The onion of personal culture

Description of the tool

- As for any ICL related exercise, emphasise on the fact that it will imply participants emotionally and personally. Ask participants to be honest and warn them about the fact that what they will be writing will be read by one other person.
- Ask participants to answer individually and honestly on the 1st colour paper the following questions, using only key words:
What do I like to wear? What music do I like? What do I like to eat? One habit that I have is…
- One the 2nd colour paper:
What do I notice in other people? What my social life look like? What do I talk about with my friends?
- One the 3rd colour paper:
One good thing about me is that I…,One bad thing about me is that I…,“To grow up” for me means…, In 10 years I will be…
- On the 4th one:
What do I believe in? What are my values? What would I never do?
Leave them enough time to answer all questions
- Then ask them to wrap the last paper they answered to (more deep internal things)
To put it upon the 2nd last and wrap it together, and so on…: At the end, everyone should have a “ball”, an onion with the more external answers as last layer and the deepest in the core. Make sure they all identify with a sign their own onion (no name).
- Collect all onions and mix them up.
- Ask everybody to pick up one onion, to unwrap it and to start reading it, then to comment it in a written way short.
- Ask them to wrap it again and to put them back.
- Everyone should then open his/her own onion and read comments.
- Debriefing:
How did you feel as you opened your onion again?
In which way does this exercise refer to stereotypes or prejudices?
Key words for debriefing: stereotypes, prejudices, images of oneself and others, identity,…