Training Module III: Mobility and Participation in Public Life

1. Media Based Discussion Activity

1. Screening of a short video clip (external video production) reflecting a fantasy world where gender relations are completely topsy-turvy: where women are the aggressors and men are at the receiving end, where women have complete freedom of mobility and the right to participate in public life but men are cloistered.

2. Discussion on the video about whether participants would like to live in a world like that. Facilitator steered the discussion to ensure that institutionalised violence in patriarchal structures was problematised and girls’ right to mobility and public participation was emphasized.

2. Venn Diagram Activity

This activity helped the girls to assess their social distance from public institutions and public spaces (such as the  local government office, bank, post office, village library, office of the dairy cooperative, roadside platforms, temple etc.) Facilitator encouraged girls to reflect on which spaces they wished they had more access to.

This was followed by  a small group discussion to reflect on opportunities that women and girls have, for engaging in civic-public life :

  • In your house, who goes to local government meetings and citizen assemblies?
  • Who goes to the market to sell produce?
  • Who goes to purchase costly things from the market in Mysore?
  • Who is allowed to wander wherever they please, without being subject to any questions?
  • Who can come home late?

The Facilitator tied together the discussion by making connections between women’s mobility and the need for communities to invest in safe public spaces, and the importance of women’s participation in local governance to ensure that women’s needs and priorities were appropriately represented.

3. Group Assignment

For Mixed groups of 12-14 years and 15-17 years

Visit any local institution and find out what they do (community information centre set up by IT for Change’s field centre, government-run child care centre, local government office, primary health centre, public library etc.)

4. Video screening to trigger discussion

Video clips created by Prakriye team on interviews with women community leaders and elected women representatives on their leadership journeys were screened.

This was followed by a discussion on how girls and women can emerge as leaders – in the public and in the sphere of the private.