Activity goal: Help participants critically analyse the possible outcomes of a change or decision, exploring both positive and negative effects. This technique fosters systemic thinking, creativity, and collective awareness.

Preparation: The facilitator proposes a clear and realistic change, ideally related to the participants’ daily life (especially relevant in a camp setting).

Examples of camp-related changes:

• “During this camp, bottled water will not be used.”
• “Meat consumption will be reduced in meals.”
• “A non-violent communication policy will be implemented.”
• “Mobile phones will not be used during part of the day.”

Choose a realistic and meaningful change that can generate different opinions or emotions.

Start of the activity: Drawing the Wheel. Write the proposed change in the centre, inside a large circle. Then draw arrows extending from the centre, each pointing to a direct consequence (positive or negative). From those consequences, draw new arrows leading to possible secondary effects. You can go 2 to 3 levels deep, creating a chain of causes and effects like a visual web.

Implementation: This part can be done as a whole group or in smaller subgroups (each with a large sheet).

1. Immediate Consequences: “What would happen right away if we made this change?”
2. Second-Level Consequences: “What would happen as a result of those first consequences?”
3. Future Projection: “How would the life of the group change in the medium or long term?”

Encourage thinking across different areas: environment, relationships, organization, emotions, habits, external impacts, etc.

To help them on the way here are some questions you can use:

• What would we gain from this change?
• What challenges or resistance might arise?
• What new decisions would need to be made?
• Would this change only affect the camp, or also have an impact beyond it?
• What emotions might arise (comfort, discomfort, motivation, resistance…)?

Wrap up/ Debrief: Invite the group to look at the entire consequences wheel and reflect:

• Are there more positive or negative consequences?
• Does this seem like a viable change?
• What would we need to implement it effectively?
• Does this inspire us to take any small real-life action within the group?

Optional individual reflection: Each participant can write down one idea or action they want to take away from this activity.

Materials:

• Large paper (e.g., flipchart), whiteboard, or poster board,
• Markers in various colours,
• Sticky notes (optional, if you want to move ideas around), (Optional)
• Individual sheets for personal reflection.