tI >2385 >2

“I think there should be a rule that everyone in theworld should get a standing ovation at least once intheir lives”

– R.J.Palacio, Wonder

Changing the way we see people who look differentIn partnership with the film Wonder and Changing Faces:

Registered Charity No. 1011222Charity Registered in Scotland SC039725

changingfaces.org.uk

#ChooseKindwondermovie.co.uk

ONLY IN CINEMAS

Are you ready to change the way you see?

In Wonder, Auggie was born with a condition affecting his face. ‘Disfigurement’ is the term used todescribe any mark, scar or condition that affects appearance. Although not everyone likes or identifieswith the term, Changing Faces uses the word ‘disfigurement’ as it is a succinct general term, widelyunderstood by the public and enshrined in law in the Equality Act 2010. In the United Kingdom it isestimated that about 1,345,000 people have a significant disfigurement to their face or body. Manyconditions like Auggie’s, such as cleft lip and palate can lead to hearing difficulties, requiring specialistmedical treatment, and sometimes requiring hearing aids to be worn. Auggie’s type of condition is calleda cranio-facial condition. Many children born with similar conditions undergo surgery throughout theirchildhood to help development.

• Get inspiration from our website. If Wonder has inspired you let us know you’d like to support us bycalling 0207 391 9270, changingfaces.org.uk/donate, or Text WOND37 followed by the amount youwish to donate on 70070.

• Every time you raise awareness about face equality you will make a huge difference to people’s lives andany donations (big or small) will make a big impact on the services we can offer nationwide.

• Our young people’s and teachers’ resources aim to increase your knowledge of the negative bias somepeople hold about people who look different. Face equality encourages us to stand up to discrimination atschool or college, in the workplace, or when socialising with friends.

Are you ready to changethe way you see?

Changing Faces is the UK’s leading charity for everyone who has a medical condition, mark or scarthat makes them look different. We are there for people at the key moments in their lives, whetherthat’s starting school, going for an interview, during their medical journey, or if they experiencebullying or harassment.

Looking and feeling different in a society where beauty is valued very highly can be extremely difficult. We provide advice and support for people with a disfigurement and campaign against discrimination and prejudice to change the world that they are living in.

Young people are under such pressure to look a certain way - we want to move towards a society thatvalues difference so that everyone can live confident and happy lives.

Changing Faces is all about building strong, resilient, confident people with the same ambitions andaspirations as any other person, regardless of how they look.

• Every year, around 15,000 children in the UK are born with a disfigurement and many more childrenacquire a disfigurement during their childhood. 86,000 are estimated to have a disfigurement, that’s onein 124 in the under-16 school population.

• Our research shows that almost half of young people with visible differences are bullied about theirappearance at school. The vast majority – nearly 90% – say their primary school did not succeed instopping the bullying.

• Nearly half (46%) of the 1,000 people we supported directly were children, young people or their families or schools.

•

About Changing Facesand what we do

Our views on the filmLooking and feeling different in a society where beauty is valued very highly can be extremely difficult. We really hope that Wonder will beanother positive step in our campaign against discrimination and prejudice, so that we can move towards a society that values difference.Changing Faces has long championed the book and its sequels, and we have created resources for schools so that they can teach children tounderstand and value difference. Quite often people just don’t know how to start having those conversations because they’re worried they’llget it wrong, and we hope our resources will make people more confident.

Guidelines on how to talk about disfigurementIt is important to note that not everyone likes the word ‘disfigurement’, preferring instead words like ‘visible difference’ or ‘unusualappearance’, or simply the name of the condition. The term that is preferable to use also varies depending on the country it is used in, with the film being American there may be other words used, but as a UK charity we choose to respect what is widely accepted in the UK.Where possible, we encourage the cause of the disfigurement to be explained (i.e. ‘Amina has a cleft lip’, ‘Gary sustained burns in a house fire’) because this is an informative way of describing the person’s condition. Marks, scars or conditions that affect appearance:scars, burns, skin conditions such as vitiligo, psoriasis, acne, alopecia, cancer, craniofacial conditions like Treacher Collins Syndrome or neurofibromatosis.

‘Disfigurement in the UK’ Report 2017This report came as a result of a survey of over 800 respondents.• 49.5% of those who had a disfigurement when they were in primary school said that they experienced bullying that targeted their appearance

• Four out of ten (41.6%) of respondents said they felt their appearance affected how well they did at school and 43% said it had an impacton their ambition or aspiration in relation to college or university

• 96% had seen a photo, meme or other content online mocking someone’s appearance.

Questions you might get asked, and how to answer them

Why don’t people who look different just get plastic surgery?Just as Auggie says, he has already had many operations. Plastic surgery is not a miracle/ cure. In fact, many people who look different arevery happy with the way they look and wouldn’t necessarily want to change their appearance or spend any prolonged time in hospital. It isup to each individual which treatment they choose.

Why doesn’t Auggie just stay at home and not go to school and then he won’t be bullied?Auggie deserves to go to school as much as anyone else. Many people who look different are confident, happy people, who live fulfilledlives and have learnt to be tough against the way other people might treat them or react to them. Society should accept and value us all,regardless of the way we look.


Activities for Young People based on the film Wonder – 45 mins

Introduction to appearance and Wonder the movie: This is an opportunity for young people to discuss in small groups some of the issues in the film. You can do this in pairs or in small groups.Resource: Information on looking different. After film activities. Guidelines for visible difference discussion points. Length: 5 mins

What makes you, you? With a balloon and craft material we are looking for young people to create themselves with words that sum up who they are (5 mins).Resource: You will need balloons, post it notes, tape and other craft materials (not supplied). Length: 15 mins

Agree – Disagree This is the opportunity to find out what young people think about appearance and appearance related bullying. It will involve running around.Resource: Agree / Disagree support sheet. Length: 5 mins

Bullying BehaviourAn opportunity in small teams to explore bullying behaviour.Resource: Case study sheets. Length: 5 mins

Creative TimeOpportunity to draw a face as per the Wonder logo. Think about the film, what they have just spoken about and ask young people to create a short poem or story on appearance.Resource: Pen, paper, template. Example for reference. Length: 10 mins

Feedback session: Length: 5 mins


After Film DiscussionsRun through the questions as a group and hold a discussion on the film/book. Take note of what’s discussed and send back to us so thatwe collect feedback on the film/book and our work around Wonder. Email: [email protected]

Key points Inclusion, laughter, humour, happiness, family, achievement, diversity, acceptance, confidence, friendship, enjoyment, fulfilment,managing surprise, fairness, respect, sensitivity, personality, character, self-confidence, positivity.


Question 1:What was your favouritething about the film?Possible answers:• The jokes that Auggie’s Dad

makes • Getting to see Auggie enjoying

school and making friends • Seeing Auggie stand up for

himself Discussion notesTry to get everyone to talk about the moreprofound meaning behind the film, ratherthan just the jokes or the happy ending.Get them to talk about the characters and why they liked or disliked the way they acted.

Question 2:What did you think when youfirst saw Auggie? Possible answers:• Surprised at how different he

looked to the other kids• Surprised by his scars and

unusual features • Didn’t see him as any different to

the other kids Discussion notes It’s okay to be surprised by Auggie’sappearance, this is a natural reaction. It’swhat you do next that matters – you shouldnot make assumptions or make fun ofAuggie or anyone else you meet who looksdifferent. If you encounter someone wholooks different then it is normal to be caughtoff guard, but you should not stare or reactnegatively as this could impact on theperson and hurt their feelings.

Question 3:What do you like aboutAuggie? Possible answers:• His strength and confidence• His sense of humour • His friendliness to others

Discussion notes Try to get the focus to be on all thedifferent positive aspects of hispersonality, and get them to see that he isnot defined by his looks. This might bewhere he’s good at science or makingpeople laugh, or it could be about hisability to combat the negativity he has hadto face at school from his peers throughhis positive attitude.

Key points Respect, acceptance, diversity, inclusion, prejudice, stigma, discrimination, anti-bullying, fair, friendly, injustice, bullying, lack ofrespect, harshness, saddening, hurtful.


Question 4:What do you think the mainmessage of the film was?

Possible answers:• To treat others well, regardless of

the way they look • To value and respect each other• To be accepting of difference

Discussion notesTry to delve deeper than just being kind toeach other and focus on acceptingdifference and ‘looking different’ as awhole. The film touches on somefundamental issues of inclusion anddiversity which need to be explored andpromoted amongst its young viewers.

Question 5:What do you think the filmcan teach people about how we see people who are different?

Possible answers:• Ultimately, we are all the same• We all deserve to be treated well• We all look different in some way,

Auggie is not an exception

Discussion notes Try to get viewers to think about the widerpicture and the lessons that can be learnedfrom the film and taken forward into theirlives. Changing Faces wants to create asociety that values and respects all,irrespective of appearance. This film actsas a great way of raising awareness andpromoting respect and kindness for youngpeople in their schools and widercommunity. Try to discuss what the youngviewers have learnt, and how they will actin the future.

Question 6:How did you feel when yousaw other characterstreating Auggie badly?

Possible answers:• Felt sorry for him• Angry that they were treating him

so badly

Discussion notes Aim to get viewers of the film not to pityAuggie because he looks different. Itshould not be believed that this is thereason he is bound to be treated badly.We shouldn’t pity people who lookdifferent. Instead encourage viewers tofeel a sense of injustice. No one deservesto be treated badly, regardless of the waythat they look.

Key points Inclusion, kindness, fairness, independence, strength, confidence, bravery, anti-bullying, respect, equality, honesty, engagement,openness, welcoming, thoughtful.


Question 7:Have you ever gone alongwith something yourclassmates/friends weredoing that you thought wasnot okay? If so why do youthink you did that? Possible answers:• Yes, because everyone else was

doing it • I felt pressured to go along with

the crowd• I thought it was okay because

everyone else said it was Discussion notesTry to encourage people to be free to chatas honestly as possible. They will not bepunished for being honest. It is importantto understand why people go along withthe crowd to encourage them not to. Wemust encourage young people to maketheir own decisions to treat others fairlyand with respect, and not feel pressuredby others who might want to misbehave,just as Jack Will does in Wonder.

Question 8:Do you think bullying thattargets people’s appearancehappens in your school?

Possible answers:• Yes, all the time • No, I’ve never experienced this• Yes, but it’s more targeting

people’s traits like hair colour, skin,size etc.

Discussion notes Try to get a discussion going about whypeople bully each other because of the waythey look. Discuss why it is just asunacceptable to treat someone badlybecause they have a visible difference as itis for any other reason. Encourage youngpeople to stand up against bullying if theysee it.

Question 9:Imagine someone wholooked different came up to you and asked you aquestion. How would you react?

Possible answers:• I would treat them the same as

anyone else• I would be a bit awkward and

wouldn’t really know what to say • I would try to not to stare at them

Discussion notes Try to encourage viewers to not feelawkward or uncomfortable, and to seeeveryone as the same; regardless of theway they look. Encourage young people totalk to this person, ask them questions likewhat’s their favourite film or sport; and talkas you would in any other situation. Doyou think the film has encouraged you tobehave differently in the future?

Have your say – agree / disagree

Mark three meeting points in the room: Agree, Disagree, Unsure. When a statement is read out, walk to the section that you feel is most relevant to your answer. One person is required to read out the statements and to facilitate the discussions once people are at the meeting points.

Statements to be read out are in bold:

1. Should we feel sorry for people who look different?Disagree: As a society we should welcome everyone regardless of their appearance. We should never feel sorry for anyone with a visibledifference. We know from the experiences of the people we work with at Changing Faces, that people can experience staring, negativecomments or bullying.

2. Looking at someone who is different to us is natural, however we should not stare and make fun of those who look different.Agree: If you do find yourself looking at someone then ‘own it’ and smile. Do not look away if the person you are looking at catches you.Staring at someone with a visible difference is not fair. We should treat everyone with respect and not make fun of anyone.

3. We all look different, however we are ultimately the same.Agree: Agree – even though someone might look different they are still the same as us... a human.

4. 10,000 people in the UK have a significant difference to their body or face.Disagree: 1,345,000 or 1 in 111 people in the UK have a significant disfigurement.

5. Having a condition, mark or scar that affects appearance was most likely caused by a fire or car accident?Disagree: There are many causes of disfigurement, including medical conditions such as cancer, scars from burns, accidents and skinconditions such as acne or eczema and some people are born with conditions such as a cleft lip or cleft palate or a birthmark.

6. Many books and films use villains who have a scar or disfigurement, this is unfair?Agree: We see many films and books that use scars and disfiguring conditions to highlight a villain or someone who is evil. As a charitywe believe this is wrong and is not the case. People with scars and conditions are just like you and me, therefore singling them out isdiscrimination and should be challenged.


Bullying Behaviour ResourceUse the case studies details below as basis for discussion in small teams to explore the bullying behaviour.


Case Study 1 Claire is 13 and is part of a WhatsApp group chat with tenpeople from her local school. Claire was in a house fire as achild and has burn scars on her face and body as a result

The group chat is usually about music and dance and Claireconsiders everyone in the group to be her friend. One daysomeone shared a photo of a character from a horror film who has facial scars, along with the message, “Claire, you’refamous!”

Claire sent a message to say that she didn’t think that themessage was very funny. Three people from the group thenreplied to say that Claire should learn to take a joke and thatshe shouldn’t be so sensitive. When Claire went on to thegroup chat the next day, someone had changed the groupchat image to the horror film character.

Questions to consider: What is the bullying behaviour that is taking place?What could friends in the group do that would be unhelpfulor make that situation worse?What could friends in the group do that would be helpful ormake the situation better?

Case Study 2 Amina is 16 and wants to be a hairdresser. She has startedposting video tutorials for different hairstyles on YouTube (shehas a cleft lip and palate). She was pleased to see lots ofpositive comments about her hairstyling skills, but suddenly,she started to receive large numbers of negative commentsabout her appearance. One of these comments said thatAmina “shouldn’t be allowed to show her face in public as itwill give children nightmares”.

Amina was really upset by these comments and told one ofher friends how she was feeling. Her friend told her that shehad overheard a girl in their year at school talking about her“disgusting face”. Amina looked at the girl’s Twitter feed andsaw that she had tweeted a link to her videos andencouraged people to leave negative comments. She alsosaw that some other people in her year had shared thismessage and when she went to school the next day, heardpeople laughing about her in the corridor.

Questions to consider: What is the bullying behaviour that is taking place?What could friends do that would be unhelpful or make thatsituation worse?What could friends do that would be helpful or make thesituation better?


Case Study 3 Peter is 13 and has just moved to a new youth club, he hassevere acne on his face. Peter has made some friends butnotices that other young people from group stare at him. Healso overheard some of his friends talking about how he “mustnever wash his face” and that he should “sort his face out”.

One day, after a swimming session, Peter went into thechanging rooms and found a bottle of face wash on top of hisbag. He asked the other boys if they knew who had put itthere, but the other boys all shrugged and said they didn’tknow. Peter was sure that someone must know who did it andfelt really upset that no-one would say.

The next time Peter went to the youth club he saw a grouppointing at him and giggling. One of the group then shoutedover to Peter, “I hope you liked your present last week” andthen laughed.


Case Study 4 Louise is 15 and has a large birthmark on her face. Louisesometimes feels self-conscious about her appearance. Louisewalks to and from school with two of her friends every day andnotices that some people stare at her as she walks past.

One day, Louise and her friends walked past a group of olderyoung people from her school who were standing outside ashop. One of the group stepped in front of Louise and askedher, “what’s wrong with your face?”

Louise tried to walk past, but the older pupils surrounded herto stop her from leaving. Louise’s two friends shouted at theolder pupils to leave Louise alone, but they were pushed to theground and told to “shut up”. The group of older pupilscontinued to make negative comments about Louise’sbirthmark and threatened to beat her up if she told anyone. Eventually, the shop owner opened the door and shouted atthe group to “stop hanging around outside my shop”. The olderpupils left, and Louise made her friends promise not to tellanyone about what happened.


Bullying Behaviour Resource

Creative Time: Wonder Template

Think about the film, what you have just spoken about and ask young people to create a short poem or story within thetemplate to display. As part of an art lesson – draw or paint a self-portrait and discuss the differences between everyone’s picture.

After this activity please take pictures of your artwork and put them on social media using #FaceEquality.

“I think there should be a rule that everyone in the worldshould get a standing ovation at least once in their lives”

– R.J. Palacio, Wonder


How your donations help us

Our ambition is to create an enlightened society, which fully accepts and values people who look different and enables them to live the lifethey want. You can help us achieve this by donating today.

Here’s how to pay in your donations

Cheque Presentation: Call the Changing Faces’ Fundraising Team who will be happy to attend your school, and accept your cheque and say a big thank you to all involved.

By post: Please do not send cash in the post. Send a cheque, postal order or CAF voucher to: Changing Faces, The SquireCentre, 33-37 University Street, London WC1E 6JN, making your cheque payable to Changing Faces. Please include your fullname and address in your correspondence. At any bank or building society you can pay your money direct to ChangingFaces’ bank account. Please contact the Fundraising Team for details, by emailing [email protected] or bycalling 0345 450 0275.

By credit/debit card: Donations can be accepted over the phone by calling 0345 450 0275.

On the website: Donate by visiting changingfaces.org.uk/donate.

Text us: WOND37 followed by the amount you wish to donate on 70070.

We rely on donations from local communities, businesses and trusts to support our services and campaigns.


Thank you for supporting Changing Faces

Registered Charity No. 1011222Charity Registered in Scotland SC039725


#ChooseKindwondermovie.co.uk

Contact Us

Changing FacesThe Squire Centre33-37 University StreetLondon WC1E 6JN

T: 0207 391 9270E: [email protected]: facebook.com/ChangingFacesUKT: twitter.com/FaceEqualityI: Instagram.com/changingfacesuk

ONLY IN CINEMAS

tI >2385 >2

Documents

Transcript of tI >2385 >2