This is a group discussion discussing groups! 

Divide the class into 4 groups and ask each to discuss one of the following questions:

‘Why do people want to belong to groups?'

‘What makes some groups have a lot of power and others have none?'

‘Can it sometimes be hard to belong to a group – Why?'

‘Can it sometimes be hard if you don’t belong to a particular group? Why?'

After 5 minutes of discussion ask each group to feedback to the rest of the class.

A) ‘Why do people want to belong to groups?’

> Want to fit in
> Don’t want to be different
> Support each other
> ‘Team spirit’
> Share things
> Have something in common
> Sense of belonging
> Have more power collectively
> Safety

B) ‘What makes some groups have a lot of power
      and others have none?’

> Money  - lots of it (eg. a football team), or very little
   (eg. gypsies/travellers)
> Influential people (eg. a group of politicians)
> Number of members (eg. Rangers supporters versus
   Partick Thistle supporters)
> Promotion by the media (eg. a group of actors at the
   Oscars vs. the Royal Family)
> What rights they have
   (eg. women under the Taliban in Afghanistan)
> If they can vote or not (eg. young people).

‘Can it sometimes be hard to belong to a group – Why?’

> Difficult to leave the group
> Have to conform
> May not be able to associate with anyone ‘outside’
   the group
> Difficult to have a different view to the rest of the group
> Peer pressure
> Picked on by other groups
> No longer seen as an individual
> Discrimination
> Stereotyping
> Picked on by others in the group.

‘Can it sometimes be hard if you don’t belong to a particular group – Why?’

> Seen as being ‘different’ and ‘odd’
> Group members will pick on people who aren’t in the group
> The group may not make allowances for people outside it
> People in the group may not want anyone ‘outside’
   to join the group
> Don’t have much influence when you are just an individual.