Privilege Power-up: From Awareness to Action
Symbol: Seminar group (Photo: Steffen Walther and Jan Bernert)
Time required:
Option1: 3 hours
Option 2: 5 hours with a small break (with an additional element of extended creative input and additional time for all groups to take part in the exercises, with a deeper look into the concepts)
Age group: from 16 years on
Previous knowledge: none
Background
The workshop offers a self-reflective and participatory approach, encouraging attendees to critically examine different identities and their intersecting experiences of privilege and discrimination. Through problem-solving activities and group discussions, participants explore the complexities of identity and intersectionality, gaining a deeper understanding of systemic discrimination and privilege dynamics.
The workshop fosters empathy towards underprivileged groups by facilitating meaningful interactions and storytelling sessions highlighting marginalised voices and experiences. Moreover, it aims to cover new tools and strategies for young people to leverage their privilege to advocate for and support their underprivileged peers.
By the end of the workshop, youth emerge empowered with an enhanced level of knowledge and skill to challenge injustice, promote equity, and actively contribute to positive social change within their sphere of influence. The workshop aims to set the basis for young people to develop an attitude of allyship in their everyday lives.
Aims
Understanding/gaining consciousness about privilege and leveraging its power, as well as empowering youth through valuable tools to use.
Guiding questions: Who am I in relation to others? What is privilege? In which contexts am I (not) privileged; where and when do I hold power? (Where does my privilege intersect with someone else’s oppression?)
Proceure
Approaches and Methods:
- addressing different dimensions of identity and its intertwining with relationships, socio-cultural systems, power structures
- reflecting on contexts in which one feels more or less belonging to a dominant group and more or less powerful
- empathy-building exercise: change of perspective by working with representing chosen personas and, through their perspective, experiment dealing with real-life challenges and find solutions as a group, according to the privileges & burdens we carry
- working out strategies for confronting discrimination, for example, through leveraging one’s privileges
Notes
This workshop can be held in German or English.
Enquiry educational offer
*mandatory fields
To enquire about or book educational offers without obligation, please fill out the following form with all the information you can already provide. We do not charge a fee for the placement. If you have any questions or technical challenges, please contact us by email via workshops@ejbweimar.de.