SOCIAL JUSTICE OVERVIEW: POWER, PRIVILEGE & OPPRESSION
Program
Privilege Chairs
Tapped in
Awareness
Truth Trivia:
Equity
Awareness Quiz
Archie Bunker’s
Neighborhood
Bias Language
Workshop
Cross the Line
It’s in the Cards
“That’s so Gay”
and Other
Phrases You
Shouldn’t Say
Purpose
This activity allows participants to explore the concepts of privilege and oppression, and take a look at
how they benefit and are held back by these systems
This activity allows participants to explore the concepts of socialization
High Risk
Time
Commitment
60-90 minutes
Low Risk
30 minutes
This is an interactive quiz show format that covers a broad range of social justice issues in the United
States: social class, race, gender, sexuality, hate groups, etc.
Low Risk
45-60 minutes
To get students to understand the effects that stereotypes and discrimination can have on various
groups.
Students examine the problems in communication and in developing relationships caused by bias
Med- low
risk
High Risk
45-60 minutes
The purpose of this activity is for students to reflect upon their own self-identities while acknowledging
the identities of others.
To feel what it is like to be a part of dominate and subordinate groups.
High Risk
To get students to understand that language has an impact.
Risk Level
Med –
High Risk
High Risk
120 – 150
minutes
60 --120
minutes
30 minutes
45-60 minutes
OVERALL IDENTITY
Program
Purpose
A Taste of
Difference
Family Portrait
This is an introductory level activity to help get participants thinking about what identities they and
others hold.
Identity Circle
This activity allows participants to explore the concept of identity, and the diversity of identities
represented amongst them.
The purpose of this program is to get students to learn about stereotypes and how they are harmful.
Really? You…
Risk Level
Low –
Medium
Medium
to High
Medium/
High
Med
Time
Commitment
30 minutes
Varies by size
of group
45-60 minutes
30-45 minutes
ABILITY
Program
Universal Design
– Environmental
Survey
Purpose
Risk Level
This is an introductory level activity to get participants thinking about the definition of “disability,” and
learn about the concept of universal design.
Low
Time
Commitment
60 minutes
ECONOMIC CLASS
Program
First Memories,
Class Indicators,
and Class
Caucuses
The Penny
Game: Wealth
and Power
Privilege Walk –
Class
Purpose
Risk Level
Participants will begin to explore the impact of class on their personal lives, institutions, and culture.
High
Time
Commitment
100 Minutes
The purpose of this activity is for students to gain a better understanding of the distribution of wealth
and power within society.
Low
60 minutes
This program primarily focuses on social class and the components that comprise class disparities. The
topics include familial background, education, race/ethnicity, citizenship, gender, sexual orientation, and
ability. Through indicating whether an individual identifies with certain statements, it is possible for
participants to recognize the privileges that they have been granted and to learn about the backgrounds
of their peers
MediumHigh
30 minutes
GENDER AND GENDER IDENTITY
Program
Attending
Activity –
Gender
Early Learning
About Gender
Conformity
Purpose
Risk Level
The purpose of this activity is to get participants active, to practice listening, and to begin to think
about gender and identity.
Low
Time
Commitment
30 minutes
This exercise helps participants increase their understanding of gender as a social construct and as
learned behavior. The purpose of this activity is to help participants begin thinking about gender as
something we do and identify and think reflectively about their own genders. Moreover, the activity
will help participants explore how gender is socially constructed and is performative.
Medium
75 minutes
Gender Rules for
Intimacy
Learning Gender
The purpose of this activity is to gain awareness of individual perceptions of gender roles and rules of
intimacy. Participants will explore advantages and disadvantages of gendered rules about relationship
and intimacy.
This exercise helps participants understand what is gender? How do we learn about ourselves as
gendered people? How do we learn about what it means to be a man or a woman? The purpose of
this activity is to help participants explore their personal experience of learning gender in order to
have an increased understanding of the ways gendered messages are communicated and reinforced.
Low
30 minutes
Low/Medium
75 minutes
RACE AND ETHNICITY
Program
Purpose
Privilege Walk –
Race
This exercise encourages participants to become critical of their personal privileges associated with race.
The purpose of this activity is to demonstrate how social identifiers that are out of participants’ control
have affected their privilege and the rights of members of their community.
Risk Level
Medium
Time
Commitment
75 minutes
RELIGION AND SPIRITUALITY
Program
Common
Ground –
Religion
Interfaith Four
Squares
Institutional and
Cultural “Web”
of Religious
Oppression
Purpose
The purpose of this activity is to gain awareness of the different religious experiences and traditions that
are represented by the participants in the room. It begins to establish a more personal framework for
discussions of advantaged and targeted religious groups in the U.S.
The purpose of this activity is to increase participants’ basic knowledge of religions that may be unfamiliar
to them. This activity enables participants to identify missing information and suggests ways that they can
learn about different religions.
The purpose of this activity is to consider the institutional and cultural means of religious oppression in
the United States. Participants will create a physical representation of the inter-relationships of
institutional religious oppression and discuss its significance.
Risk Level
Medium
Time
Commitment
30 minutes
Low
30-45 minutes
Low
20-30 minutes
Risk Level
High
Time
Commitment
45-60 minutes
Med-High
45-60 minutes
SEXUAL ORIENTATION
Program
A Different Life
LGBTQ Clue
Purpose
This activity allows participants to go through a simulation that will help them understand some of the
challenges LGBTQ individuals may face as their identity is revealed to others.
This activity allows students to understand stereotypes associated with the LGBTQ community and the
harm they manifest.