Sophie Miles

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Perception of a privilege walk activity and its impact on pharmacy students’ views on social justice in a service learning elective: a pilot study Sabrina Anne Jacob, PhD1, Uma D. Palanisamy, PhD2, Carole Mei Choo Chung, Masters in Counselling3

1 School of Pharmacy, Monash University Malaysia, Bandar Sunway, Selangor, Malaysia 2 Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine & Health Sciences, Monash University Malaysia, Bandar Sunway, Selangor, Malaysia 3 Counselling Services, Monash University Malaysia, Bandar Sunway, Selangor, Malaysia

Abstract

Background: There is a need for students involved in service learning units to be aware of their own positions of privilege so as to help them understand the contributing factors in systems of inequality. Aim: To explore pharmacy students’ perceptions of a Privilege Walk Activity (PWA) and its impact on their views on social justice. Method: A cross-sectional pilot study was conducted involving undergraduate Bachelor of Pharmacy students enrolled in a service learning unit. The survey was administered at the end of a PWA and was made up of nine Likert-style questions and three open- ended questions. Results: 18 out of 23 students responded (78.3%). More than 60% of students agreed that the activity provided them with some insight about the different privileges people had growing up, while approximately 80% claimed that the PWA would help in their communication and interaction with those being served by the NGOs to which they will be attached as part of undertaking the ser- vice learning unit. From the qualitative analysis, four main themes emerged: preconceived notions, expressions of gratitude, effect of PWA on self-reflection, and impact of PWA on approach to service learning. Students expressed shock to discover differences in privilege among their peers. A number of students felt the session made them more reflective, and taught them to be non-judgmen- tal when dealing with the underprivileged. Conclusion: The PWA managed to raise an awareness in the students of the imbalances in privilege. Findings can be used to encourage the incorporation of more theoretical content on issues of social justice within service learning units.

Keywords: service learning, privilege walk, community engagement, social justice, pharmacy education.

INTRODUCTION

Service-learning programs are increasingly adopted in medical education curricula as they have been shown to develop skills beyond those usually acquired in the classroom, such as communication, empathy and profes- sionalism – skills which have much bearing on students’ future careers as health professionals.1,2 The traditional service learning approach has largely adopted the char- ity model, without much thought to the structural fac- tors that perpetuate situations of inequality. Thus the charity model is criticised for being patronising, and a form of forced-volunteerism. In fact it only serves to

sustain the currently existing hierarchical relationship between those serving and those being served, perpetu- ating the state of inequitable social distribution.3

It was noted by Mitchell4 that without deeper reflec- tion and examination of the root causes of social imbal- ance, service learning programs seem to provide no benefit beyond making students feel good about them- selves. As such there is currently a move toward critical service learning or the change model, which seeks to remove the inequalities that create the circumstances of need, ultimately removing the need for service alto- gether. As an example of the difference between the two approaches, where a service learning approach might encourage students to conduct fundraising activities for the poor, the social awareness approach urges students to scrutinise the political and economic decisions that created these social imbalances to begin with.4

Address for correspondence: Sabrina Anne Jacob, School of Phar- macy, Monash University Malaysia, Jalan Lagoon Selatan, 47500 Bandar Sunway, Selangor, Malaysia E-mail: [email protected]

Official Journal of the Society of Hospital Pharmacists of Australia

The first step toward adopting this approach is to have a discussion about privilege and oppression. The issue of privilege arises where certain parties or groups are denied things which are of value because of the group to which they belong.5 Students involved in ser- vice learning programs are generally from more privi- leged backgrounds compared to the communities they serve, creating an asymmetrical relationship between the students and the communities they are serving.6 Often, coming from a state of privilege has led students to adopt an us–them mentality, and form negative stereo- types of the communities they serve. Indeed the ‘who is to blame’ mindset is pervasive among those doing the ‘serving’, assuming that the entire situation of those ‘served’ was predetermined by their socioeconomic background, race, gender and so on. These preconceived notions may then interfere with their interactions with the populations served by these organisations.7

A study by Chiznik et al. discovered that there is a connection between how students view themselves and how they view others, in that if students have a simplis- tic view of themselves, they would apply the same understanding to others.7 Thus it is imperative for stu- dents to critically reflect on having advantages simply because of the group to which they belong, i.e. the privi- leged group,8 so that they are cognisant of structural factors that are present in situations of inequality and do not attribute the inequalities to behavioural, personal or psychological problems.9,10

Students should not be blinded to the current status quo and view it as acceptable or the norm, but instead realise it is a problem and question it,4 and only by first acknowledging their own state of privilege will they be able to tackle the current systems of inequality.8 As noted by Green, a thorough examination of, and discussion about issues that bring about privilege, such as race or class, are essential in order to avoid further perpetuating the states of imbalance, that created the need for service learning to begin with.11 This has been echoed by others who support discussions on privilege being front and centre.12,13

This situation is particularly relevant to students enrolled in a Community Engagement Elective (CEE) unit, which is offered to year 3 undergraduate phar- macy students in a local private university, where stu- dents are attached to various non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and undertake activities such as fundraising, and giving health-related talks. Further details on this unit can be found elsewhere.14 In this CEE unit, there is little diversity in race and social class, and most students come from middle- to high-income backgrounds. The majority of students have also never had any personal experience with oppression and

inequality, and have never been exposed to underprivi- leged communities. This can prove disastrous as when faced with issues of privilege for the first time, students feel uncomfortable, out of their element, and experience periods of disequilibrium,3 often displaying feelings of guilt, anger and shame. This can then impede effective engagement with the organisations to which they are attached,11 and as such it is equally important to iden- tify and address any negative emotions students may feel with regard to privilege and oppression, as this will help students to engage more effectively.

We thus conducted a Privilege Walk Activity (PWA),9

with the purpose of bringing about an awareness of privilege and enabling students to realise that privilege and oppression interlock, and that both have most likely affected each student in one way or another, both posi- tively and negatively. This activity, introduced by McIn- tosh,15 is significant as it encourages each student to not only understand, but also realise their own positionality in terms of privilege and oppression.7

It has been suggested that learning is enhanced when the educators and students share intersubjectivity,7 and this can only be achieved if educators understand and address students’ preconceived notions about privilege and oppression, to maintain ongoing conversation and facilitate learning.8 Otherwise, social interaction can break down and lead to resistance. Thus the aim of the study is to investigate students’ perceptions of the PWA and its impact on their views on social justice. Feedback obtained here can be used to examine students’ precon- ceived notions about social justice issues to identify bet- ter ways to boost learning and mitigate resistance.

METHODS

Study Design and Subjects

This was a cross-sectional pilot study involving under- graduate Bachelor of Pharmacy students enrolled in the CEE unit in a private university. There was a total of 23 students enrolled in the unit.

Procedure

Participants were each given a card which detailed the purpose and expected learning outcomes of the PWA (Appendix 1), and were asked to stand shoulder-to- shoulder along a starting line. Then, as 20 ‘privilege statements’ were read out one by one, the students each stepped forward or backward according to the privi- leges they had received or lacked as they were growing up. If a statement was not relevant to a participant or, for their own reasons, a participant did not wish to

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respond, they were to remain standing still. At the end of the PWA, participants shared their reflections as the facilitator asked a series of questions (Appendix 2).

Survey of Impact of PWA

Upon completion of the activity, a verbal explanation was provided to students about the rationale for the study, what would be required of participants, the vol- untary nature of participation, and the assurance that non-participation would not result in any form of dis- favour. In addition, participants were assured of their confidentiality. Voluntary sampling was used and con- senting students were invited to complete an online sur- vey immediately after the activity, which was accessible for one month.

Study Instrument

The questionnaire was adapted from a study by Young16 and edited to suit the objectives of the CEE. Face and content validity were performed involving experts in the field of medical and pharmacy education, service learning and survey design, utilising a three- round Delphi method. Nine of the questions employed a five-point Likert scale response, while the following three open-ended questions were asked at the end of the questionnaire:

1 Which of the statements did you find most mean- ingful or ‘eye-opening’? Why?

2 What thoughts were going through your mind as you moved forward or backward?

3 How might knowing about power and privilege affect your approach to your service learning elective?

Ethics

Approval for the study was given by the Monash University Human Ethics Committee (CF15/2861- 2015001178).

Statistical Analysis

Data were analysed using Microsoft Excel 2013, and presented using descriptive statistics. Continuous vari- ables were expressed by median with interquartile range displayed, whereas categorical/nominal data were pre- sented using frequency and percentage. Response options of a five-point Likert scale were assigned ‘Strongly agree’ (5) to ‘Strongly disagree’ (1). For open- ended questions, responses were analysed using content analysis, and common themes were highlighted.

RESULTS

A total of 18 out of 23 students responded (78.3%). There were 15 (83.3%) women and the average age of respondents was 21.5 (�0.62) years with a range of 21– 23 years. All students were of Malaysian Chinese ethnic- ity except for one who was of Malay ethnicity. Table 1 illustrates the median ratings of students in response to the PWA. More than 60% of students strongly agreed that the activity provided them with some insight about the different privileges people had growing up. How- ever, approximately 20% of students indicated that they did not feel comfortable sharing their opinion and expe- riences about privilege. Nonetheless, approximately 80% claimed that the PWA helped them realise the effects of privilege and that it would help in their communication and interaction with those being served by the NGOs to which they will be attached.

Four main themes emerged from the qualitative analy- sis. Statements here are presented verbatim, except where explanations or grammatical corrections are warranted.

Preconceived Notions

Some students expressed shock that their own peers came from families where their parents had to work day and night to support the family, or had single parents.

Table 1 Overall response of students

Statements Median (interquartile range)

I learned more about myself in relation to the issue of privilege and race

4 (0)

The Privilege Walk Activity challenged me 4 (0) The Privilege Walk Activity provided me with some insight about the different privileges people had growing up

5 (1)

I was comfortable sharing my opinion and experiences about privilege

4 (0.75)

The Privilege Walk Activity helped me to realise the effects of privilege

4 (0)

I am not ashamed about the privileges I had or did not have growing up

5 (1)

I am more likely to appreciate the different types of privileges granted to me because of my experience in this exercise

5 (1)

The Privilege Walk Activity helped change my views on who is to blame for social inequalities

4 (1)

What I learned from the Privilege Walk Activity will help in my communication and interaction with those served by the non-governmental association I will be attached to

4 (0.75)

Privilege walk activity in a service learning elective 451

‘That statement on “being raised in a single parent family” because I always thought it was a social issue and I never thought that some of my peers have experienced it.’(#8)

‘To know that there are people coming from single-parent families. It did not occur to me that people around me come from such a background. This further proves that one’s background does not define a person!’(#4)

With regard to thoughts that were going through their minds as they moved forward or backward, a few expressed nervousness, shock and surprise to see their friends moving to different lines.

‘I am surprised that some people moved forward or backward which was not my expectation.’(#7)

Feelings of Gratitude

Two students felt that being on different lines did not justify any special privileges to anyone, and that every- one should be on the same line as they are all the same. On the other hand, many expressed gratitude as it made them appreciate the privileges they had.

‘I am really thankful for what I have and I am determined to give back to the community.’(#6)

‘I’m lucky to have my parents even though I’m not as privileged as others.’(#10)

‘Parents working days and nights to raise the family. It reminds me of the effort they’ve put in to cater for me having just enough, and also providing the comfortable life I have today.’(#14)

Effect of PWA on Self-reflection

Students felt the session made them more reflective and encouraged them to adopt a more optimistic approach to life, in spite of their circumstances.

‘At first, it (moving forward or backward) was as though it was just to answer questions. In the middle part of the questions, it occurred to me that moving forward was when you have certain privileges and moving back- wards was because you had to sacrifice certain things or had less comfort than others. Toward the end, it was just lines to remind you of what you had in life and that you should not assume everyone has the same things as you do. It taught me to reflect and be more selfless.’(#13)

Having obtained the knowledge of struggles faced by others also made participants realise the need to be more tolerant, instead of complaining and blaming others.

‘As I moved forward, I felt grateful yet embarrassed. This was because it made me realise how blessed I am given the privileges and yet, I still whine or rant about petty things.’(#4)

It also made students realise that it is up to them to decide who or what they want to make of themselves.

“So I think what determines your future is not solely your background but more importantly the decisions you have made.”(#7)

Impact of PWA on Approach to Service Learning

On the final question about how an awareness of power and privilege might affect their approach to their service learning elective, students mainly commented that it taught them to be non-judgmental when dealing with these populations.

‘Everyone has their own story and background. Never judge someone who has lower privileges. I’ll treat everyone with dignity and respect.’(#10)

‘It will affect strongly how I interact with the people I meet. It taught me to be humble again. As we grow up and especially socialising with people in private universi- ties, I tend to forget how hard it was for my parents and also that others have less luxury in theirs. I will treat them without any of the judgemental thoughts or stigma that society has about them, and not be fearful of mixing with certain groups in the community due to their different traits.’(#13)

Students claimed they felt more encouraged to serve the less privileged after the activity and now viewed the service learning elective as an opportunity to grow as a person. They also expressed the fact that being aware of the differences in power and privilege would encourage them to be more respectful, considerate and sensitive during their attachments.

‘It taught me to be more sensitive to others especially with NGOs that consist of less privileged children/ women/families.’(#4)

‘I learnt that we should be more open minded and considerate about others in the community as each mem- ber of the community we live in may have come from very different backgrounds and have had to face their own challenges in life.’(#5)

A student also commented that it helped embed in their minds the notion that everyone should be treated equally, irrespective of social status and to treat others as how one would like to be treated.

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‘Be grateful and treat the people equally even though they might be underprivileged.’(#7)

DISCUSSION

Introducing social justice into pharmacy healthcare edu- cation not only produces competent professionals, but hopefully individuals who are aware of access and equity issues, and are also motivated to institute societal change. O’Connell and co-workers addressed the importance of incorporating patient-centred, culturally sensitive health- care knowledge and skills into the pharmacy curricu- lum.17 They have highlighted the need to include topics such as health disparities, social justice, disabilities, reli- gion and sexual orientation. Educators have faced myriad challenges when incorporating the topic of privilege into a curriculum,9,18,19 thus community engagement or ser- vice learning may be an ideal pedagogical model for stu- dents to gain a learning experience on social justice.

In our study, the majority of students agreed that they had learnt more about themselves in relation to privilege, and that the activity had challenged them and helped them realise the effects of privilege. Most stu- dents said that they were not ashamed of the privileges they had, and believed that the PWA activity would help in their communication and interaction with the community they would be serving during their CEE. Students reflected on their individual unearned privilege in society, and some expressed feelings of guilt, thank- fulness, sadness or empathy. Such responses are said to commonly occur when students are introduced to learn- ing about privilege.9,20 Thus this study serves to demon- strate that having a single class session on privilege can bring about an awareness in pharmacy students of their own personal privileges. Such an activity, prior to their service learning elective, will hopefully alter perceptions from a ‘who is to blame’ mindset and transcend to a better understanding of social power.

Ferber and Storrs21 observed that when teaching stu- dents about race and gender privileges, strong emotional reactions were observed. It is thus crucial that educators acknowledge and validate the feelings evoked within stu- dents and have them reflect on inequities present in soci- ety. It is important to communicate that it is not their fault that inequities exist, but that awareness of inequality is the basis for responsibility and of potential change.22 Plac- ing them in their CEE with organisations that support social change is the next step on this ongoing journey.

Less than a quarter (22.3%) of the students felt uncomfortable sharing their opinions and experiences about the PWA, and indicated that the activity did not help change their views on who is to blame for social

inequalities. Such responses may indicate denial or resis- tance, and is not unexpected from a portion of the par- ticipants.9,23 It could also reflect that some students already have prior understanding of privilege and its consequences. The PWA facilitator must attempt to cre- ate an environment so students openly and honestly express themselves without fear of censure or judge- ment. The atmosphere has to be one of mutual respect, understanding and empathy.24 Another way to reduce such discomfort is to work in smaller groups, which might enhance the feeling of safety.20 Yet another approach is to preempt such responses by saying upfront that feelings of discomfort, denial and resistance are perfectly normal and acceptable, and are often the precursors to understanding and growth.23

Limitations

This study is limited by the small number of partici- pants, and the lack of a control group. Due to the homogenous nature of the participants, findings may not represent the general undergraduate population in Malaysia or other countries. In addition, since this was an online survey we were unable to further probe stu- dents based on responses to the open-ended questions.

CONCLUSION

The PWA managed to raise in participants an awareness of privilege, and an ability to empathise with others. Reminding students often that this is only the beginning of their social consciousness and activism can motivate them to find their own avenues and niches along this path. This will then hopefully translate to future phar- macists who are eager to step away from behind the counter and out of their lab-coats, and become agents of positive societal change.

Conflict of interests statement

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interests.

SOURCE OF FUNDING

No funding received.

REFERENCES

1 Speedie MK, Baldwin JN, Carter RA, Raehl CL, Yanchick VA, Maine LL. Cultivating ‘Habits of Mind’ in the scholarly pharmacy

Privilege walk activity in a service learning elective 453

clinician: report of the 2011–12 Argus commission. Am J Pharm Educ 2012; 76: S3.

2 Vogelgesang LJ, Astin AW. Comparing the effects of community service and service-learning. Michigan J Commun Serv Learn 2000; 7: 25–34.

3 Wang Y, Rodgers R. Impact of service-learning and social justice education on college students’ cognitive development. J Student Affairs Res Pract 2006; 43: 518–39.

4 Mitchell TD. Traditional vs. critical service-learning: engaging the literature to differentiate two models. Michigan J Commun Serv Learn 2008; 14: 50–65.

5 Johnson AG. Privilege, power, and difference. Mountain View: C A McGraw Hill; 2001.

6 Camacho MM. Power and privilege: community service learning in Tijuana. Michigan J Commun Serv Learn 2004; 10: 31–42.

7 Chizhik EW, Chizhik AW. Are you privileged or oppressed? Students’ conceptions of themselves and others. Urban Ed 2005; 40: 116–43.

8 Catlett BS, Proweller A. College students’ negotiation of privilege in a community-based violence prevention project. Michigan J Commun Serv Learn 2011; 18: 34–48.

9 Samuels DR, Abby LF, Herrera AOR. Introducing the concepts of oppression & privilege into the classroom. Race Gender Class 2003; 10: 5–21.

10 Hollis SA. Capturing the experience: transforming community service into service learning. Teaching Sociol 2002; 30: 200–13.

11 Green AE. “But You Aren’t White:” racial perceptions and service- learning. Michigan J Commun Serv Learn 2001; 8: 18–26.

12 Roschelle AR, Turpin J, Elias R. Who learns from service learning? Am Behav Sci 2000; 43: 839–47.

13 Rosenberger CM. Beyond empathy: developing critical consciousness through service learning. In: O’Grady CR, editor. Integrating service learning and multicultural education in colleges and universities. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates; 2000. p. 23–43.

14 Khan TM, Jacob SA. Service learning for pharmacy students: experience of a home-grown Community Engagement Elective unit. J Pharm Pract Res 2015; 45(3): 314–17.

15 McIntosh P. White privilege: unpacking the invisible knapsack. In: Rothenberg PS, editor. Race, class & gender in the United States: an integrated study. New York: Worth Publishers; 2007. p. 177–82.

16 Young TJ. The Privilege Walk Workshop: Learning More about Privilege in Today’s Society; 2006. Available from: <www.colle gesuccess1.com/instructormanual4thed/. . ./theprivilegewalkexerc ise.doc> Accessed 30 July 2015.

17 American College of Clinical Pharmacology, O’Connell MB, Rodriguez de Bittner M, Poirier T, Karaoui LR, Echeverri M, et al. Cultural competency in health care and its implications for pharmacy part 3A: emphasis on pharmacy education, curriculums, and future directions. Pharmacotherapy 2013; 33: e347.

18 Abrams LS, Gibson P. Teaching notes: reframing multicultural education: teaching white privilege in the social work curriculum. J Social Work Ed 2007; 43: 147–60.

19 Witten NA, Maskarinec GG. Privilege as a social determinant of health in medical education: a single class session can change privilege perspective. Hawai’i J Med Public Health 2015; 74: 297–301.

20 Montgomery K. Pedagogy and privilege: the challenges and possibilities of teaching critically about racism. Crit Ed 2013; 4: 1–22.

21 Ferber AL, Storrs D. Race and representation: students of color in the multicultural classroom. In: Goebel BA, Hall JC, editors. Race

and representation: students of color in the multicultural classroom teaching a “New Canon”? students, teachers, and texts in the college literature classroom. Illinois: National Council of Teachers of English; 1995. p. 32–47.

22 Redman R, Clark L. Service-learning as a model for integrating social justice in the nursing curriculum. J Nurs Educ 2002; 41: 446–9.

23 Ferber A. Bringing students into the matrix: a framework and tools for teaching race and overcoming student resistance. In: Haltinner K, editor. Teaching race and anti-racism in contemporary America. Netherlands: Springer; 2014. p. 141–55.

24 Barrett BJ. Is “safety” dangerous? A critical examination of the classroom as safe space Can J Scholarship Teach Learn 2010; 1: Article 9.

Received: 22 June 2016 Revised version received: 28 November 2016 Accepted: 12 December 2016

APPENDIX 1

Hand-out card to students

• Purpose

o This activity – The Privilege Walk – has been designed to:

■ provide participants with an opportunity to understand the intricacies of privilege

■ explore the ways that we enjoy privileges based on being members of social identity groups in Malaysia.

o Please note that this exercise is not meant to make anyone feel guilty or ashamed of her or his privilege or lack of privilege related to any social identity categories.

o Rather, the exercise seeks to highlight the fact that everyone has SOME privilege, even while some people have more privilege than others.

o By illuminating our various privileges as indi- viduals, we can recognise ways that we can use our privileges individually and collec- tively to work for social justice.

o The purpose is not to blame anyone for hav- ing more power or privilege or for receiving more help in achieving goals, but to have an opportunity to identify both obstacles and benefits experienced in our life.

• Learning outcomes

o After participating in this activity, participants will be able to recognise the inequalities that exist in society, especially relating to social class.

454 S. A. Jacob et al.

http://www.collegesuccess1.com/instructormanual4thed/%e2%80%a6/theprivilegewalkexercise.doc

o It will help participants to acknowledge their privileges, contextualise their own experiences and learn about their peers.

o Through the final discussion and processing, participants will be able to apply this activity to their lives to support social awareness.

• This is an activity that may trigger certain emo- tions.

APPENDIX 2

A step-by-step guide to conducting the Privilege Walk Activity

SET UP

An open space big enough for participants to stand shoulder to shoulder was prepared with horizontal grid lines - a ‘Start’ line with 10 lines ahead of it and 10 lines to the back. The lines were placed one stride (approxi- mately 0.75 m) apart.

INTRODUCTION

Participants were each given a card to read that had on it the Purpose of the Privilege Walk and the expected Learning Outcomes (refer to Appendix 1). They were cau- tioned that the activity could trigger certain emotions.

LEARNING COMMUNITY GUIDELINES

In order to create a safe learning environment given that participants would be revealing personal details about themselves during the activity, participants were exhorted to keep everything revealed during the activity confidential, reminded not to speculate on why a partic- ipant made a particular move, and asked to silence all mobile phones and distractions.

INSTRUCTIONS

Participants were invited to stand shoulder to shoulder at the ‘Start’ line, and instructed to hold hands. They were asked to remain holding hands until this was no longer possible because they were too far apart. They

were urged to listen carefully as the facilitator read out a series of statements, and maintain silence throughout the exercise. For each statement, participants were to take a step forward or backwards as appropriate. If a statement was not relevant to a participant or, for his or her own reasons, a participant did not wish to respond, he/she was to remain standing still. After each state- ment, participants were asked to take a few seconds to look around the group and silently note where the other participants were.

STATEMENTS

The 20 statements used were (in order):

1 If you feel good about how your identified cul- ture is portrayed by the media and textbooks, take one step forward.

2 If you feel the future in this country is secure for a member of your culture, ethnic group, gender or sexual orientation, take one step forward.

3 If your school was conducted in a language that was not your first language, take one step back.

4 If you did not have to have a job to contribute to the family finances, take one step forward.

5 If you ever had to rely primarily on public trans- portation, take one step back.

6 If your family takes vacations out of the country, take a step forward.

7 If English is your first language, take one step forward.

8 If you have been divorced or impacted by divorce, take one step backward.

9 If you come from a loving and supportive family environment, take one step forward.

10 If either of your parents graduated from univer- sity, take one step forward.

11 If you have visible or invisible disabilities that have prevented you from doing something you wanted, take one step backward. (Examples of ‘invisible disabilities’ could be physical illnesses like asthma or osteoarthritis, or mental illnesses like bipolar disorder or depression and anxiety.)

12 If you have been bullied or made fun of based on something you cannot change (e.g. your gender, ethnicity, age or sexual orientation), take one step backward.

13 If you have ever felt passed over for a position or benefit based on your gender, ethnicity, age or sexual orientation, take one step backward. (Examples of ‘position or benefit’ could be a scholarship or a place in university.)

Privilege walk activity in a service learning elective 455

14 If you were ever uncomfortable about a joke or statement you overheard related to your race, ethnicity, gender, appearance or sexual orienta- tion but felt unsafe to confront the situation, take one step backward.

15 If you took out loans for your education, take one step backward.

16 If your parents work night and day to support your family, take one step backward.

17 If you were embarrassed by your clothes or house while growing up, take one step backward.

18 If you can buy new clothes or go out to dinner when you want to, take one step forward.

19 If you were raised in a single-parent household, take one step backward.

20 If you have ever had a maid, gardener, or clean- ing service, take one step forward.

PROCESSING

At the end of the PWA, participants were thanked for their cooperation and asked to remain standing where they were. They were asked to think of just one word that captured how they felt right at that moment, and invited to share that word with the group as a microphone was passed around. The facilitator reminded them that there were no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ answers, nor ‘correct’ or ‘incor- rect’ feelings. If for whatever reason, a participant did not wish to share, he or she could just say ‘Pass’. Participants were reminded once again not to speculate on why any participant might wish to share or pass. Those who wanted to elaborate on their feelings were then given the opportunity to do so, and thanked for their sharing. The rest of the processing was carried out with participants seated in a circle, and sharing their reflections one by one (or ‘passing’ if they did not wish to share) as the facilitator asked the following questions:

1 How did it feel to be on the ‘back’ side of the line? 2 How did it feel to be on the ‘front’ side of the

line? 3 Did anything surprise you? 4 Were certain sentences more impactful than

others? Which ones? 5 What have you learned from this activity? 6 Has this activity changed your perspective of

others? How?

CONCLUSION OF ACTIVITY

The facilitator concluded the activity by reading out the following paragraph:

It is important for us to recognise that everyone has a unique experience in life. There are some people who have been more privileged than you and some that have been less privileged. By recog- nising this fact, we are able to avoid judging others. We can also see what privileges society has given us, or what we have overcome to be where we are. It is important to be grateful for the experiences that have been given to us, but to also recognise the societal structures that may have contributed to these. Although it is important not to talk about the specific experiences that were shared in this group after this activity, talking about what you learned is the key to helping to make a change in society.

REMINDER OF CONFIDENTIALITY

Before dispersal, participants were once again reminded that everything that was shared or discussed was to remain strictly confidential.

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