking on the inside, even if they don’t say it? (e.g., “I don’t fit in,” “I wish someone would talk to me,” “I don’t know if I’m doing this right.”)
3. What kinds of things do they usually say or how do they communicate with others (e.g., “I don’t want to play,” “Leave me alone,” silence, jokes…)
4. What   do    they   do    when    they’re    with   the    group    or    during            activities? (e.g., hang back, act out, help quietly without drawing attention…)

You can write ideas on a board if needed.

Wrap up/Debrief: Invite the groups (or individuals) to share what they came up with. Ask questions like:

• Did anything surprise you when imagining their point of view?
• Did this make you think of a real person?
• What could we do as a group to help this person?
• Are we more alike than we think?

Then ask each participant to think of a real person in their life they’d like to be more empathetic or understanding toward.

You can offer these two reflection questions to write down or share out loud:

• What could I do this week to be kinder to someone who might be having a hard time?
• How would things change if, before judging, I tried to imagine how the other person feels?

Materials: None