Delegation Resource Manual: Month by Month Implementation Guide
Page 20
YMCA PA Youth & Government Program
Activity (Leadership Roles): Town Conflict
The following role-play scenario has four different sides or viewpoints. Students are assigned to one
of these viewpoints and act it out in context with the other three in a small group setting.
Some of the roles embody leadership qualities, other roles thwart the leader. Following the role
play, the large group will discuss the various ways in which participants were/were not leaders.
First, have participants number off 1 to 4. Give them each a copy of the role-play instructions on
the following pages for their number ONLY (they should not read the instructions for the other
numbers.) Then have all 1’s move to one area of the room, 2’s to another area and so on. Facilitator
goes to each group to explain to them about their specific character. The groups of same numbers
spend the next 5–10 minutes practicing their character with each other. After 5–10 minutes, the
class moves back into their original 1–2–3–4 group to enact the role play for the large group.
Note: Each number group is unaware of the instructions given to the other groups. In other words,
1’s do not know what the 2’s are representing, 2’s do not know what the 3’s are representing and so
on.
Assign the participants to these groups:
• 1’s—the mayor of the town
• 2’s—the town citizen • 3’s—the land developer
• 4’s—the city attorney
Role-play scenario: A small town is faced with a difficult decision: to allow a high-rise apartment
to be built which will close a strip mall and take land away from a park. The land developer and
construction company employ several townspeople and are depending on this contract to keep
everyone working. If the high-rise is built, the small strip mall will be demolished and the small
businesses will have to close. The park is an ideal location for kids to enjoy themselves and there is
a group of citizens who wish to build a skate park for the children. What will be the outcome of this
situation?
Copy and distribute the next section so that each person receives a paper with only one of the
number role’s instructions according to the role they are playing. DO NOT ALLOW EACH
PLAYER TO SEE THE INSTRUCTIONS GIVEN TO THE OTHER PLAYERS. They can all
know the identity of the four characters, but the instructions are secret!
1: You are the mayor. You are seeking re-election and don’t want anything to risk losing the
election. You avoid controversy in any way possible; you do not want to do anything to anger any
group. You do not show leadership qualities. You are indecisive and try to pass everything over to
the city attorney.
2: You are a citizen of the town. There is a park next to your neighborhood that is slated for a high-
rise development for senior citizens, a convenience store, a strip mall and a coffee shop. You do not
want anything built there because you want the park to be a city park developed with a skate park
for the children of the community. You are leading a group of citizens against this development.
You are to show at least three characteristics of being a leader such as confidence, decisiveness,
good attitude, respect for others, etc.
