Skip to main content

Step into their shoes

First suggested by ScoutsCymru
Step into someone else’s shoes to explore children’s rights, fairness, and life experiences

Back to Activities

You’ll need

  • paper (optional)
  • scissors (optional)

Before you begin

  • Use the safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity. There's also more guidance to help you carry out your risk assessment, including examples.
  • Make sure all young people and adults involved in the activity know how to take part safely.
  • Make sure you’ll have enough adult helpers. You may need some parents and carers to help. 

Planning and setting up this activity 

  1. Can you choose what you wear? 
  2. Can you choose what you eat? 
  3. Can you openly practice your religion? 
  4. Do you think it will be easy for you to get a job? 
  5. Can you get to see and talk to your family when you want to? 
  6. Can you drive a car? 
  7. You’ve decided to move house, can you sign a tenancy agreement? 
  8. Can you vote in the next election? 
  9. Can you stand to be a councillor? 
  10. Can you choose where you would like to live? 
  11. Do you know how to get legal help if you get into trouble? 
  12. Can you meet with friends when you want to? 
  13. Are you consulted in issues that affect your life? 
  14. Have you or are you likely to go to university 
  15. Can people easily understand your thoughts and feelings? 
  16. Can you easily complain about services you receive? 
  17. Do the media portray you in a positive light? 
  18. Can you access your rights? 

Young people 

  • A boy on a school council, aged 15 
  • A girl, aged 12, with anxiety 
  • A 7-year-old with severe allergies 
  • A 10-year-old young carer 
  • A young person detained in a youth prison, aged 17 
  • A single mum, aged 17 
  • A 15-year-old boy who is gay 
  • A refugee, aged 11 
  • A 16-year-old living in a hostel for homeless people 
  • A trans young person, aged 16 
  • A Muslim girl, aged 14 
  • A boy who uses a wheelchair, aged 15 
  • A looked-after child in foster care, aged 8 
  • A baby, aged 18 months 
  • A 5-year-old with acute shyness 

Adults 

  • A successful businesswoman, aged 35 
  • A headteacher, aged 55 
  • A health visitor, aged 45 
  • A social work student, aged 24 
  • The Children’s Commissioner for Wales 
  • A male judge, aged 63 
  • A police officer, aged 33 
  • A teaching assistant, aged 28 
  • A youth worker, aged 35 
  • A member of the Senedd, aged 58 
  • A female teacher, aged 37 
  • A local councillor, aged 45 
  • A lawyer, aged 33 
  • A grandparent, aged 72 

  

Running this activity 

  1. Gather everyone together and explain that this activity is about the rights of children and young people.
  2. Give each young person a character profile, either written down or given verbally.
  3. Ask them to think about their character:
    • Where are they from?
    • What their life might be like?
    • What they are like as a person?
  4. Ask everyone to stand in a line, side by side, on one side of the room.
  5. Explain that you will read out a series of statements or questions. If their character could answer yes, they should take a step forward.
  6. Remind them that they don’t have all the information about their character, so they will need to make assumptions based on the profile.
  7. Encourage everyone to take part respectfully, be kind and considerate of others, and remember that the activity is about understanding differences, power, and fairness, not judging real people.
  8. Read 6–8 selected questions aloud. 
  9. Once the questions have been read and everyone has moved, ask a few participants to share who their character was and how many steps they took.
  10. Ask the whole group what they think the main differences are between the characters who took the most and least steps? 
  11. Let them know that the biggest difference should be the age, the characters who have taken more steps are usually adults.
  12. Highlight that adults often make decisions about young people’s lives and hold more power, which is why children’s rights exist and why we have a Children’s Commissioner to support children and young people.
  13. You could ask - what can those who have most power do to help those who have least power over their lives?
  14. Finally, let them know that there is a long list of their rights called the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), and you could show them a poster to help them see and understand it. 

Extend the activity (optional)

  1. Ask everyone to step back into their original line against the wall.
  2. Call out a Children’s rights and ask the young people to step forward or hold up a hand if they can access that right. 
    • The right to good food and water
    • The right to grow up healthy
    • The right to an education
    • The right to time for relaxing and playing
    • The right to say how you feel, be listened to, and taken seriously
    • The right to be treated well and not be hurt by anyone
  3. Explain that not all children are able to access their rights equally.
  4. The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) and the role of the Children’s Commissioner for Wales exist to help reduce this gap and support children and young people to understand and access their rights. 

Reflection

This activity was all about understanding children’s rights and the differences in people’s lives. You explored the lives of different characters, thought about what their day-to-day experiences might be like, and considered the challenges they might face. You learned that some people have more power or opportunities than others, which is why children’s rights exist and why adults like the Children’s Commissioner are there to help. You also thought about how it feels to walk in someone else’s shoes and why it’s important to be kind, fair, and respectful to everyone. 

Safety

All activities must be safely managed. You must complete a thorough risk assessment and take appropriate steps to reduce risk. Use the safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity. Always get approval for the activity, and have suitable supervision and an InTouch process.

You must run your activities in line with the Safeguarding Code of Conduct for Adults (Yellow Card) and report any concerns to the UK HQ Safeguarding Team.

Scissors

Supervise young people appropriately when they’re using scissors. Store all sharp objects securely, out of the reach of young people.

To make this activity easier, you could give additional time between statements to discuss what it might mean and how it relates to their characters.  

This activity can be adapted in a variety of ways to suit the needs of the young people taking part. For example, it could be delivered as a seated activity, where participants place a token into a jar or pile to demonstrate the same concept in a more accessible way.

You could also divide the group into smaller teams, particularly if working with anyone who may become distracted or overwhelmed. In smaller groups, young people could discuss and suggest which character profiles best fit each statement, encouraging participation while creating a more supportive environment.

All Scout activities should be inclusive and accessible.

Rights Challenge Award (Scouts Cymru)
Rights Challenge Award (Scouts Cymru)

If you enjoyed this activity, you could try the next rights activity to continue your award. 

Young people could create their own characters and take the lead in running the activity, coming up with their own questions or statements for others to respond to, facilitating discussions about power, fairness, and rights, and reflecting together on what they’ve learned and how it feels to step into someone else’s shoes.