Course Evaluation

By Carita Pettersson
29/06/2021

A brief evaluation, following a so-called participatory model, of a pilot project involving a role-play created by Ingrid Svanfeldt in collaboration with Charlotte Estman-Wennström.

The role-play was tested on 27 June 2021 at Hanaholmen in Espoo with six students from the University of Helsinki’s Swedish School of Social Science; the majority were journalism students. The game day was preceded by a three-day course and a webinar on the situation of journalists in Belarus.

The role-play is based on events in Belarus following the extensive protests that broke out after the presidential election in August 2020.

In the role-play, participants act out dramatic moments and developments in the everyday lives of two Belarusian journalists in connection with their professional work. The game follows a pre-designed script, which participants had studied in advance.

The evaluation is based on feedback from participants and the moderator, as well as observations by two observers, including the undersigned.

A total of four game sessions were staged during the day, in two rounds. The enactments were preceded by the assignment of roles among participants and a discussion of the setup.

After the enactments, the pilot project established a direct Zoom connection with the two journalists whose lives the game is based on.

The role-play was assessed as highly successful by all participants and observers. The moderator, who was also the creator of the game, was self-critical of certain elements that they felt could have been more thoroughly developed in written form.

Participants and observers highlighted the following:

The game was not overly rigid, allowing room for reflection and improvisation
Fun and memorable; less politically correct than expected—we could laugh amid the seriousness
Cultural differences were evident; the Swedish language does not feel authoritarian
The self-irony was liberating; it was rewarding to put oneself in others’ situations
Encouraged self-reflection
We got many things right, which became clear after direct contact with the Belarusians afterward
Felt genuine
An appropriate amount of preparation time
Good structure
The second session was the best
A course day is needed for factual grounding
It felt plausible that events unfolded this way in reality—an absurd situation
Improvisation worked well; interpreting the situation was key
The group size was appropriate
The contact with the real individuals immediately after the enactment was valuable
Important to notice nuances in human relationships—not always black and white
Details were crucial for interpreting the whole

Carita Pettersson
Ekenäs, 29 May 2021

Heroes of press freedom

For questions about the game or workshops related to it, please contact: Ingrid Svanfeldt

The project has been granted funding from the following foundations:
The Swedish Cultural Foundation in Finland, the Swedish-Finnish Cultural Foundation, the Foundation for Journalistic Culture – Jokes and the Foundation for Media and Development – Vikes.