This activity aims to help adult learners, especially those with a migration background, understand that individuals have multiple social and cultural identities that may shift over time and contexts. It involves three steps: (1) Participants draw representations of the identities that influence their values, such as gender, ethnicity, education and group memberships; (2) Those with a migration background indicate how identities have changed between their origin and host countries; (3) Learners reflect on personal resources and competencies gained through migration that help with integration. Debriefing discussions center on exploring intersections between identities and how they have remained the same or changed through migration. The activity aims to help valorize learners' migration experiences and shifting identities.

1. Activity
MULTIPLE IDENTITIES
Target audience Adult learners in general, learners with a migration
biography
Check out the video HERE

2. Objectives
Realize that we have multiple social and cultural identities
Understand the transformation of identity in meeting the host
society
Materials
Paper A4 (one per person)
Pencils
Scotch
Photolanguage for learners with low language skills
Duration and
number of people
1,5 hours
15 learners or less
Plan the activity
The exercise aims to explain the concept of multiple (social and
cultural) identities. It also helps participants to be able to analyse their
own identities and to become aware of one’s own norms and values.
The participants who have experienced a migration process can
acknowledge and talk about their shifting identities.
When you do this activity with learners with migration background: The
facilitator should know the learners and be aware of migration and flight
in general. He/she should have knowledge on migratory phenomena,
and some notions on cultural mediation.
This is a very important exercise after a migration process (shouldn’t be
done too soon) in order to help the students to valorise their migration
process and valorise “their new identities”.
Carry out the activity
First step can be done with all kind of adult learners, step two and three
are more adapted to learners with a migration background
First step : Multiple Identities
The participants spread out across the room and create individual
identities drawings with elements that have, from their own perspective,
strongly influenced their values and identity. To do so, they think about
where they see themselves.
Eight social identities: sex, ethnicity, sexual preference, health, country,
education, occupational role and socioeconomic status and
membership of groups and what this means for them.
Ask the learners - what is important for you? What elements are
defining you - Family, being a mother, your language, religion, your
culture, your (new - origin) country, your job, musique, sports, your
origins - tribe, culture, a membership in a club … ?
The participants can draw their own body like they want or use this
form: Give symbols to learners who hardly speak the language. Can be
easier for them to express themselves through photo language.

3. In the mosaic they fill in how each identity applies to them. Words,
symbols, drawings and figures can be used. Those who wish to can
share their own mosaic within the group in creating some sort of
gallery of identities. The group can walk around and talk about the
different identities in order to find common points between people and
points which are differing.
Questions the facilitator can use for the debriefing in the group:
Extra/extended exercise: Think of how the different identities interact
with each other:
• Which identities are more important to you as a person, which
identities are more at the
background, do you sense a hierarchy?
• Are there identities that you have taken for granted, you haven’t really
given a lot of thought?
• Which expectations do you experience that come with your social
identities:
-Your own expectations ?
-Expectations from important others in your life?
-Expectations from society?
• Are there social identities that clash with one another, that cause
dilemmas?
Second step : Shifting identities
The facilitator asks the learner to complete the phrase « I’m… » 10
times in writing the end of the phrase on a sheet of paper. 5 times in
imagining themselves in their home country – and 5 times in their new
country where they are actually living in. The categories are the same:
job, ethnicity, sexual preference, health, country, education,
occupational role and socioeconomic status and membership of groups
etc.
This exercise is dealing with the migration process and social identities
which are shifting in time and space – this can be a quite complicated
exercise because the past of the students is thematized. The facilitator
should explain this exercise in forehand and ask the students if they
want to do it.
The facilitator asks the students to present what they have written (if
they want to).
The group can discuss identities which stayed the same and other
social identities which have changed.
Third step : valorise one’s migration process
Coming back to the process of shifting identities in line with the
migration process, the facilitator asks this time the students to list

4. This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication [communication] reflects the
views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information
contained therein.
they needed to succeed in their migration and to integrate in the new
home country.
This process helps the students to be aware of their active role in the
migration process, what they learned and who they are now.
After an individual brainstorming per participant, the students bring their
results together in a big collective brainstorming. Those resources and
competences can be integrated in the CV of the students!!
all their personal resources / competences (curiosity, adaptability,
communication skills, etc), in particular the personal resources they
consider as important to overcome obstacles in daily life.
and external resources (community, social network, institutional
help, etc)
Debriefing and
evaluation
It’s important that all learners take an active part in the activity. The
activity can be individually adapted to learners with difficulties in helping
them to create their figure of multiple identities. If it is too complicated
for a learner to talk about their creation, the facilitator can present for
the learner if he/she is fine with it.
The activity can be evaluated in the number and quality of creations
(multiple identity figures) and by qualitative assessment : Did everybody
participate ? Could all learners freely express themselves? Are the
learners satisfied after the activity? Did the activity help to create
connections between learners, which haven’t been established before?
Accessibility
This activity can be adapted to learners with low language skills in the
new country of residence by using photo language of items
representing “identities” and personal “values” like a picture of a family,
sports, religions, job, etc.
This activity can be adapted to people with visual impairment by making
everything oral.