Arguments

The arguments are designed to get participants thinking about the personal attitudes they have towards certain topics related to physical and mental health. Through the arguments, they hear themselves and others' opinions that differ from or confirm their own.

Prepare the room by writing YES on one side of the room and NO on the other. Read out the statement and ask participants to sit under the YES or NO sign, depending on whether they agree or disagree with the statement. The moderator then takes the lead and moderates the conversation by calling on someone from each side to give their opinion. The conversation continues until the resources on both sides are exhausted. The facilitator then asks sub-questions to broaden the participants' horizons. After the facilitator's assessment, the participants also sit down on the other side and argue the opposite of what they argued before.
The facilitator asks the participants to write one or two statements about mental health on the slips of paper and not to sign it. The facilitator then picks up the slips and reads out the statements and participants choose YES or NO sides again and argue their decision.

Important: The role of the facilitator in this activity is to create an atmosphere where the opposing sides are listened to and heard, while remaining undefined. It is important to ask sub-questions that help to better understand the opinions and sub-questions that relate specifically to the personal experiences of the participants. The aim of this activity is not, as in politics, for participants to be able to argue their opinions and convince others that theirs is the most correct, but to think about other points of view.

Some arguments:
Physical health is more important than mental health.
Everyone has problems that need help.
Mental health problems cause distress to the individual and the family.