Event Toolkit

Leadership Role-Play Lab: Masks in Action

Theme & Purpose

Leadership Role-Play Lab: Masks in Action gives young men the chance to practice real-life decision-making in a safe, supportive environment. By acting out scenarios like peer pressure, conflict, or leadership challenges, participants explore the difference between the outside self (confidence, humor, or strength they show) and the inside self (doubts, fears, or hopes they usually don’t let others see).

The session begins with the #MillionMaskMovement, grounding participants in honesty. When they step into a role-play, they practice what it looks like to act with both courage and authenticity. This activity builds confidence, empathy, and real-world leadership skills that last beyond the event.

Benefits for Young Men

1. Decision-Making Practice – Try out tough choices in a safe space.

2. Emotional Awareness – Recognize how outside roles and inside truths influence behavior.

3. Leadership Growth – Learn to lead with courage, empathy, and authenticity.

Group Size

8–30 participants (plus audience if open to the public)..

Time Needed

90–120 minutes (depending on film length).

STEP-BY-STEP Program

Leadership Role-Play Lab: Masks in Action

1. Welcome & Purpose (5 minutes)

Host Script:
“Welcome to the Leadership Role-Play Lab. Today we’ll explore tough choices young men face — from peer pressure to conflict to leadership challenges. By combining masks and role-play, we’ll see how what we show on the outside and what we carry inside both shape our decisions.”

2. Create a Mask (10 minutes)

• Hand out mask cards.

• Invite participants to write/draw:

  • Front (outside): the positive qualities they usually show the world (e.g., hardworking, funny, confident, athletic).

  • Back (inside): the “real stuff” they usually don’t let others see (e.g., fear of failure, stress, sadness, family pressure).

• Collect masks

• Reflection: “Fire reveals what’s hidden in the dark. Tonight, our masks remind us that while we all show strengths on the outside, the inside truths connect us even more.”

3. Role-Play Scenarios (25–30 minutes)

• Split into small groups or volunteers act out in front of everyone.

• Choose scenario cards such as:

  • A friend pressures you to skip class.

  • A teammate takes credit for your idea.

  • A younger student is being bullied.

  • You’re asked to lead but don’t feel ready.

• After each role-play, pause for reflection:

  • “What outside qualities showed up in this choice?”

  • “What inside truths may have shaped the response?”

4. Group Reflection (10–15 minutes)

Discussion prompts:

• “What did you notice about yourself in the role-play?”

• “When do you feel pressure to act differently on the outside than you feel inside?”

• “What qualities of true leadership do you want to carry forward?”

5. Closing & Action (5–10 minutes)

Each participant writes down:

• One leadership quality they want to practice this week.

• One real-life situation where they can apply it.

Host Script:

“Leadership isn’t about being perfect. It’s about aligning your outside self with your inside truth. When you lead with honesty and courage, you inspire others to do the same.”

6. SHARE MASKS POST EVENT (10 minutes)

Take photos of masks (with permission) and email them to millionmask@everforwardclub.org to join our #MillionMaskMovement and help us reach 100,000 people by this November!

Optional Add-Ons

• Mentor Role-Play: Invite adult mentors to join and model authentic choices.

  Scenario Creation: Have young men write their own real-life scenarios to role-play.

  Leadership Journal: Encourage participants to track decisions and reflections for one week.

  Follow-Up Circle: Meet again to reflect on how they applied lessons in real life.

Back to Partner Toolkit

For any questions, please contact millionmask@everforwardclub.org