ok, a month after i said i’d post it, here it is - the outline for the Bound by Justice/Web of Justice exercise. I tweak this exercise each time i facilitate it, so feel free to do what works best for you. The times listed beside each section are suggested minimum time constraints.

Bound By Justice/ Web of Justice
Total time: 90-120 minutes
Level: Intermediate
(need basic understanding of movements for justice)

Introduction (15 min)
Context the exercise with something like, “When a spider wants to catch a fly, what does it do?” (build a web) “Why not just build a single strand?” (a web is stronger, covers more area) “That’s right! So that’s exactly what we are going to do. We are going to build a web – of justice.”

Have everyone brainstorm different social movements. Try to think of one for each person in the group, but at least come up with seven or eight. Write the movements on a large piece of paper for everyone to see.
Examples: environmental, labor/union, anti-racism, anti-sexism, Queer liberation, anti-ageism, anti-ablism, counter-globalization, anti-classism, anti-capitalism, taxpayer justice/fiscal responsibility, peace, anti-imperialism, education, prison reform, anti-sweatshop, immigrant rights….

If your group is larger than 10 or 11, split it up into smaller groups of 6-8. Have each person in the subgroup identify as a different movement. Let them know that they will represent that movement for the rest of the exercise. You can also keep the large group together, but you must account for more time.

Building the web (50 min)
Have everyone in the group stand up in a circle facing each other. The facilitator should stand in the middle of the group holding a ball of yarn. If there are more subgroups than facilitators, then the facilitator will bounce from group to group and hop in the middle later in the exercise. Have each participant choose a movement that they will represent throughout the exercise. Make sure that no two movements are repeated in the same group.

Hand one person one end of the yarn and have them wrap it once around their wrist or hand. Explain to the group that we are going to work together to show how different movements link together. Have the persyn holding the yarn to think of one concrete example of how the movement they represent is connected to another movement across the circle. If they can’t think of a connection, have them ask for help from the rest of the group. Once a connection has been made, the ball of yarn should be thrown to the respective person. The persyn now holding the yarn then shows how that movement is connected to yet another movement. And so on until all the movements are connected to every other movement (so if there are seven people in the group, each person should be connected to six others, ideally). The result will be a complex web that connects all of the movements together. It is ok for movements to connect more than once, but no example can be used more than once. Every movement must have at least two connections.

Destroying the Web (10 min)
The facilitator in the middle then explains that they represent everything that those movements are fighting against. If there are more groups than facilitators, the facilitator will take turns stepping into the middle of the web to complete this portion of the exercise. Talk about a strong web being able to control the opposition, surround it, and eventually eat it:)

The facilitator then takes out a part of scissors or a knife and picks up one piece of the yarn. They then ask the two participants holding that piece how they are connected. The facilitator then says something like “Well, you aren’t making that connection, so I’m going to cut it.” An alternative is to ask the participants for an example of how those two movements are kept separated. Once they figure out how the two are disconnected in real life, then you cut the yarn.

The facilitator should cut through one side of the web until they are completely free of the web. Then ask the participants, “So what happens when we don’t work together?” (What we are fighting against remains elusive and free to do as it pleases. Not as strong. Etc.)

Discussion/Debrief (15 min)
Ask the participants – Why do you think we don’t always recognize or make use of these connections? How does it hurt us not to make these connections? How can we use these links to further the goals of justice in our own communities? How can we work to make sure that these links are connected within our own communities?