Block or Knock Off

Description of the tool

* Participants are divided into groups of three. They must first decide upon roles – one will be the volunteer, one the sending organisation and one the observer. Then the volunteer profiles are distributed. The groups are given time to read the profile, elaborate it if necessary, and to decide what the relationship between volunteer and sending org. will be (e.g. do they know each other well, how long, does the family know the sending org., etc.)
Once the relationship has been defined, the groups move onto the obstacle course. (The observer can take part in the definition stage, but is restricted to observing once the groups step on the “playing field”).
A series of obstacles has been set up in a line. The groups line up together in front of the first obstacle. A team member reads the first of a series of statements out loud. The statement describes a problematic situation facing each of the volunteers (regardless of their profile). For example, the volunteer has been offered a job, a family member has fallen ill, etc. The sending organisation and the volunteer must discuss together and decide whether this is a problem that can be solved. If so, they move ahead to the next barrier. If the problem cannot be solved, they remain where they are. If the problem is considered serious enough that it would stop the volunteer from going abroad (i.e. knock them off their pathway), then it is a “knock off” and the group returns to the starting point.
After the last statement, the group of three holds an internal debriefing. The observer reports back on what they saw (where were there blocks, why, how the discussion was carried out, etc.) The groups decides what were the most serious obstacles for their volunteer profile.
As a last step, the groups are asked to make recommendations to sending organisations and they can be listed on a flip chart under the following categories: Travel, Medical, Family-Friends, Administration, Finance.

Comments by the team:
Practicalities: ideally, the obstacles should be set up in one continuous line. This way, the groups can see which profiles are moving forward, and which ones are regularly blocked. In this way, participants are subjected to another kind of “exclusion”. If there is no space big enough, 5 or 6 obstacles can also be set up in a row – then the groups needs to move in a kind of circle (continue once again from the start once they reach the end). It must be stressed that the exercise is not a race, and that the groups should be as honest as possible in their decisions whether they are blocked or knocked off. The statements should shall remain visible after reading them out, so that people have some time to consider the situation. This was the first time the team members tried this exercise – if the trainers have real-life experience with this target group, it should be possible to confront some of the groups to see if their solution is in fact realistic.