Step 4: Roleplay

The facilitator asks participants to pair up with the person seated next to them and to take turns role-playing scenarios where one person says something that could be perceived as a micro-aggression to someone else (who is not there) and the other person, as a bystander, responds in a way that counters the action and promotes inclusivity. There are four rounds in total, so each participant plays the role of the perpetrator and bystander twice. 2 minutes per round. 1 minute to reflect after the second and fourth round. 10 minutes in total.

• Round 1: Participant A plays the perpetrator
  • They say to an invisible third person: “Wow, you speak [language] really well for someone from [insert different country].”
  • Participant B responds as the bystander
• Round 2: Participant B plays the perpetrator
  • They say to an invisible third person: “Oh, but you don’t look disabled at all!”
  • Participant A responds as the bystander
• 1 minute to reflect between the participants what they just roleplayed, and how they promoted inclusivity.
• Round 3: Participant A plays the perpetrator
  • They say to an invisible third person: “That old man is behind the wheel? Well, that is an accident waiting to happen.”
  • Participant B responds as the bystander
• Round 4: Participant B plays the perpetrator
  • They say to an invisible third person: “Pregnant people cannot work, because they’ve pregnant brain. They are all hormonal!”
  • Participant A responds as the bystander
• 1 minute to reflect between the participants what they just roleplayed, and how they promoted inclusivity.