A guide to Forward Singapore civic conversation toolkit ‘Beneath the Surface’

Beneath the Surface is a commemorative Forward SG civic conversation toolkit made up of question-based conversation cards which help facilitate civil discussions on difficult topics. 

This first set focuses on conversations surrounding issues of race and religion. 

Here is a step-by-step guide on how to navigate and use the toolkit for an hour-long session. Players are free to explore more case studies should they have more time.

The toolkit comes with a placemat and several decks of cards. 

Set the placemat in the middle of the group and place the deck of cards accordingly. The session must be led by a facilitator.

A group of up to six players will go through a series of prompts and questions.  

The facilitator will hand out to each player:

1. Player’s Start Guide
2. Raise Hand Card
3. Time Out Card

These cards will be laid out in front of each player, facing them.

The Time Out Card can be used should the ground rules be forgotten, or if a player feels overwhelmed and wishes to take a break from the conversation. 

The Raise Hand Card can be used if a player wishes to clarify something or add to the conversation.

The facilitator will also establish the following ground rules:

• Respect the privacy of this space – You are free to use information shared in the discussion but you are not allowed to identify the person behind any particular comment
• Keep an open mind – Understand that not everyone will have the same views as you and commit to learning, not debating
• Practise kindness – Avoid blame, speculation and harsh language. You may challenge ideas, but not individuals.
• Participate actively and share openly

The toolkit consists of five segments: Who’s in the Room, Insights, Expression, Connection and Closing Circles.

Starting with Who’s in the Room, players will choose up to three tokens each – Insights, Expression or Connection.

These tokens will represent why each player is there, and players will also share why they have chosen their desired tokens.

Insights: To uncover new knowledge and perspectives.

Expression: To share and listen to stories around us.

Connection: To connect the dots of what has been said and form friendships.

This segment will take approximately three minutes. 

After players have shared their reasons behind their desired tokens, the facilitators will get three players to choose an Insights card at random.

This segment will function as an icebreaker for players.

These cards are tiered from Levels One to Three. With each level, the questions get more in-depth and provocative. Players will start off with Level One cards. 

A player will read out the given question, and the group will answer and share their thoughts.

An example of a question would be: “What is your favourite cultural festival and why?”

After the group has answered, they will move on to Level Two and Three Insights cards.

This segment will take approximately 20 minutes.

Once all levels have been cleared, the facilitator will lay out all the Expression case study cards.

In this segment, players will get a chance to share their stories with one another.

Players will choose one Expression case study card to read out.

The group will discuss the case study, guided by the facilitator’s questions.

For the Burning Bridges example shown above, one of the questions prompts is: “What is one thing you have heard about the Hungry Ghost Festival?”

This segment will take approximately 30 minutes. 

After the discussion concludes, the facilitator will move the session to the Connection segment.

This segment will take stock of what players have discussed, and for players to form bonds with one another.

Three players will choose a Connection card at random. 

A Connection card will pose questions such as: “What is one thing you have heard today that stood out to you?”. The whole group will answer.

Similar to the Expressions segment, Connection cards are also tiered from Levels One to Three.

Players will start from Level One cards. After the group has answered, they will move on to Level Two and Three Insights cards.

This segment will take approximately 10 minutes. After everyone has answered, the facilitator will move the session to its final segment.

In the final segment, each player will be asked to pick one Closing Circles token and pass it to the player on their right. 

The token should represent what they most want to affirm the player on. 

For example: Player A gave Player B the Expression token because A wishes to affirm how B was very open in sharing B’s personal stories with the group today.

Once every player has shared their affirmations, the session will conclude as a whole.

The facilitator will thank the players for their participation and for sharing, learning stories and perspectives, and connecting with others.

For more content about Forward SG and how youths can participate, click here.