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Sample translations submitted: 3
English to Bengali: Urban Environment Management (Noise Pollution) General field: Science Detailed field: Environment & Ecology
Source text - English Urban Environment Management (Noise Pollution)
Noise is an environmental phenomenon where human are exposed throughout their life. Noise, which is usually, defined in various ways likely an unwanted sound, independent of loudness that may cause undesired physiological and psychological effect in human being. Noise is not only an annoyance but also a hazard to human’s physical and mental will-being. On the other hand, noise pollution is one of the most harmful pollution that can be defined as unwanted or offensive sounds which unreasonably interfere into daily activities (Ayaz & Rahman, 2011; Haq, Islam, Ali, Haque, & Akhand, 2012). Though noise is responsible for various environmental problems but it is very difficult to quantify associated costs related to problems. Motorised traffic is the principal source of transport noise and according to OECD there are four categories of impact from transport noise such as productivity losses due to poor concentration, communication difficulties or fatigue due to insufficient rest; health care costs to rectify loss of sleep, hearing problems or stress; lowered property values; loss of psychological well-being (Ayaz & Rahman, 2011). Apart from transport noise there are some other types of noise which are the following:
• Construction noise.
• Domestic noise.
• Including a domestic activity involving the use of machinery, domestic machine noise, such as air conditioners and pool pumps
• Rubbish collection, street-sweeping machines, etc.
• Building intruder alarm systems
• Frost fans (used in primary production to prevent frost damage to crops).
• Industrial Noise.
• Peoples Noise.
• Animal Noise. (Source: EPA)
Existing scenario
In Bangladesh noise problem, especially transport noise, is severe owing to some reasons such as vehicles horns are abused by drivers, horn is used to get right of way, strength of horn decides the power of vehicles, existence of non motorized vehicle on the same track encourage the use of horn, use of hydraulic horn, most drivers like horn signal than light indicator signal for lane changing (Ayaz & Rahman, 2011).
In case of Dhaka City, the inhabitants of Dhaka City are being exposed to high level of noise pollution. As a result, uncontrolled noise of Dhaka city has made a serious and vulnerable situation for the dwellers. Noise pollution is adversely affecting the environment of this city and hampering physical and mental peace, and thus become a cause of an alarming health hazard (Alam, Rauf, & Ahmed, 2001; Haq et al., 2012).
To control the sound/noise pollution, the Ministry of Environment and Forestry has been formulated ‘The Sound Pollution (control) Rules, 2006’. To set up the acceptable levels of noise, various standards are being used in different countries to combat the hazards of noise pollution. Limits of the acceptable noise levels for different areas in Bangladesh recommended by Bangladesh Department of Environment (DoE) are shown in the following table.
Table: Acceptable Noise Level for Different Areas
Classification of areas Noise Level dB (A)
Day time Night time
Silent areas 50 40
Residential areas 55 45
Mixed areas 60 50
Commercial areas 70 60
Industrial areas 75 70
Source: (Alam et al., 2001; Ayaz & Rahman, 2011)
Recommendations
To combat noise the approaches can be divided into three categories such as source control, noise shielding and noise reduction.
Source Control
• Control of vehicle devices, vehicle maintenance practices, traffic control
• Strict regulations and enforcement of laws
• Increasing people awareness, mass media like television, radio, newspapers may be helpful to a great extent in this purpose.
Noise Shielding: The source of most outdoor noise worldwide is mainly caused by machines and transportation systems, motor vehicles, aircrafts and trains. The idea of noise shielding is to use various methods to block the noise to reduce the disturbance of activities.
• Use of building to create “Shadow zones”
Transportation noise could be shielded by cautious arrangement of buildings, e.g. establishing a building of non-sensitive use multi-storey car park or shopping centre near the noise source or extending a small part of a building bulk. “Noise shadow zone” can shield buildings of sensitive land use areas.
• Noise barrier construction
Noise barriers are the most effective method of mitigating roadway, railway and industrial noise sources other than cessation of the source activity or use of source controls.
• Tree plantation along the footpath to shield noise
Noise Reduction: Apart from noise shielding, noise can be reduced by better arrangement of building and absorb the noise by different materials.
• Road and building alignment
By leaving distance between the noise source and residential area, disturbance by noise could be reduced. The diagrams show how transportation noise is reduced by keeping distance from the railway in Hong Kong.
• Road pavement
To prevent noise, materials with characteristic of sound blocking and sound absorbing are suggested as followed.
Translation - Bengali নাগরিক পরিবেশ ব্যবস্থাপনা ( শব্দদূষণ)
শব্দ পরিবেশের এমন একটি উপাদান যা দ্বারা পরিবেষ্টিত হয়ে মানুষ সমস্ত জীবন বসবাস করে। শব্দ দূষণ বলতে মূলত মানুষের সহ্যসীমার অতিরিক্ত শব্দ বোঝানো হয়ে থাকে যার তীব্রতা শারীরিক ও মানসিক ক্ষতি সাধন করে। শব্দ দূষণ শুধুমাত্র বিরক্তিরই কারণ নয় বরং মানুষের শারীরিক এবং মানসিক বিকাশের পথে বাধা স্বরূপ। শব্দ দূষণকে অযাচিত ও তীব্র শব্দ বলেও সংজ্ঞায়িত যায় এবং এটি মানুষের প্রাত্যহিক জীবনের জন্য ব্যাপক ক্ষতিকর; অন্য সকল দূষণের মাঝে এটি অন্যতম ভয়াবহ দূষণ হিসেবে পরিগণিত। (আয়ায ও রহমান,২০১১; হক, ইসলাম, আলী, হক এবং আকন্দ, ২০১২)। যদিও শব্দ দূষণ বিভিন্ন ধরনের ক্ষতি সাধন করে থাকে তবু সেই ক্ষতির পরিমাণ নির্ধারণ করা খুবই কঠিন। যন্ত্রচালিত বাহনই যানবাহনগত শব্দ দূষণের প্রধান উৎস। ওইসিডি (OECD) অনুসারে যানবাহনসৃষ্ট শব্দ দূষণের ক্ষতিকে চারভাগে ভাগ করা যায়- একাগ্রতার অভাবে উৎপাদন ঘাটতি, অপ্রতুল বিশ্রাম এর কারণে যোগাযোগ সমস্যা বা ক্লান্তি, পর্যাপ্ত ঘুমের অভাবজনিত শারীরিক সমস্যা ( যেমন- শ্রবণশক্তির হ্রাস), অবসাদ বা এমন জাতীয় সমস্যা সমাধানে আর্থিক ক্ষতি, মানসিক ক্ষতি ( আর্থিক ভারসাম্যহীনতা, সম্পত্তির অবমূল্যায়ন ইত্যাদি) (আয়ায ও রহমান,২০১১)। যানবাহনগত শব্দ দূষণ ছাড়া আরও বিভিন্ন ধরনের শব্দ দূষণ রয়েছে,
ক) নির্মাণজনিত শব্দ দূষণ।
খ) গৃহস্থালিঘটিতশব্দ দূষণ (বাড়ি-ঘরে ব্যবহৃত বিভিন্ন যন্ত্রের ব্যবহারের কারণে উদ্ভুত শব্দ দূষণ, যেমন- শীতাতপ নিয়ন্ত্রণ যন্ত্র, সুইমিং পুল পরিষ্কার করার যন্ত্র ইত্যাদি)।
গ) আবর্জনা সংগ্রহ ও রাস্তা পরিষ্কার করার কাজে ব্যবহৃত যন্ত্রসৃষ্ট শব্দ দূষণ।
ঘ) বাড়ী-ঘরে লাগানো অনুপ্রবেশকারী ঠেকাতে ব্যবহৃত এলারম জনিত শব্দ দূষণ।
ঙ) ফ্রস্ট ফ্যান (ফসলের ক্ষতি মোকাবিলায় ব্যবহৃত হয়)।
চ) কলকারখানাজনিত শব্দ দূষণ।
ছ) সাধারণ মানুষের কারণে তৈরি হওয়া শব্দ দূষণ।
জ) পশু পাখির কারণে তৈরি হওয়া শব্দ দূষণ।
(সুত্রঃ ইপিএ)
বর্তমান প্রেক্ষাপটঃ
বাংলাদেশে বিশেষভাবে যানবাহনসৃষ্ট শব্দ দূষণ এর অবস্থা ভয়াবহ। এর বহুবিধ কারণের মাঝে উল্লেখযোগ্য হল গাড়িচালকদের ইচ্ছামত হর্ন এর ব্যবহার। দ্রুত রাস্তা বেরকরার জন্য মানুষ এমন ব্যবহার করে থাকে এবং হর্নের তীব্রতার উপর যানবাহনের শক্তি বিচার হয়। অর্থাৎ যে যানবাহন যতটা জোরে হর্ন বাজাতে পারে তার শক্তি ততটাই বেশি বলে বিবেচিত হয়; তার জন্য রাস্তা পাওয়াটাও ততটাই সহজ। এখানে একই রাস্তায় যন্ত্রচালিত এবং যান্ত্রিক নয় এমন যানবাহন (যেমন-রিক্সা, সাইকেল ইত্যাদি) চলাচল করে যার ফলে যন্ত্রচালিত যানবাহনের চালকেরা ঘন ঘন জোরে হর্ন বাজানোর অভ্যাসে আবদ্ধ হয়ে পড়েছেন। এখানে যানবাহনে হাইড্রোলিক হর্ন ব্যবহার করা হয় এবং চালকেরা এক রাস্তা থেকে অন্য রাস্তায় যাবার সময় বা দিক পরিবর্তনের সময় আলোর সঙ্কেত ব্যবহার না করে হর্ন বাজাতেই বেশি স্বাচ্ছন্দ্য বোধ করেন (আয়ায ও রহমান, ২০১১)।
ঢাকা শহরের ক্ষেত্রে খুব সহজেই বলা যায় যে, ঢাকার অধিবাসীরা অতি উচ্চমাত্রার শব্দ দূষণের ঝুঁকিতে বসবাস করেন। অনিয়ন্ত্রিত এই শব্দ দূষণের ফলে এই শহরের অধিবাসীদের জন্য চিন্তার উদ্রেকজনক, ঝুঁকিপূর্ণ একটি অবস্থার সৃষ্টি হয়েছে। এই শহরে এমন উচ্চমাত্রার শব্দ দূষণের কারণে পরিবেশ সম্পূর্ণ নষ্ট হচ্ছে এবং মানুষের শারীরিক ও মানসিক শান্তি বিঘ্নিত হচ্ছে যা ভয়ঙ্কর স্বাস্থ্যঝুঁকির কারণ (আলম, রউফ ও আহমদ,২০১১; হক ও অন্যান্য, ২০১২)।
শব্দ দূষণ নিয়ন্ত্রণকল্পে বাংলাদেশ বন ও পরিবেশ মন্ত্রনালয় “শব্দ দূষণ (নিয়ন্ত্রণ) বিধিমালা, ২০০৬” জারি করেছে। শব্দ দূষণ নিয়ন্ত্রণে বিশ্বের বিভিন্ন দেশে বিভিন্ন আদর্শ ব্যবহার করে শব্দ সহ্যশক্তির সীমা নির্ধারিত হয়েছে। নিচে বাংলাদেশ ডিপার্টমেন্ট অব এনভায়রনমেন্ট (ডি ও ই) দ্বারা নির্ধারিত শব্দের সহ্যমাত্রার (স্থান ও কাল ভেদে) একটি তালিকা দেওয়া হল।
স্থান সহনীয় শব্দের মাত্রা (ডেসিবেল)
দিন রাত্রি
নীরব এলাকা ৫০ ৪০
আবাসিক এলাকা ৫৫ ৪৫
মিশ্র এলাকা ৬০ ৫০
বাণিজ্যিক এলাকা ৭০ ৬০
শিল্প/কারখানা এলাকা ৭৫ ৭০
সুত্রঃ আলম ও অন্যান্য ২০০১; আয়ায ও রহমান,২০১১
সুপারিশঃ
শব্দ দূষণ প্রতিরোধে গ্রহণীয় পদক্ষেপসমূহকে তিন ভাগে ভাগ করা যেতে পারেঃ
ক) উৎস নিয়ন্ত্রণ,
খ) শব্দ প্রতিরোধক ব্যবস্থা,
গ) শব্দ দূষণ হ্রাস করা।
ক) উৎস নিয়ন্ত্রণঃ
যানবাহনে ব্যবহৃত যন্ত্র নিয়ন্ত্রণ, নিয়মিত যানবাহন নজরে রাখা, রাস্তায় যানবাহন নিয়ন্ত্রণ করে শব্দ দূষণ নিয়ন্ত্রণ সম্ভব।
• কড়া নজরদারি এবং আইনের যথাযথ ও সুষ্ঠু প্রয়োগ।
• বহুল প্রচারিত গণমাধ্যম, যেমন-টিভি, রেডিও, সংবাদপত্রের মাধ্যমে জনগনের মাঝে শব্দ দূষণ সংক্রান্ত সচেতনতা বৃদ্ধি।
খ) শব্দ প্রতিরোধক ব্যবস্থাঃ
সারা বিশ্বব্যাপী শব্দ দূষণের অন্যতম প্রধান উৎস হল যন্ত্র ও যন্ত্রচালিত যানবাহন, যেমন- মোটরগাড়ি, বিমান, ট্রেন ইত্যাদি। শব্দ প্রতিরোধক ব্যবস্থা হল এমন একটি ধারণা যাতে বিভিন্ন মাধ্যমে শব্দ প্রতিরোধ করে দূষণ কমানো যায়।
• দালান ব্যবহার করে ‘শ্যাডো-জোন’ তৈরি করাঃ
পরিকল্পনামাফিক দালান বা ইমারত তৈরি করে যানবাহনসৃষ্ট শব্দ দূষণ প্রতিরোধ সম্ভব। যেমন- বহুতল গাড়ি পারকিং বা শপিং সেন্টার তৈরি করে শব্দ দূষণের উৎসের কাছাকাছি কোন জায়গায় বা দালানের ছোট কোন অংশ আয়তনে যদি খানিকটা বাড়ানো যায় তবে উৎস থেকে সৃষ্ট উচ্চমাত্রার শব্দকে বাধা দিয়ে তার মাত্রা কমিয়ে আনা সম্ভব। এমন পরিকল্পিত দালানের শব্দ প্রতিরোধী অংশকেই শ্যাডো জোন বলা হয়। এমন দূষণও শ্যাডো জোন দ্বারা নিয়ন্ত্রণ সম্ভব।
• শব্দ দূষণ প্রতিরোধক তৈরি করাঃ
রাস্তাঘাট, রেলওয়ে এবং শিল্প এলাকার শব্দ দূষণ কমানোর সবচেয়ে ভালো উপায় হল শব্দ দূষণ প্রতিরোধক তৈরি করা। উৎস নিয়ন্ত্রণ এর থেকেও এই মাধ্যম বেশি কার্যকরী।
• ফুটপাথে এবং রাস্তার পাশে বৃক্ষরোপণ এর মাধ্যমে দূষণ প্রতিরোধক তৈরি করা যায়।
গ) শব্দ দূষণ হ্রাসকরণঃ
দূষণ প্রতিরোধক ব্যবস্থার পাশাপাশি উন্নত পরিকল্পনা মাফিক ইমারত তৈরি করে এবং বিভিন্ন শব্দ শোষণকারী উপকরণ বা উপাদান ব্যবহার করে শব্দ দূষণের হ্রাস সম্ভব।
• রাস্তা ও ইমারতের সরলরৈখিককরণঃ
আবাসিক এলাকা এবং শব্দের উৎসের মাঝে দূরত্ব বাড়ানোর মাধ্যমে দূষণগত সমস্যা কমানো সম্ভব হয়। নিচের রেখাচিত্রগুলো থেকে দেখা যাচ্ছে আবাসিক এলাকা এবং রেল চলাচলের জায়গায় অন্তর্বর্তী দূরত্ব বৃদ্ধি করে হংকং এ কিভাবে শব্দ দূষণের ক্ষতি হ্রাস করা হয়েছে।
• রাস্তা প্রশস্তকরনঃ
শব্দ দূষণ প্রতিরোধে শব্দ প্রতিরোধী এবং শব্দ শোষণে সক্ষম উপাদানের তালিকা নিম্নরুপ।
English to Bengali: Op-Ed for The Star on Bt brinjal and pesticides General field: Science Detailed field: Agriculture
Source text - English Op-Ed for The Star on Bt brinjal and pesticides
Somewhere around the world, two to three people are poisoned by pesticides every single minute. The overall death toll adds up to some tens of thousands of people, mainly farm workers, according to the World Health Organization. In Bangladesh, as in other developing countries, many acutely toxic poisons are still widely used in agriculture despite being banned internationally because of their known effects on human health and the environment. This is an important consideration for World Food Day, which highlights peoples' right to a healthy and secure food supply.
Because of the need to protect agricultural crops against pests and thereby help feed a growing population, pesticide use in Bangladesh has doubled since the early 1990s. However, farmers are failing to take appropriate measures to protect themselves: a recent survey by the World Bank found that almost all farmers sprayed their crops bare-footed, only 2% wore gloves, just 3% wore protective eye-glasses, and only 6% had simple cotton masks to protect against inhalation.
Not surprisingly, many farmers report experiencing symptoms of chronic or acute poisoning from pesticides, including headaches and dizziness, eye and skin irritation or vomiting. Long-term effects on human health can include leukaemia, lung cancer, aplastic anemia, fetal death, hormonal changes, DNA damage and birth defects. Runoff of toxins into rivers can pollute groundwater supplies, and damage both freshwater and marine ecosystems. Some pesticide toxins accumulate in the food chain and have been found at high levels in animals in the Arctic.
In Bangladesh one of our most pesticide-intensive crops is brinjal, the most economically important vegetable for the nation. Yield losses from pests, in particular the the fruit and shoot borer larvae, are estimated at over 50% nationwide despite the heavy use of pesticides - surveys suggest many brinjal farmers spray their plants every two days during the rainy months, with as many as 150 sprays during the whole growing season. Anecdotally, there are reports that children are widely employed dipping brinjal fruits in buckets of insecticide, coating themselves and the fruit in toxins.
Other than insecticides there are no other proven successful methods to control fruit and shoot borer in brinjal. Organic and 'integrated pest management' methods have shown promise, but are too complex and time-consuming to be widely successful. Accordingly, experts at the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Center, in partnership with Cornell University in the United States and funded by USAID, have developed a genetically-modified brinjal which expresses a naturally-occuring insect-control protein called 'Bt' in the fruits and leaves of the plant. This Bt brinjal has recently been given full approval by the Government, and will be available to farmers in the next season.
Some NGOs have expressed opposition to Bt brinjal on the grounds that its effects have been inadequately studied. This is untrue - Bt proteins have been used for over a decade in food and feed crops such as corn, and are widely used in agricultural production worldwide. The Bt protein, known to scientists as Cry-1A, is only toxic to insect pests, and is completely safe for humans and indeed all other non-insect species. Several years of field tests in Bangladesh and India have established beyond doubt that Bt is close to 100% effective in controlling fruit and shoot borer.
This means that farmers growing brinjal in Bangladesh will be able to cut pesticide applications on their crop once they can access Bt brinjal seeds. Overall, it is anticipated that pesticide use can be reduced by 70-90% and farmers’ incomes will rise by an average of 100% due to higher brinjal yields and lower input costs. This adds up to a projected net benefit to Bangladesh brinjal farmers of 144,000 Taka (USD 1,800) per hectare, and will also mean reduced prices for consumers.
Unfortunately, some NGOs who are ideologically opposed to all genetically-modified crops, seem to share the agenda of the pesticide companies in opposing the introduction of Bt brinjal. Both in India and the Philippines they have successfully blocked farmers from being able to access Bt brinjal seeds which would have enabled a big reduction in pesticide use. In Bangladesh thankfully strong demand from farmers has so far enabled scientists and the Government to pursue this technology further.
Opponents also spread myths about Bt brinjal, claiming that farmers will not be able to save seed and will become dependent on multinational seed companies, and that Bt brinjal will eliminate traditional brinjal varieties. All these allegations are untrue: farmers will be able and encouraged to save seed, which after all have been produced for the common good by Bangladeshi scientists in the public sector, not by private interests. Brinjal cannot pollinate over long distances, so farmers can still grow traditional brinjal varieties nearby without fear of losing their genetic integrity.
In the final assessment, Bangladesh really only has two options. The first is to adopt genetically-modified Bt brinjal in order to slash pesticide use and protect human health and the environment. The second is to continue dosing conventional brinjal with vast amounts of toxic pesticides at serious risk to both farmers and consumers. Activists campaigning against GMOs mean that we will be stuck with the second option - with continued pesticide poisoning, cancers and environmental damage the certain result.
Translation - Bengali বিশ্বজুড়ে প্রতি মিনিটে গড়ে দুই থেকে তিনজন মানুষ কীটনাশক দ্বারা আক্রান্ত হয়, মূলত খেত খামার কর্মীরাই এই ভয়াবহতার শিকার। বিশ্ব স্বাস্থ্য সংস্থার তথ্য অনুসারে, সার্বিক চিত্রে, বিশ্বজোড়া দশ হাজার মানুষের ভাগ্যে ঘটে এই পরিনতি । এসব কীটনাশকের বিষাক্ততা সম্পর্কে বিষদ জানার পরও এবং সমস্ত পৃথিবী হতে মারাত্মক এই কীটনাশকগুলো নিষিদ্ধ করে দেওয়া হলেও বাংলাদেশসহ আরও কিছু উন্নয়নশীল দেশে তীব্র এমন কীটনাশকগুলো ব্যাপক ও আশঙ্কাজনক হারে ব্যবহৃত হচ্ছে। বিশ্ব খাদ্য দিবসের এমন ক্ষণে এই বিষয়টি অত্যন্ত গুরুত্বপূর্ণ হিসেবে গণ্য করা হচ্ছে যার উদ্দেশ্য গণমানুষের সুস্বাস্থ্য ও নিরাপদ খাদ্যের জোগান নিশ্চিত করার অক্লান্ত প্রচেষ্টা ।
পোকামাকড় বা অন্য যেকোনো ধরনের ফসলহানির আশঙ্কা এবং ধীরে ধীরে ফুলে ফেঁপে ওঠা জনসংখ্যার বৃহদায়তন খাদ্যের জোগান দেবার তাড়নায় বাংলাদেশে গত ৯০ এর দশক হতে কীটনাশকের ব্যাবহার হার প্রায় দ্বিগুণ হয়ে এসেছে। ফলস্বরূপ কৃষকেরা তাদের নিজের নিরাপত্তার জায়গাটা শুন্য ছেড়ে দিচ্ছেন; বিশ্ব ব্যাংকের খুব সম্প্রতি একটি জরিপ পর্যালোচনা দেখা গেছে যে প্রায় সকল কৃষক কীটনাশক স্প্রে করবার সময় তাদের পায়ে কিছুই পরেন না, মাত্র দুইশতাংশ কৃষক হাত মোজা বা গ্লাভস ব্যবহার করেন, মাত্র তিন শতাংশ কৃষক নিরাপত্তাসূচক চশমা ব্যবহার করেন এবং মাত্র ছয় শতাংশ কৃষক নিঃশ্বাসের জন্য কাপড়ের মুখোশ বা মাস্ক পরে থাকেন।
অনেক কৃষক কীটনাশকের বেশ কিছু দীর্ঘস্থায়ী ও তীব্র পার্শ্ব প্রতিক্রিয়ার কথা বলেন যেমন, মাথা বাথ্যা, মাথা ঘোরা, চোখ ও শরীর চুলকান , বমি বমি ভাব ইত্যাদি, যা মোটেও অপ্রত্যাশিত নয়। দীর্ঘস্থায়ী পার্শ্ব প্রতিক্রিয়া যেগুলো খুবই স্বাভাবিক সেগুলো হল, লিউকমিয়া, ফুসফুসের কান্সার, অ্যাপ্লাস্টিক অ্যানিমিয়া, হরমনাল পরিবর্তন, ডি এন এ এর ক্ষতি, জন্মদান বিষয়ক জটিলতা , কষ্টকর ও মারাত্মক মৃত্যু। বিষ গিয়ে মেশে নদীর জলে এবং খাবার পানিও এ বিষে হয়ে ওঠে বিষাক্ত। নদীর জল, সমুদ্র জল, সার্বিকভাবে জলদ্বারা নিয়ন্ত্রিত এ ধরণীর ভারসাম্য হয়ে ওঠে অপ্রকৃতস্থ। কিছু কীটনাশকের বিষাক্ততা এতটাই প্রাকৃতিক হয়ে উঠেছে যে আর্কটিক মহাসাগরের প্রানীদের খাদ্য শৃঙ্খলে এসব বিষেরে মাত্রা আশংকাজনক হারে পাওয়া গেছে।
বাংলাদেশে উৎপাদিত শষ্যসমুহের মধ্যে ব্যাপক কীটনাশক প্রয়োগলব্ধ একটি ফলের নাম বেগুন যা অর্থনৈতিকভাবে বিবেচনায় দেশের জন্য অত্যন্ত গুরুত্বপূর্ণ। শষ্য রোগ ও কীটপতঙ্গ জনিত সংক্রমণে; আরও বাবহারিক দিক বলতে গেলে শুট বোরার লার্ভার কারণে পঞ্চাশ শতাংশ ফসল নষ্ট হয়। এই ক্ষতি এত বিপুল পরিমাণ যে তা কীটনাশক ব্যাবহারের পরও দৃশ্যমান। জরিপ হতে পাওয়া যায় কৃষকেরা ফসল বড় হবার সময় গড়ে প্রায় একশ পঞ্চাশবার অর্থাৎ দুই দিনে একবার করে ফসলে কিটনাশক প্রয়োগ করেন। বেগুন সংগ্রহের উদ্দেশ্যে শিশুদের শ্রম কিনে নেয়ার ব্যাপারটা প্রচলিত আছে। এ সম্পর্কিত এমন তথ্যও আসে যে, এই শিশুরা যে বালতিতে কীটনাশক মেশানো হয় সেই বালতিই বেগুন সংগ্রহের কাজে ব্যবহার করে। অজান্তেই পুরো ফলটাকে তারা কীটনাশকে মুড়ে ফেলে।
বেগুন চাষে শুট বোরার এবং অন্যান্য ক্ষতি প্রতিরোধের ক্ষেত্রে কীটনাশক ব্যবহার ছাড়া অন্য কোন পথ নেই। অরগানিক এবং “ইন্টিগ্রেটেড পেস্ট মেথড” অনেক আশাবাদের কথা বলছে ঠিক কিন্তু এই পদ্ধতিটি এখনও জটিলতা ও দ্রুত কাজ করতে না পারার গ্লানি কাটিয়ে উঠতে পারেনি। কাজের ধারাবাহিকতায় বাংলাদেশের কৃষি গবেষণা কেন্দ্রের বিশেষজ্ঞগণ এবং ইউ এস এইডের অর্থায়নে যুক্তরাষ্ট্রের কর্নেল বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়ের যৌথ উদ্যোগে বংশগতির পরিবর্তন এনে একধরনের বেগুন উদ্ভাবিত হয়েছে যার পাতায় ও ফলে প্রাকৃতিকভাবেই একটি প্রোটিন বিদ্যমান থাকে যার নাম বিটি। যেটি স্বাভাবিক আচরণেই কীটপতঙ্গ ও ফসলের অন্যান্য ক্ষতির পথ রুদ্ধ করে দেয়। এই বিটি বেগুন সম্প্রতি সরকারের পূর্ণ অনুমোদন প্রাপ্ত এবং আগামী মৌসুমের মধ্যেই কৃষকদের হাতে পৌঁছে যাবে।
বিটি বেগুনের প্রতিক্রিয়া এখনও সম্পূর্ণ ভাবে পর্যালোচনা করা হয়নি বলে কিছু কিছু এন জি ও দাবী করছে, কিন্তু জোর গলায় বলা উচিৎ যে তা সত্য নয়। বিটি প্রোটিন দশ বছরেরও বেশী সময় হতে খাদ্যজাত পন্যে ও শষ্যে ব্যবহৃত হয়ে আসছে যার একটি প্রকৃষ্ট উদাহারন ভুট্টা। কৃষিজ কর্মকাণ্ডে বিটি প্রোটিনের ব্যবহার সমস্ত বিশ্ব এখন সমাদৃত সত্য। বিটি প্রোটিন, বৈজ্ঞানিকদের কাছে যার নাম ক্রাই-১ এ, মূলত ক্ষতিকর কীটপতঙ্গের জন্য বিষাক্ত, কিন্তু মানুষ ও কীটপতঙ্গ বৈশিষ্ট সম্পন্ন নয় এমন প্রজাতির জন্য মোটেও বিষাক্ত নয়। বাংলাদেশ ও ভারতের মাঠ পর্যায়ে কিছু পরীক্ষায় প্রমানিত হয়েছে যে বিটি প্রোটিন ফল ও শুট বোরার নিয়ন্ত্রনে প্রায় ১০০ ভাগ ফলপ্রসূ ও নিরাপদ।
এসকল আলচনার সহজ মানে করলে দাঁড়ায়, বাংলাদেশের কৃষকেরা একবার এই বিটি বেগুনের চাষ শুরু করতে পারলে তাদের কোন ধরনের কীটনাশক আর কখনোই ব্যবহার করবার প্রয়োজন হবেনা। সার্বিক ভাবে আশা করা যায় যে কীটনাশকের ব্যবহার ৭০%- ৯০% পর্যন্ত কমিয়ে আনা সম্ভবপর হবে এবং নুন্যতম বিনিয়োগ করে সর্বাধিক উৎপাদনের মাধ্যমে কৃষকেরা এই ফসলজাত আয় ১০০% পর্যন্ত বর্ধিত করতে পারবেন। এই সাফল্য থেকে বলা যায় বাংলাদেশের কৃষকেরা বিটি বেগুনের চাষ করে প্রতি হেক্টর থেকে ১৪৪০০০ টাকা (১৮০০ মার্কিন ডলার) আয় করতে পারবেন। যার দরুন ক্রেতারা এই পণ্য আরও কম দামে ক্রয় করতে পারবেন।
দুর্ভাগ্যজনকভাবে কিছু এনজিও সকল ধরনের জেনেটিক পরিবর্তিত শষ্যের বিরোধিতা করে চলেছে যেন তারা কীটনাশক কম্পানিগুলোর মতাদর্শের সাথে একমত। বিটি বেগুনের পরিচিতি হবার সাথে সাথেই তাদের এই বিরোধিতা অন্তত এমন মনভাবকেই প্রকাশ করে থাকে। ভারত ও ফিলিপাইনে তারা এমনভাবে বিষয়টিকে উত্থাপন করেছেন যে কৃষকের হাতে এই সুবিধা তুলে দেয়া সেসব দেশে অত্যন্ত দুরহ ব্যাপার। অথচ এই বিটি প্রোটিনের প্রয়োগ সেসব দেশে কীটনাশকের ব্যবহার বহুগুণ কমিয়ে আনতে পারে। বাংলাদেশে কৃষকের বর্ধিত চাহিদা বিশেষজ্ঞ এবং সরকারকে এই প্রযুক্তি এতদুর নিয়ে আসতে প্রবলভাবে ত্বরান্বিত করেছে। ধন্যবাদ।
এই প্রযুক্তি বিরোধীরা অলীক সব গল্প ছড়িয়ে বেড়াচ্ছেন, বলছেন কৃষক এই প্রযুক্তি একবার ব্যবহার করলে আর কখনও সেই মাটিতে কোন ফসল ফলাতে পারবেনা, তখন তাদের বাধ্য হয়ে অন্য কোন সহায় নিতে হবে। আরও বলছেন বিটি বেগুন আসলে নাকি বেগুনের আর সব প্রকার বিলুপ্ত হয়া যাবে। এসকল রটনাই মিথ্যা। কৃষকেরা শষ্যদানা সঞ্চয় করে রাখতে পারবেন, এই শষ্য জনগনের জন্য, খোদ বাংলাদেশের বিজ্ঞানীদের, তৈরি কারও বাক্তিগত ব্যবহার্য নয়। দূরত্ব একটু বেশী হলেই বেগুনের পরাগায়ন হয়না। কাজেই বিটি বেগুনের খেত হতে একটু দূরে চাইলেই দেশি ও অন্যান্য বেগুনের চাষ অনায়েসে সম্ভব।
সর্বশেষ পর্যালোচনায় বলা চলে যে বাংলাদেশের দুটি মাত্র পথ খোলা রয়েছে। প্রথমটি, জেনেটিকালি পরিবর্তিত বিটি বেগুনের পূর্ণ ব্যবহার করে কীটনাশক নিরসন পূর্বক মানুষের সুস্বাস্থ্য ও খাদ্য নিরাপত্তা এবং পরিবেশের ভারসাম্য রক্ষা করা। দ্বিতীয়টি, কীটনাশকের পূর্ণ ব্যবহার করে ভোক্তা ও কৃষক উভয়েরই রক্ত বিষাক্ত করে তোলা। বিরোধী প্রতিক্রিয়াশীল যারা জিএমও এর বিরুদ্ধে অবস্থান নিয়েছেন তাদের সাথে সহমত পোষণের অর্থ দ্বিতীয় পথ বেছে নেয়া – অর্থাৎ ধারাবাহিক কীটনাশক ব্যবহার, ক্যান্সার ও পরিবেশদূষণ।
English to Bengali: 100 ways to energise groups Games to use in workshops, meetings and community(1) General field: Other
Source text - English Introduction
The International HIV/AIDS Alliance (the Alliance) is an international non-governmental organisation that supports communities in developing countries to make a significant contribution to HIV prevention, AIDS care and support to children affected by the epidemic. Since its establishment in 1993, the Alliance has provided financial and technical support to NGOs and CBOs from more than 40 countries. In addition, the Alliance promotes good practice
in community responses to HIV/AIDS more broadly through evaluation, operations research, the development of training materials and tools, as well as policy and advocacy activities.
100 Ways to Energise Groups: Games to Use in Workshops, Meetings and the Community
is one of a series of resources that the Alliance is developing to encourage participation in practice. It is a compilation of energisers, icebreakers and games that can be used by anyone working with groups of people, whether in a workshop, meeting or community setting.
Why use energisers?
Facilitators use games for a variety of different reasons, including helping people to get to know each other, increasing energy or enthusiasm levels, encouraging team building or making people think about a specific issue. Games that help people to get to know each other and to relax are called ice breakers. When people look sleepy or tired, energisers can be used to get people moving and to give them more enthusiasm. Other games can be used to help people think through issues and can help to address problems that people may encounter when they are working together. Games can also help people to think creatively and laterally.
This guide includes all these different types of games – in no particular order – and facilitators can pick and choose those that are most appropriate for their specific purpose and context.
Things to consider when using Energisers
✔ Try to use energisers frequently during a workshop or meeting, whenever people look sleepy or tired or to create a natural break between activities.
✔ Try to choose games that are appropriate for the local context, for example, thinking carefully about games that involve touch, particularly of different body parts.
✔ Try to select games in which everyone can participate and be sensitive to the needs and circumstances of the group. For example, some of these games may exclude people with disabilites, such as difficulty walking or hearing, or people with different levels of comfort with literacy.
✔ Try to ensure the safety of the group, particularly with games that involve running. For example, try to make sure that there is enough space and that the floor
is clear.
✘ Try not to use only competitive games but also include ones that encourage team building.
✘ Try to avoid energisers going on for too long. Keep them short and move on to the next planned activity when everyone has had a chance to move about and wake up!
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100 ways to energise groups
1 Howdy Howdy
Participants stand in a circle. One person walks around the outside of the circle and taps someone on the shoulder. That person walks the opposite way around the circle, until the two people meet. They greet each other three times by name, in their own language. The two people then race back, continuing in opposite directions around the circle, to take the empty place. Whoever loses walks around the outside of the circle again and the game continues until everyone has had a turn.
2 Juggling ball game
Everyone stands in a close circle. (If the group is very large, it may be necessary to split the group into two circles.) The facilitator starts by throwing the ball to someone in the circle, saying their name as they throw it. Continue catching and throwing the ball establishing a pattern for the group. (Each person must remember who they receive the ball from and who they have thrown it to.) Once everyone has received the ball and a pattern is established, introduce one or two more balls, so that there are always several balls being thrown at the same time, following the set pattern.
3 Names and adjectives
Participants think of an adjective to describe how they are feeling or how they are. The adjective must start with the same letter as
their name, for instance, “I’m Henri and I’m happy”. Or, “I’m Arun and I’m amazing.” As they say this, they can also mime an action that describes the adjective.
4 Three truths and a lie
Everyone writes their name, along with four pieces of information about themselves on a large sheet of paper. For example, ‘Alfonse likes singing, loves football, has five wives and loves PRA’. Participants then circulate with their sheets of paper. They meet in pairs, show their paper to each other, and try to guess which of the ‘facts’ is a lie.
5 Connecting eyes
Participants stand in a circle. Each person makes eye contact with another person across the circle. The two walk across the circle and exchange positions, while maintaining eye contact. Many pairs can exchange at the same time, and the group should try to make sure that everyone in the circle is included in the exchange. Begin by trying this in silence and then exchange greetings in the middle of the circle.
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6 Match the cards
The facilitator chooses a number of well-known phrases, and writes half of each phrase on a piece of paper or card. For example, they write ‘Happy’ on one piece of paper and ‘Birthday’ on another. (The number of pieces of paper should match the number of participants in the group.) The
folded pieces of paper
are put into a hat.
Each participant
takes a piece of
paper from the hat
and tries to find
the member of the
group with the
matching half of
the phrase.
7 Space on my right
Participants are seated in a circle. The facilitator arranges for the space on their right to remain empty. They then ask a member of the group to come and sit in the empty space; for example, “I would like Lili to come and sit on my right”. Lili moves and there is now a space on the right of another participant. The participant who is sitting next to the empty space calls the name
of someone different to sit on his or her right. Continue until the entire group has moved once.
8 What we have in common
The facilitator calls out a characteristic of people in the group, such as ‘having children’. All those who have children should move to one corner of the room. As the facilitator calls out more characteristics, such as ‘likes football’, people with the characteristic move to the indicated space.
9 Who is the leader?
Participants sit in a circle. One person
volunteers to leave the room. After they
leave, the rest of the group chooses a
‘leader’. The leader must perform a series of
actions, such as clapping, tapping a foot,
etc, that are copied by the whole group. The
volunteer comes back into the room, stands
in the middle and tries to guess who is
leading the actions. The group protects the
leader by not looking at him/her. The leader
must change the actions at regular intervals,
without getting caught. When the volunteer
spots the leader, they join the circle, and the
person who was the leader leaves the room
to allow the group to choose a new leader.
10 Who are you?
Ask for a volunteer to leave the room. While the volunteer is away, the rest of the participants decide on an occupation for him/her, such as a driver, or a fisherman. When the volunteer returns, the rest of the participants mime activities. The volunteer must guess the occupation that has been chosen for him/her from the activities that are mimed.
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100 ways to energise groups
11 What kind of animal?
Ask participants to divide into pairs and to form a circle. Put enough chairs in the circle so that all but one pair has seats. Each pair secretly decides what type of animal they are. The two participants without chairs are the elephants. They walk around the circle calling the names of different animals. Whenever they guess correctly, the animals named have to stand up and walk behind the elephants, walking in mime. This continues until the elephants can guess no more. Then they call “Lions!” and all pairs run for seats. The pair left without chairs become the elephants for the next round.
12 Killer wink
Before the game starts, ask someone to be the ‘the killer’ and ask them to keep their identity a secret. Explain that
one person among the group is the killer and they can kill people by winking at them. Everyone then walks around the room in different directions, keeping eye contact with everyone they pass. If the killer winks at you, you
have to play dead. Everyone has to try and guess who the killer is.
13 The sun shines on...
Participants sit or stand in a tight circle with one person in the middle. The person in the middle shouts out “the sun shines on...” and names a colour or articles of clothing that some in the group possess. For example, “the sun shines on all those wearing blue” or “the sun shines on all those wearing socks” or “the sun shines on all those with brown eyes”. All the participants who have that attribute must change places with one another. The person in the middle tries to take one of their places as they move, so that there is another person left in the middle without a place. The new person in the middle shouts out “the sun shines on...” and names a
different colour or
type of clothing.
14 COCONUT
The facilitator shows the
group how to spell out
C-O-C-O-N-U-T by using full movements of the arms
and the body. All
participants then try
this together.
15 Body writing
Ask participants to write their name in the air with a part of their body. They may choose to use an elbow, for example,
or a leg. Continue in this way, until everyone has written his or her name with several body parts.
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16 Names in the air
Ask participants to write their name in the air first with their right hand, then their left hand. Finally, ask them to write their name in the air with both hands at the same time.
17 Family members
Prepare cards with family names. You can use different types of professions, such as Mother Farmer, Father Farmer, Sister Farmer and Brother Farmer. Or you could use names of different animals or fruits. Each family should have four or five in it. Give each person one of the cards and ask everyone to walk around the room. Explain that when you call out, “family reunion”, everyone should try to form a ‘family group’ as quickly as possible.
18 Who am I?
Pin the name of a different famous person to each participant’s back, so that they cannot see it. Then ask participants to walk around the room, asking each other questions about the identity of their famous person. The questions can only be answered by “yes” or “no”. The game continues until everyone
has figured out who they are.
19 as and bs
Ask everyone to choose silently someone in the room that is their ‘A’ person and another person who is their ‘B’ person. There are no particular criteria on which to base their choices – selections are entirely up to individuals. Once everyone has made their choices, tell them to get as close to their respective ‘A’ person
as possible, while getting as far away from their ‘B’ person. People can move quickly but should not grab or hold anyone. After a few minutes, participants stop
and reverse the process, getting close to their ‘B’ persons and avoiding their ‘A’ persons.
20 Group statues
Ask the group to move around the room, loosely swinging their
arms and gently relaxing their heads and necks. After a short while, shout out a
word. The group must form
themselves into statues that describe the word. For example, the facilitator shouts “peace”. All the participants have to instantly adopt, without talking, poses that show what ‘peace’ means to them. Repeat the exercise several times.
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100 ways to energise groups
21 Move to the spot
Ask everyone to choose a particular spot in the room. They start the game by standing on their ‘spot’. Instruct people to walk around the room and carry out a particular action, for example, hopping, saying hello to everyone wearing blue or walking backwards, etc. When the facilitator says “Stop”, everyone must run to his or her original spots. The person who reaches their place first is the next leader and can instruct the group to do what they wish.
22 Banana game
A banana or other object such as a bunch of keys is selected. The participants stand in a circle with their hands behind their backs. One person volunteers to stand in the middle. The facilitator walks around the outside of the circle and secretly slips the banana into someone’s hand. The banana is then secretly passed round the circle behind the participant’s backs. The job of the volunteer in the middle is to study people’s faces and work out who has the banana. When successful, the volunteer takes that place in the circle and the game continues with a new person in the middle.
23 Taxi rides
Ask participants to pretend that they are getting into taxis. The taxis can only hold a certain number of people, such as two, four, or eight. When the taxis stop, the participants have to run to get into the right sized groups. This is a useful game for randomly dividing participants into groups.
24 Fruit salad
The facilitator divides the participants into an equal number of three to four fruits, such as oranges and bananas. Participants then sit on chairs in a circle. One person must stand in the centre of the circle of chairs. The facilitator shouts out the name of one of the fruits, such as ‘oranges’, and all of the oranges must change places with one another. The person who is standing in the middle tries to take one of their places as they move, leaving another person in the middle without a chair. The new person in the middle shouts another fruit and the game continues. A call of ‘fruit salad’ means that everyone has to change seats.
25 “Prrr” and “Pukutu”
Ask everyone to imagine two birds. One calls ‘prrr’ and the other calls ‘pukutu’. If you call out ‘prrr’, all the participants need to stand on their toes and move their elbows out sideways, as if they were a bird ruffling its wings. If you call out ‘pukutu’, everyone has to stay still and not move
a feather.
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26 Dancing on paper
Facilitators prepare equal sized sheets of newspaper or cloth. Participants split into pairs. Each pair is given either a piece of newspaper or cloth. They dance while the facilitator plays music or claps. When the music or clapping stops, each pair must stand on their sheet of newspaper or cloth. The next time the music or clapping stops, the pair has to fold their paper or cloth in half before standing on it. After several rounds, the paper or cloth becomes very small by being folded again and again. It is increasingly difficult for two people to stand on. Pairs that have any part of their body on the floor are ‘out’ of the game. The game continues until there is a winning pair.
27 Tide’s in/tide’s out
Draw a line representing the seashore and ask participants to stand behind the line. When the facilitator shouts “Tide’s out!”, everyone jumps forwards over the line.
When the leader shouts “Tide’s in!”, everyone jumps backwards over the line. If the facilitator shouts “Tide’s out!” twice in a row, participants who move have to drop out of the game.
28 Delhi buses
This game can be called after any type of local transport. Select a number of ‘drivers’. Assign a certain number of passengers for each driver to pick up. (Make sure that you have counted correctly, so that no one is left without a ride!) Ask the drivers to go around the room making vehicle noises and touting for business. The passengers form up behind or alongside their driver to make it look like they are in a vehicle. Now all the ‘vehicles’ drive around as if in traffic, sounding their horns and shouting at other drivers and vehicles.
29 Rabbits
Someone starts by putting both hands up to their ears and waggling their fingers. The people on either side of this person put up one hand only, to the ear nearest the person with both hands up. The person with both hands up then points to another person across the circle. This person now puts both hands up to their ears and waggles their fingers. The people on either side have to put up the hand nearest the person with both hands up and waggle their fingers. The game continues in this way until everyone has been a ‘rabbit’.
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100 ways to energise groups
30 Port/starboard
Participants stand in the centre of the room. If the leader shouts “Starboard”, everyone runs to the right. If they shout “Port”, everyone runs left and if they shout “Man the ship”, everyone runs back to the centre. Other statements can be introduced; for example, “Climb the rigging” when everyone pretends to climb, “Scrub the decks”, and so on.
31 I’m going on a trip
Everyone sits in a circle. Start by saying “I’m going on a trip and I’m taking a hug”, and hug the person to your right. That person then has to say “I’m going on a trip and I’m taking a hug and a pat on the back”, and then give the person on their right a hug and a pat on the back. Each person repeats what has been said and adds a new action to the list. Go round the circle until everyone has had a turn.
32 Find someone wearing...
Ask participants to walk around loosely, shaking their limbs and generally relaxing. After a short while, the facilitator shouts out “Find someone...” and names an article of clothing. The participants have to rush to stand close to the person described. Repeat this exercise several times using different types of clothing.
33 Touch something blue
Ask participants to stand up. Explain that you will tell everyone to find something blue, and that they have to go and touch it. This could be a blue shirt, pen, shoe or whatever. Continue the game in this way, asking participants to call out their own suggestions for things to touch.
34 Simon says
The facilitator tells the group that they should follow instructions when the facilitator starts the instruction by saying “Simon says...” If the facilitator does not begin the instructions with the words “Simon says”, then the group should not follow the instructions! The facilitator begins by saying something like “Simon says clap your hands” while clapping their hands. The
participants follow. The facilitator speeds up the actions, always saying “Simon says” first. After a short while, the “Simon says” is omitted. Those participants who do follow the instructions anyway are ‘out’ of the
game. The game can be continued for as long as it remains fun.
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35 What has changed?
Participants break into pairs. Partners observe one another and try to memorise the appearance of each other. Then one turns their back while the other makes three changes to his/her appearance; for example, putting their watch on the other wrist, removing their glasses, and rolling up their sleeves. The other player then turns around and has to try to spot the three changes. The players then switch roles.
36 Birthday graph
Ask people to line up according to their birthday months or seasons. Discuss which month or season has the largest number and what reasons there might be for this.
37 Body ‘tig’
Explain to participants that you will ‘tig’ someone. They then use just the part of their body that you have ‘tigged’ to ‘tig’ someone else in turn. Continue the game until everyone has been ‘tigged’.
38 Five islands
Draw five circles with chalk on the floor, big enough to accommodate all of the participants. Give each island a name. Ask everyone to choose the island that they would like to live on. Then warn participants that one of the islands will sink into the sea very soon and participants on that island will be forced to move quickly to another island. Allow the suspense to build and then call out the name of the island that is sinking. Participants run to the other four islands. The game continues until everyone is squashed onto one island.
39 The animal game
This game helps to divide a large group into smaller groups. Make slips of paper for each member of the large group. Write the name of an animal on each slip, using as many different animals as you need smaller groups. Hand the papers out at random and ask people to make the noise of their animal to find the other members of their smaller group.
40 Mime a lie
Everyone stands in a circle. The facilitator starts by miming an action. When the person on their right says their name and asks “What are you doing?”, they reply that they are doing something completely different; for example, the facilitator mimes swimming and says “I am washing my hair.” The person to the facilitator’s right then has to mime what the facilitator said that they were doing (washing their hair), while saying that they are doing something completely different. Go around the circle in this way until everyone has had a turn.
11
100 ways to energise groups
41 Bring me
Participants sort themselves into small teams, and the teams stand as far as possible from the facilitator. The facilitator then calls out “Bring me...”, and names an object close by. For example, “Bring me a man’s or woman’s shoes.” The teams race to bring what has been requested. You can repeat this several times, asking the teams to bring different things.
42 The king is dead
The first player turns to their
neighbour and says, “The king is dead!” The neighbour asks, “How did he die?”, and the first player responds, “He died doing this”, and starts a simple gesture or movement. All participants repeat this gesture continuously. The second player repeats the statement and the third player asks, “How did he die?” The second player adds another gesture or movement. The whole group then copies these two movements. The process continues around the circle until there are too many movements to remember.
43 Locomotion
Everyone sits in a circle and a leader stands in the middle. The leader then walks or runs around the outside of the circle, imitating some means of locomotion such as a car, a train or swimming. S/he stops in front of several people, gives them a signal and they follow the leader, imitating the form of locomotion. When the leader has six to ten people behind him/her, s/he shouts “All change” and everyone, including the leader, races for a seat. The person who
is left without a seat must start the game again, with a different form of locomotion.
44 Paper and straws
Participants split into teams. Each team forms a line and places a piece of
card at the beginning of their line. Each member of the team has a drinking straw or reed. When the game starts, the first person has to pick up the piece of card by sucking on the straw. The card then
has to be passed to the next team member using the same method. If the card
drops, it goes back
to the first person
and the whole
sequence has to
start again.
12
45 Don’t answer
Ask the group to stand in a circle. One person starts by going up to someone and asking them a question such as, “What is your most annoying habit?” However, they must not answer the question themselves – the person to their left must answer. People can make their answers as imaginative as possible!
46 Tug of war
The participants split into two teams. Each team takes one end of the rope. The teams have to pull on the rope to bring the opposite team towards them.
47 Pass the parcel
The facilitator has wrapped a small gift with many different layers of paper. On each layer they have written a task or a question.
Examples of tasks are ‘sing a song’ or ‘hug the person next to you’. Examples of questions are ‘What is your favourite colour?’ or ‘What is your name?’ The facilitator starts the music, or claps their hands if there is no music available. The participants pass the parcel around the circle, or throw it to each other. When the facilitator stops the music or the clapping, the person who is holding the
parcel tears off one layer of paper and carries out the task or answers the question that is written on the paper. The game continues until all the layers have been unwrapped. The gift goes to the last person to take off the wrapping.
48 Fox and rabbit
You need two scarves for this game.
Participants stand in a circle. One scarf is called
‘Fox’ and the other is called ‘Rabbit’. ‘Fox’ must
be tied around the neck with one knot.
‘Rabbit’ is tied around the neck with two
knots. Start by choosing two participants
who are opposite each other in the circle.
Tie the ‘Fox’ scarf around one
person’s neck and the ‘Rabbit’ scarf around the other. Say “go”. People need to untie their scarves and retie them around the neck of the person on their right or left. The scarves should travel in the same direction around the circle. The ‘Fox’ scarf with only one knot will travel faster than the ‘Rabbit’ scarf. The people tying the two knots for the ‘Rabbit’ scarf will try to go faster and faster to get away from the ‘Fox’ scarf.
13
100 ways to energise groups
49 The longest line
This game requires a lot of space and may need to be done outdoors. Divide into teams of eight to ten people. Each team must have the same number of members. Explain that the task is to create the longest line using participants own bodies and any clothing or things in members pockets. Participants are not allowed to collect other things from the room/outside. Give a signal for the game to start and set a time limit, such as two minutes. The team with the longest line wins.
50 Robots
Divide the participants into groups of three. One person in each group is the robot controller and the other two are the robots. Each controller must manage the movements of their two robots. The controller touches a robot on the right shoulder to move them to the right, and touches them on the left shoulder to move them to the left. The facilitator begins the game by telling the robots to walk in a specific direction. The controller must try to stop the robots from crashing into obstacles such as chairs and tables.
Ask participants to swap roles so that everyone has a chance to be
the controller and a robot.
51 King of the Jungle
The group sits in a semi-circle. The ‘King of the Jungle’ (usually an elephant) sits on one end of the semi-circle. This person makes a sign to show they are sitting in the elephant’s position. At the other end of the semi-circle sits the monkey, and the person in this seat makes an appropriate sign. All the seats in between belong to different animals, such as lions, fish, and snakes, which people define with different signs. Once everyone has defined the sign for their seat, the game begins. The elephant makes their sign, and then makes the sign of another animal. That animal makes his or her own sign, then the sign of another animal, and so it continues. If someone makes a mistake, or doesn’t notice that their sign has been made, they have to swap places with the person next to them, moving down towards the monkey. They then take on the sign of the seat they now occupy, and the person who moves up a place takes their sign. The aim is to move all the way up to take the place of the King of the Jungle.
52 Pass the energy
Participants stand or sit in a circle, hold hands and silently concentrate. The facilitator sends a series of ‘pulses’ both
ways round the group by discreetly squeezing the hands of those next to her/him. Participants pass these pulses round the circle, as in an electric current, by squeezing the hand of the person next to them and literally ‘energising’ the group.
14
53 Bottle game
Participants stand in a circle. In the first round, a bottle (or some other object) is passed around the circle. Participants have to do something with the bottle, such as kiss it, rub it, or turn it upside down. In the second round, tell
participants to remember what they did with the bottle, and do the same thing to the person standing on their right.
54 How do you
like your neighbour?
Ask participants to sit in a circle. Go around the circle and number each person one, two, three, four, etc. One person stands in the middle and one chair is removed. The person in the centre points to someone and asks them, “How do you like your neighbour?” If the person replies “I like him”, everyone gets up and moves to another chair. There will be one person left standing, who then takes their turn in the centre of the circle and asks someone, “How do you like your neighbour?” If the person replies “I don’t like him”, the person in the middle asks him/her “Who do you want?” The person calls out two numbers. The two people whose numbers have been called have to get up and change chairs with the two people on either side of the answerer.
55 Dragon’s tail
Ask the group to divide into two. The two groups form dragons by holding on to one another’s waists in a long line. The last person in the line has a brightly coloured scarf tucked into his/her trousers or belt, to form the dragon’s tail. The object is to catch the tail of the other dragon without losing your own tail in the process.
56 Group massage
Ask the group to stand in a circle and turn sideways so that each person is facing the back of the person in front of them. People then massage the shoulders of the person
in front of them.
57 Pass the person
Participants stand in two lines facing each other. Each person tightly grasps the arms of the person opposite. A volunteer lies face up across the arms of the pairs at the beginning of the line. Pairs lift their arms up and down to move the volunteer gently on to the next pair. The game continues until the volunteer is ‘bumped’ all the
way to the end of the line.
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100 ways to energise groups
58 Blindfold pairs
An obstacle course is set out on the floor for everyone to look at. Participants split into pairs. One of the pair puts a scarf around their eyes, or closes their eyes tightly so they cannot see. The obstacles are quietly removed. The other member of the pair now gives advice and direction to their partner to help them safely negotiate what are now imaginary obstacles.
61 Ball under chins
Make some small balls out of any material that is available, such as crumpled paper. Participants split into teams and each team forms a line. The line passes a ball under their chins. If the ball drops, it has to go back to the beginning of the line. The game continues until one team has finished passing the ball along their line.
62 Knees up
Participants stand in a close circle with their shoulders touching and then turn, so that their right shoulders are facing into the centre of the circle. Ask everyone to put their hand on the shoulder of the person in front and to carefully sit down so that everyone is sitting on the knees of the person behind them.
59 I like you because...
Ask participants to sit in a circle and say what they like about the person on their right. Give them time to think about it first!
60 Heads to tummies
People lie on the floor in a chain so that each person has their head on another person’s stomach. Someone will laugh. Hearing someone laugh through their stomach makes the next person laugh and so on round the chain.
63 Get up, sit down!
Give each participant a number (several participants could have the same number). Then tell a story that involves lots of numbers – when you say a number, the person(s) with this number has (have) to stand up.
16
64 Knots
Participants stand in a circle and join hands. Keeping their hands joined, they move in any way that they want, twisting and turning and creating a
‘knot’. They must then unravel this knot, without letting go of one another’s hands.
65 Coin game
Participants divide into two lines. The two people at the end of each line start the race by dropping a coin down their clothes. When it drops free on the floor, they hand the coin to the next person in the line who does the same. The race continues until the coin has reached the end of one of the lines.
66 Countdown
Ask participants to form a circle. Explain that the group needs to count together from one to 50. There are a few rules: they are not to say ‘seven’ or any number which is a multiple of seven. Instead, they have to clap their hands. Once someone claps their hands, the group must count the numbers in reverse. If someone says seven or a multiple of seven, start the counting again.
67 Fizz buzz
Go round the group counting upwards. The group replaces any number divisible by three with ‘fizz’, any number divisible by five with ‘buzz’, and any number divisible by both three and five with ‘fizz buzz’. Count up and see how high you can go!
68 Group balance
Ask participants to get into pairs. Ask pairs to hold hands and sit down then stand up, without letting go of one another’s hands. Repeat the same exercise in
groups of four people. Then form into groups of eight people holding hands in a circle. Ask members in each group to number off in even and odd numbers. At a signal, ask the even numbers to fall backwards while the odd numbers fall forwards, achieving a group balance.
69 Leading and guiding
Participants split into pairs. One participant puts on a blindfold. Their partner then leads them carefully around the area making sure they don’t trip or bump into anything. After some time, the facilitator asks the pairs to swap roles. At the end, participants discuss how they felt when they had to trust someone else to keep them safe.
70 Clap exchange
Participants sit or stand in a circle. They send a clap around the circle by facing and clapping in unison with the person on their right, who repeats the clap with the person on their right, and so on. Do this as fast as possible. Send many claps, with different rhythms, around the circle at the same time.
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100 ways to energise groups
71 People to people
Everyone finds a partner. A leader calls out actions such as “nose to nose”, “back to back”, “head to knee”, etc. Participants have to follow these instructions in their pairs. When the leader calls “people to
people” everyone
must change
partners.
72 Count to Seven
The group sits in a circle and someone starts the process of counting. Each person counts in sequence. When the counting reaches seven, the next person starts over with the number one. Every time someone says a number, they use their hands to point out the direction that the counting should go in.
73 Football cheering
The group pretends that they are attending a football game. The facilitator allocates specific cheers to various sections of the circle, such as ‘Pass’, ‘Kick’, ‘Dribble’ or ‘Header’. When the facilitator points at a section, that section shouts their cheer. When the facilitator raises his/her hands in the air, everyone shouts “Goal!”
74 An orchestra without instruments
Explain to the group that they are going to create an ‘orchestra’ without instruments. The orchestra will only use sounds that can be made by the human body. Players can use hands, feet, voice etc, but no words; for example, they could whistle, hum, sigh or stomp their feet. Each player should select a sound. Choose a well-known tune and ask everyone to play along, using the ‘instrument’ that they have chosen. Alternatively, don’t give a tune and let
the group surprise itself by creating a unique sound.
75 Hands slapping
Ask participants to kneel on the floor, link arms with the people on either side of them, and place their palms flat on the floor. Now ask people to slap their palms on the floor in turn so that it goes round the circle. Having linked arms makes it difficult to work out which hand is your own! If someone makes a mistake, they have to put a hand behind their back and the game continues.
76 Pass the action
Participants sit in a circle. One person (A) stands in the centre. A moves towards another person (B) using a specific action, such as jumping. When s/he reaches B, s/he takes B’s place and B then moves to the centre of the circle using A’s action or movement. When B reaches the centre, s/he walks towards C, using a new action or movement. The game continues in this way until everyone has taken part.
18
77 Clap and point
Participants form a circle. The facilitator sends a clap all the way around the circle, first in one direction, then in the other direction. The facilitator then shows participants how they can change the direction of the clap, by pointing the clapping hands in the opposite direction. Repeat this until the clap is running smoothly around the group and changing direction without missing a beat. Finally, show how you can ‘throw’ the clap by pointing the clapping hands at someone across the circle.
78 Rainstorm
Everyone sits quietly in a circle, with their eyes closed, waiting for the facilitator’s first movement. The facilitator rubs their palms together to create the sound of rain. The person to their right makes this sound, and then the next person until everyone in the group is making the same sound. Once everyone is rubbing palms, the facilitator makes the rain sound louder by snapping his/her fingers, and that sound in turn is passed around the circle. Then the facilitator claps both hands together, and that sound is passed around the circle to create a rainstorm. Then the facilitator slaps their thighs, and the group follows. When the facilitator and the group stomp their feet, the rain becomes a hurricane. To indicate the storm is stopping, the facilitator reverses the order, thigh slapping, then hand clapping, finger snapping, and palm rubbing, ending in silence.
79 Statue stop
Ask participants to form two circles of people of equal numbers. The people in the inner circle should face outwards. The people in the outer circle should face inwards. Each person in the outer circle uses the person opposite them in the inner circle to create a ‘statue’. They have only ten seconds to do this. The person in the inner circle allows the ‘sculptor’ to bend and twist their body into any shape that they wish, provided they do not hurt
them. The ‘statue’ must remain in that
position without speaking, until you call
‘time’. The outer circle then moves round one
person to the left and they begin sculpting again. The people in the inner circle are bent and twisted into new positions through this
process. Continue in this
way and then ask
people in the inner
circle to change with
people in the outer
circle so that everyone
has a chance to be
‘sculptor’ and ‘statue’.
80 Orchestra
Divide the group into two and ask half to slap their knees and the other half to clap their hands. The facilitator acts as the conductor of the orchestra, controlling the volume by raising or lowering their arms. The game can continue with different members of the group taking the role
of conductor.
19
100 ways to energise groups
81 Stand, sit and sing
Participants sit in a circle and sing a song they all know. Choose two letters which occur frequently in the song, and ask the men to stand up when they sing a word beginning with one letter and the women to stand up when they sing a word beginning with the other letter. For example, all the men have to stand up each time the group
sings a word that starts with the letter ‘m’, while all the females have
to stand up
every time the
group sings a
word that
starts with
the letter ‘f’.
82 Passing the rhythm
Participants sit in a circle. The facilitator establishes a rhythm; for example, clapping your thighs, clapping your hands together, then clapping your neighbour’s
hands. This rhythm is then passed around the circle. Once the rhythm is moving steadily through the group, try to speed it up. Once the group can do this, try inserting more rhythms into the circle so that several rhythms are being passed around the circle at the same time.
83 Messenger
Before the game starts, the facilitator builds something out of blocks and covers it with a cloth. Participants are divided into small groups and each group is given a set of blocks. Each group selects a ‘messenger’ to look under the cloth. The messengers report back to their groups about what they have seen under the cloth. They must give their group instructions for how to build the same thing. The messengers are not allowed to touch the blocks or to demonstrate how it should be done – they can only describe how it should look. The group can send the messenger to have a second look at the structure. When all the groups are finished, the structures are compared to the original.
84 Drawing game
Participants work in pairs, sitting back to back. One person in each pair has a simple drawing. The other person has a blank piece of paper and a pen. The person with the drawing describes it in detail so that the other person can reproduce the drawing on their sheet of paper.
85 Mirror image
Participants sort themselves into pairs. Each pair decides which one of them will be the ‘mirror’. This person then copies
(mirrors) the actions of their partner. After some time, ask the pair to swap roles so that the other person can be the ‘mirror’.
20
86 Hokey Cokey
Participants stand in a circle to sing the song and do the actions. The first verse goes like this:
You put your RIGHT FOOT in You put your RIGHT FOOT out In, out, in, out
And you shake it all about
You do the hokey-cokey (wiggling waist)
And you turn around
That’s what it’s all about!
With each new verse substitute a different body part for ‘right foot’ – left foot, right arm, left arm, head, and whole self.
87 Muddling messages
Participants sit in a circle. Think of a long message, such as “I’m going to go to the market to buy some bananas and mangos tomorrow morning, and then I am going to meet my cousin for lunch”. Whisper this message to the person sitting on your right. That person then whispers the same message to the person on their right and so on. Once the message has been passed around the circle, ask the last person to say the message aloud. Compare the final message with the original version.
88 Talking object
Participants sit in a circle. An object is passed around the circle. The person who receives the object has to talk continuously until his/her neighbour decides to take the object.
89 Samson and Delilah
The game revolves around the story of Samson and Delilah and the lion. Participants divide into two teams and stand in two lines, with their backs to the other team. Each team decides whether they will be Samson, Delilah or the lion, without telling the other team. They turn around to face the other team and mime an action representing who they are. For example, a sexy pose could represent Delilah, flexed muscles could be
Samson, and a ferocious roar could represent the lion. Delilah defeats Samson, Samson defeats the lion, and the lion defeats Delilah. Sometimes, neither group will defeat the other because they will both choose to be the same thing!
90 Yes/No game
Participants split into two lines, so that each person faces a partner. Line one has to say “Yes” in as many different ways as possible, and line two has to try to change their partner’s minds by saying “No” as convincingly as possible. Give both lines a chance to say both “Yes” and “No”. Then discuss how people felt. How did it feel to say “Yes” or “No”? Was it easier to say one than another?
21
100 ways to energise groups
91 The “E” game
Write a large, curvy letter E on a piece of flipchart paper and place it in the centre of the circle.
Ask participants to describe exactly what they see on the piece of paper, from where they are standing/sitting. Depending on where they are in the circle, they will either see an ‘m’, a ‘w’, a ‘3’ or an ‘E’. Participants can
then move places so that they see the letter from a different perspective. This is a useful activity to highlight the fact that people see things very differently, according to their own specific perspective. Alternatively, put a person in the centre of the circle and ask those around to describe exactly what they see from their perspective.
92 Sagidi sagidi sapopo
The group forms a circle or a line. The facilitator teaches everyone the simple chant “Sagidi sagidi sapopo”. Every time the group chants “Sagidi sagidi sapopo”, the facilitator makes a different action, such as clicking fingers or clapping, to the rhythm of the chant. With each new repetition of the chant, each person copies the actions of the person to their left so that everyone is always one move behind the person to their left.
93 What are we doing?
Two teams line up at opposite ends of the room. Team A are the Mimes and Team B are the Tigers. Team A
decides secretly on an activity to be mimed. They walk toward Team B, coming as
close as they dare, and then act out their mime. Team B
tries to guess what is being mimed. When they succeed they try to tag members of Team A before they can get back to their
goal line. All who are tagged join the Tiger’s side. After the first round, get
the teams to swap roles.
94 What is the adverb?
One participant leaves the room and the others choose an adverb; for example, ‘quickly’ or ‘sleepily’. When the leaver returns, s/he must find out what the adverb is by commanding people to do various actions ‘in that way’. For example, if the leaver says “Talk that way”, the group must talk ‘quickly’ or ‘sleepily’. After each command, the participant tries to guess the word.
95 Shopping list
The group forms a circle. One person starts by saying “I am going to the market to buy fish.” The next person says, “I am going to the market to buy fish and potatoes.” Each person repeats the list, and then adds an item. The aim is to be able to remember all of the items that all of the people before you have listed.
22
96 What am I feeling?
Participants sit in a circle. Each person takes a turn acting out an emotion. Other participants try to guess what feeling the person is acting out. The person who guesses correctly acts out the next emotion.
97 O Kabita!
Everyone in turn has to say “O Kabita!” (or another name) in as many different ways as possible, for example with anger, with fear, with laughter, and so on.
98 Presenting gifts
This can be used at the end of a workshop. Put participants’ names
in a box or bag. Pass the box or bag around and ask each person to pick a name. If they get their own name they have to put it back and choose another. Give the group a few minutes to think of an imaginary gift they would present to the person whose name they have drawn. Ask them also to think how they would present it. Go round the group asking each person to present their imaginary gift.
99 Writing on backs
At the end of a workshop, ask participants to stick a piece of paper on their backs. Each participant then writes something they like, admire or appreciate about that person on the paper on their backs. When they have all finished, participants can take their papers home with them as a reminder.
100 Reflecting on
the day
To help people to reflect on the activities of the day, make a ball out of paper and ask the group
to throw the ball to each other in turn. When they have the ball, participants can say one thing they thought about the day.
23
Other publications in this series include:
A Facilitators’ Guide to Participatory Workshops with NGOs/CBOs Responding to HIV/AIDS
An Orientation to Participation: A Guide for NGOs/CBOs Responding to HIV/AIDS (available later in 2002).
International HIV/AIDS Alliance Queensberry House 104-106 Queens Road
Unless a copyright is indicated, information in this publication may be reproduced, published or otherwise used without permission from the International HIV/AIDS Alliance. However, the International HIV/AIDS Alliance does request that it be cited as the source of the information. If a copyright is indicated on a photo, graphic or any other material, permission to copy these materials must be obtained from the original source.
This publication was made possible through the support of the UK Department for International Development, the US Agency for International Development (under the terms of the Award Number HRN-G-00-98 00010-00). The opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the donors mentioned above.
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