Name of Activity: Cultural Capital Questionnaire (Classism)

Instructional Purpose Category: Exploring privilege

Instructional Purpose: To help participants understand how our personal/familial culture and cultural assets intersect with class, class privilege, and class inequality.

Learning Outcomes: After this activity, participants will …

• Have a more in-depth understanding of what cultural capital means
• Be able to describe examples of cultural capital that they have and don’t have (e.g. situations that are familiar/unfamiliar, social norms with which they are skilled/unskilled, information they know/don’t know)
• Be able to describe some examples of cultural capital common to different class groups
• Be able to describe how cultural capital comes up in cross-class situations, and identify how this is similar and different depending on the relative status of different people in the situation
• Begin to identify how cultural capital can translate into social capital and/or material capital, and how that works differently for the cultural capital of different class groups (i.e. higher status cultural capital translates into more material capital, and into social capital that can in turn translate into more material capital and/or political power; lower status cultural capital also translates into material capital, but at a smaller scale, and into social capital, but of a more limited scope).

Time Needed: 30-45 Minutes

Materials Needed: Cultural Capital Questionnaire Handout

Degree of Risk: Low

Procedure:

1. Review definition of cultural capital (see chapter Glossary). Remind participants that some forms of cultural capital are official and recognized with documentation (e.g. a degree or certification), while other forms are subtler and often go unnoticed. Some examples of the latter forms of cultural capital are familiarity with areas of knowledge that are not necessarily taught in formal education (such as finances, consumer goods, and leisure activities), and familiarity with the social expectations and norms for different kinds of situations.
2. Explain that the Cultural Capital Questionnaire asks about participants’ familiarity with a variety of topics and situations. By “familiarity” it doesn’t necessarily mean that you have direct personal experience with the topic or context in question. It could mean that you are familiar with it because someone in your family has direct experience, or because you learned about it in some other way. But it is asking about familiarity rather than knowledge - in other words, not whether you know some things about the topic abstractly, but whether it feels like something that’s a normal part of your world, not new to you. With the questions about being in a particular situation, you might think about, if you found yourself in that situation, would you feel confident that you know what to do and how to behave, or would you feel uncomfortable or intimidated or confused?
3. Assure participants that there are no right or wrong answers, and explain that the group will discuss issues that come up after everyone has completed their questionnaire.
4. Distribute Cultural Capital Questionnaire and explain instructions (also printed on the questionnaire).
5. After participants have completed the questionnaire, put them in groups of three to discuss the following (about 10 minutes). (Groups could be mixed-class, roughly same-class, or random. Mixed-class groups should be used only in groups with pretty high levels of trust and comfort. If you’re not sure which kind of grouping will work best, one option is to make it the participants’ choice. Acknowledge that the conversation might be uncomfortable, and encourage participants to consider what kind of group will allow them to be more honest and reflective, before self-selecting people to discuss with.)
• What did you notice in completing the questionnaire? What came up for you?
• Are there items that are completely unfamiliar to you?
• Thinking about the situations that you marked as being unfamiliar, which are unfamiliar because they are situations associated with higher-status groups (compared to your own class background), and which are unfamiliar because they are associated with lower-status groups? How does it feel different to be in cross-class situations in which you are relatively privileged as opposed to those in which you are relatively less privileged? How does it feel similar to be in cross-class situations no matter whether you are relatively privileged as opposed to those in which you are relatively less privileged?
6. After about 10 minutes (or more if you have time and the group wants it), return to the whole group and lead a debriefing discussion using questions like:
• What came up in your small group that you’d like to share with the whole group?
• What (if any) questions do you have for other groups, or for people with class backgrounds different from yours? (Note this does not mean other groups have to answer.)
• How does your familiarity with some situations/topics, and lack of familiarity with others, come up in your life? How does it affect what spaces you have access to? How does it affect how you come across to others?
• Thinking about how cultural capital works more broadly (not just in participants’ specific experiences), how do differences in cultural capital translate into differential access to social spheres and/or material resources?
• Thinking about cultural capital of different class groups, how do different sets of cultural capital work similarly, and how do they work differently, in terms of giving access to social spheres and/or material resources?

Facilitation Notes:

The cultural capital questionnaire can be adapted to work for the needs of a particular group, including the range of class, race, and gender identities, ages/generations and work experiences, region, etc.

Some of the items in the questionnaire highlight a gray area between class culture and cultural capital. These items represent examples of class culture and class experience that sometimes (but not always) translate into material and/or social capital (making them part of cultural capital). For example, performing maintenance on one’s dwelling could be described as an element of class culture insofar as it is the norm in some class groups and not others to do this kind of work for oneself - not only because of financial constraints but also because doing for oneself is a value in those groups’ cultures. It might become cultural capital insofar as it either a) translates into material capital, by saving money that would otherwise be spent hiring a professional, or b) translates into social capital by allowing one to meet the expectations of adulthood within the norms of a particular social group (by class, gender, and/or other factors), thus giving one a respected status and increased access to the shared resources of that network. In the large group debrief, be sure to bring up these potentially confusing areas and offer opportunities for clarification. The large group debrief is your opportunity to guide participants back to the learning objectives of the activity; notice what comes up in the conversation and adapt your follow-up questions to address the learning objectives.

Recommended Supplementary Materials/Readings for the Instructor or Facilitator:
Bourdieu, P. (1986). The forms of capital. In J. Richardson (Ed.), Handbook of theory and research for the sociology of education (pp. 241–258). New York, NY: Greenwood Press.
Yosso, T. (2006). Whose culture has capital? A critical race theory discussion of community cultural wealth. In A. Dixson & C. Rousseau (Eds). Critical race theory in education: All god’s children got a song. New York, NY: Routledge Taylor & Francis Group

Cultural Capital Questionnaire

On a scale of 1-5, with 1 being very familiar and 5 being very unfamiliar, circle how familiar you feel with the following items. Familiarity could be because you have direct experience, or because people you’re close to have direct experience, or in some cases because you learned about it in school.

Think about your familiarity with the work environments (daily schedule, normal activities/expectations of the job, scheduling, etc.) for people in the following professions. Circle the 3-5 with which you are most familiar.
plumbers
electricians
Lawyers
nurses’ aides
nurses
doctors
teachers
professors
politicians
lawyers
engineers
police officers
social workers
investment bankers
artists
clergy members
retail workers
factory workers
road service workers
commercial cooks
wait staff
childcare providers
in-home healthcare providers
agricultural workers
hotel housekeepers
academic researchers

Names of those to credit for this activity: Linda McCarthy, Adapted by Larissa Hopkins & Davey Shlasko

Name: Cultural Capital Brainstorm (Classism) Opt. B

Instructional Purpose Category: Exploring cultural- or societal-level oppression

Instructional Purpose of Activity: To help participants think about: 1) the relationship between cultural capital and class cultures; 2) how opportunities can be affected by our cultural capital and class position, and 3) to help participants better locate their class category or position.

Learning Outcomes:
-Participants will be able to locate themselves more accurately in terms of class position
-Participants will develop a better understanding of the cultural capital associated with different class cultures and groups
-Participants will identify how differences in cultural capital can affect opportunities and access to resources

Time Needed: 60 minutes

Materials Needed: markers, newsprint/easel paper, tape, class category question prompts, definition of cultural capital

Degree of Risk: medium

Procedure:

1. Review definition of cultural capital, and remind participants that cultural capital is not solely quantitative – there are different kinds of cultural capital that attach to different class cultures and positions.
2. The facilitators select 3 or 4 different class categories to focus on during the activity. The class categories can be fairly general (e.g. “chronic poverty class,” “working class,” “professional middle class,” “owning class”) or can be more specific to the region or context of the group. For example, in an agricultural area, it might make sense to focus on categories like “migrant and hourly agricultural workers,” “non-migrant, salaried agricultural workers, including managers” and “non-agriculture professionals.” In any case, facilitators should make it clear that the categories are not meant to be exhaustive.
3. Divide participants randomly into small groups, and assign each group to a category. The groups should be generated randomly so that there is a good chance that at least some participants will be brainstorming about cultural capital with which they are unfamiliar. Provide each group with a marker and two pieces of newsprint/easel paper. Ask the groups to brainstorm examples of cultural capital that would be relevant to their class category. Participants should generate a list of responses to questions about their assigned class category such as those listed below:

-What do people in this group know?

-What do people in this group know about?

-What do people in this group find familiar and comfortable, in the areas of:

·Finances
·Schooling
·Travel/vacation
·Sports and leisure
·Popular media
·Material goods/shopping
·Norms of communication
·Norms of family relationships
·Food ways (what are the staples, what are considered special occasion foods)


4. Ask each group to generate enough ideas to fill up 1-2 sheets of newsprint/easel paper (approximately 15-20 minutes) and then have each group tape their newsprint on an easily accessible wall/surface. After each group has posted their list, have participants review all of the responses for each class category. Invite participants to ask questions as well as add new items to the list (10-15 minutes). Ask participants to return to their seats and silently reflect (in writing, if appropriate) on the following questions (10 minutes):

*The reflection can alternatively be assigned for homework if timing makes this option best

• Of the groups whose cultural capital we brainstormed, which most closely matches your own experience? If more than one group, in which ways?
• How does this align, or not, with the class category you consider yourself to be part of?
• Thinking about your own cultural capital – what do you know, know about, and find familiar and comfortable: In what contexts is it useful to you? How does it sometimes translate into other forms of resources (social capital, material capital)? In what contexts is it not useful?
• Thinking about the cultural capital you don’t have – those things you don’t know, know about, or find familiar or comfortable – in what contexts would this gap in cultural capital be a liability? What opportunities or resources might you miss out on? How would that happen?
• What does all that make you think and feel about the class system and your role in it?
5. Discussion (at least 15 minutes): When completing the reflection activity together in the workshop/class session, conclude by bringing the group back together to share reflections/insights. If completing the reflection as homework, schedule the discussion for the next time the group will meet.

Facilitation Notes: Some examples of cultural capital that participants generate may be stereotypical and require a nuanced discussion with the large group. For example, it is a stereotype that working class people are into Nascar, and it is also true that on average familiarity with Nascar is an expected piece of knowledge in some working class communities, while it is rarely an expected piece of knowledge in professional/managerial or owning class communities. It will be useful to remind participants to distinguish between recognizing that something is common within a community or class category versus assuming that it is universal in or definitive of that community or category.

In some cases, all of the participants in a group may be unfamiliar with the class category they are assigned. In that case they will likely generate vaguer (or more stereotypical) responses compared to groups who are closer to the class categories they’re brainstorming about. For example, participants may not be able to list names of elite private high schools, but may still generate the idea that owning class people know about the world of elite private high schools.

Recommended Readings/materials for Students:

Yosso, T. (2006). Whose culture has capital? A critical race theory discussion of community cultural wealth. In A. Dixson & C. Rousseau (Eds). Critical race theory in education: All god’s children got a song. New York, NY: Routledge Taylor & Francis Group.

Recommended Supplementary Materials/Readings for the Instructor or Facilitator:

Bourdieu, P. (1986). The forms of capital. In J. Richardson (Ed.), Handbook of theory and research for the sociology of education (pp. 241–258). New York, NY: Greenwood Press

Name(s) to credit for this activity: Davey Shlasko

Name: Social Capital Activity: Option A: Exploring Your Social Network

Instructional Purpose Category: Exploring privilege

Instructional Purpose: To help participants identify the people in their social network and who they can go to for certain kinds of connections, resources, and advice. To help participants consider how they might like to further expand their social network and to assist participants with recognizing the relationship between one’s cultural capital and social capital.

Learning Outcomes:

• Participants will understand who is in their social network and the ways they can harness their network.
• Participants will have a clearer idea of the ways in which they might like to expand their social network to support their needs and goals.
• Participants will understand how one’s cultural capital can affect one’s social capital.

Time Needed: 30-45 minutes

Materials Needed: Paper, writing utensil, prepared situation prompts

Degree of Risk: Medium

Procedure: 

1. Review the definition of social capital and note that it is not purely quantitative (different kinds of social capital are valuable in different situations).
2. Have participants draw a bubble diagram of their own social networks, something like the example below (the biggest circle represents the participant). The goal is for participants to identify most of the people who they know well enough that those people would be glad to help them out with a connection, resource, advice, etc. Help participants generate a thorough list with questions like (facilitators should tailor to be relevant to the age range and context of participants):
• What work do your parents do? Who are the colleagues that they know well?
• What do your relatives (with whom you have a relationship) do?
• Have you or your family been involved with a religious congregation? Who else is part of that congregation?
• Who are you still in touch with from high school?
• Who are you still in touch with from college?
• Who are you in touch with from former jobs you’ve had?
• What current or former teachers or professors do you have good relationships with?

ADD IMG

3. After participants have generated a thorough network diagram (5-10 minutes), pose situations (relevant to your group) and ask them to reflect on how they would utilize their real networks to help meet the needs that come up in the scenarios. Situations for college students, for example, could include things like:
• You have been offered an unpaid internship in a city in which you have never lived. It’s a great learning and networking opportunity, but you don’t have enough savings to rent an apartment or even a room in that city. You need to find a free place to stay and/or several thousand dollars to live on over the summer.
• You are looking for a summer job that will give you business/office experience and provide some income towards your next year’s living expenses.
• You got caught with drugs at an off-campus party. You need a criminal defense attorney.
• You have a job interview for your dream job. You need an interview suit in a hurry, and you can’t afford to buy a brand new one.
• You are part of a performance art project that is booking a summer tour. You want to find a free performance venue in your hometown.

Depending on the level of trust in the group, this might be best accomplished in pairs or small groups. Before returning to the large group, give people a few minutes to individually (or within their small group) identify what information they are and are not comfortable sharing out in the large group.

4. Conclude with a large group discussion around questions like:
5. What do you notice about how your social capital works in different situations? How is it similar or different within your small group?
6. What has your social capital helped you have access to? What could your social capital help you have access to?
7. How is being connected with you (personally) a part of other people’s social capital? (How do you help people access resources?)
8. Based on your goals and needs, what kinds of social capital would it be really useful for you to have more of? How could you go about building it?
9. What do you do to maintain relationships in your social network?
10. How does cultural capital influence social capital? (How does it make it easier and/or harder for you to develop certain kinds of relationships?)

Facilitation Notes: People often don’t realize how extensive their networks are. It may help to put participants in pairs or small groups to prompt each other to think further about people they may not realize they are connected with. This activity can provide participants with tools to navigate their real class situations by building social capital. Low-income participants might be resistant to the idea of social networking as it can appear self-serving, superficial, and at odds with the ideals of meritocracy. It is helpful to be prepared to deconstruct stereotypical approaches to social networking, to highlight how networks can be built off of the development of genuine and reciprocal relationships, and to discuss how relationships help secure employment with and without meritocratic hiring processes. This activity can become high risk in terms of self-disclosure (and disclosure of aspects of class people may not be very aware of) so participants may need additional support considering what to disclose and/or time to process what they have disclosed.

Recommended Readings/materials for Students:

• “At the Elite Colleges,” Peter Schmidt, selection 30 in RDSJ4
• “Deep Thoughts About Class Privilege,” Karen Pittelman and Resource Generation, selection 42 in RDSJ4
• Villar, E., & Albertin, P. (2010). “It is who you know”: The positions of university students regarding intentional investment in social capital. New York, NY: Routledge Taylor & Francis Group.

Recommended Supplementary Materials/Readings for the Instructor or Facilitator:

• Same as above

Name(s) to credit for this activity: Davey Shlasko and Larissa Hopkins

Name: Social Capital Activity: Option B: Quantifying Your Social Network (this activity can also be combined with the Social Capital Activity: Option A: Exploring Your Social Network

Instructional Purpose Category: Exploring privilege

Instructional Purpose: To help participants identify the people in their social network and who they can go to for certain kinds of connections, resources, and advice. To help participants recognize the relationship between cultural capital, material capital, and social capital, and how class inequality is perpetuated.

Learning Outcomes:

• Participants will understand who is in their social network and the ways they can harness their network.
• Participants will have a clearer idea of the ways they might like to expand their social network to support their needs and goals.
• Participants will understand how one’s cultural capital can affect one’s social capital.
• Participants will understand how different forms of capital can perpetuate class inequality.

Time Needed: 30-45 minutes

Materials Needed: Paper, writing utensil, prepared situation prompts

Degree of Risk: Medium

Procedure:

1. Review the definition of social capital and note that it is not purely quantitative (different kinds of social capital are valuable in different situations).
2. Have participants draw a bubble diagram of their own social networks, something like the example below (the biggest circle represents the participant). The goal is for participants to identify most of the people who they know well enough that those people would be glad to help them out with a connection, resource, advice, etc. Help participants generate a thorough list with questions like (facilitators should tailor to be relevant to the age range and context of participants):
• What work do your parents do? Who are the colleagues that they know well?
• What do your relatives (with whom you have a relationship) do?
• Have you or your family been involved with a religious congregation? Who else is part of that congregation?
• Who are you still in touch with from high school?
• Who are you still in touch with from college?
• Who are you in touch with from former jobs you’ve had?
• What current or former teachers or professors do you have good relationships with?

3. After participants have generated the bubble diagram of their social network, have them assign point values to each person on their chart as follows. (Assign points to each person according to the single highest-point value category they are part of. If a person fits more than one category do not add/combine these points, only count the highest-point value category for this person. For example, a person who is a millionaire and has state-level power is worth 100 points, not 180 points).
• 100 points for everyone with state-level or higher political power (elected and appointed officials, upper managers in state/federal agencies, etc.)
• 100 points for everyone in executive leadership in a company with presence in more than one state (VPs, CEOs, CFOs, etc.)
• 80 points for every millionaire (someone with more than $1M in savings)
• 50 points for everyone who makes $250,000 a year or more
• 45 points for everyone with local political power (mayor, city council member, district attorney, etc.) (In a university environment, high level officials, such as the president or chancellor, vice president, provost, dean of faculty)
• 35 points for the first salaried professional; after that,
• 35 points for each additional salaried professional in a different field,
• 25 points for each salaried professional in a repeat field
• 25 points for every homeowner
• 15 points for everyone who has a spare room guests can stay in
• 10 points for everyone who has skills that can provide you with discounted access to services, e.g. fixing your car, cutting your hair, tailoring your clothes
• 5 points for everyone who could give $100 to a fundraiser
• 2 points for everyone who could give $25 to a fundraiser
• 1 point for every other person
4. Have participants add up their points and then reflect in small groups on questions like:
• What do you notice about who you know (and who you don’t know)?
• What does your social capital help you have access to?
• How is being connected with you (personally) a part of other people’s social capital? (How do you help people access resources?)
• What does the point system (assigned to people in your network) represent? What information does it add to the activity? How is it problematic?
5. Large Group Discussion: Return to the large group and lead a discussion based on the small group questions and also:
• Based on your goals and needs, what kinds of social capital would it be really useful for you to have more of? How could you go about building it?
• What do you do to maintain relationships in your social network?
• How does cultural capital influence social capital? (How does it make it easier and/or harder for you to develop certain kinds of relationships?)
• This activity attempts to quantify social capital in order to make a point about its role in the reproduction of class. In what ways is social capital not exactly quantifiable? What does this activity make you think of, regarding social capital, that might not be so easy to measure?

Facilitation Notes: Participants can become overly absorbed in their social network scores (quantity) and not give full attention to the reflection questions. If this seems to be the focus of small group conversation it might be helpful to pause and process with the entire group using the questions, “What does the point system represent?” and “How is it problematic?”, before having them return to the other reflection questions.    

Recommended Readings/materials for Students:

• “At the Elite Colleges,” Peter Schmidt, selection 30in RDSJ3
• “Deep Thoughts About Class Privilege,” Karen Pittelman and Resource Generation, selection 42in RDSJ3
• Villar, E., & Albertin, P. (2010). “It is who you know”: The positions of university students regarding intentional investment in social capital. New York, NY: Routledge Taylor & Francis Group.

Recommended Supplementary Materials/Readings for the Instructor or Facilitator:

• Same as above

Name(s) to credit for this activity: Davey Shlasko and Larissa Hopkins

Name: Family History In Context (Classism)

Instructional Purpose Category: Exploring History

Instructional Purpose: To help participants make connections between the history of class and classism in the US and their own family histories.

Learning Outcomes: Participants will be able to identify historical factors that influenced their families’ class trajectory.

Time Needed: 30-45 minutes

Materials Needed: Family history worksheet (attached).

Degree of Risk: low to high (varies depending on participants’ families)

Procedure:

1. Following the History Presentation, explain that participants will now be asked to reflect on their own family history in the context of what they have just learned about the history of class and classism in the United States.
2. Hand out the Family History Worksheet and review it to make sure participants understand their task. Give participants at least 10 minutes to think and make notes. Alternately, the worksheet can be assigned as homework previous to the session in which this activity is conducted.
3. Divide participants into small groups of approximately 3-5 participants. In small groups, have participants discuss: What historical factors influenced your family’s class trajectory over the past several generations? How did those historical legacies influence your class experiences growing up? (15-20 minutes)
4. Bring the whole group back together to discuss highlights from their discussions.

Facilitation Notes: Facilitators should complete the worksheet before assigning it to participants. When providing instructions, facilitators should model the assignment by telling a piece of their own family history in a way that highlights connections to historical legacies of classism and acknowledges relevant intersections. Facilitators may also mention examples (from the History Presentation) of historical factors that might impact family class trajectory, such as those listed on the worksheet and others that might be particularly relevant to the group (depending on their age and other factors).

This activity provides many opportunities for discussing intersections with race, gender, nationality, immigration status, and more. Facilitators should maximize these opportunities by reminding participants to consider how other social identities and systems of oppression have played into their family history.

Some participants may not know much about their family histories, perhaps just because they haven’t asked, and perhaps for reasons that are related to systems of oppression. They may have fraught relationships with their elders due to heterosexism; they may have language barriers that prevent them from communicating fully with their elders; they may have a family norm of not talking much about the past; they may have a family history complicated by adoption, estrangement, incarceration or other factors that limit their access to information. Facilitators should be sensitive to these differences and encourage participants to approach the activity in whatever way it will be useful to them. For some participants it may make most sense to only focus on the parts of their family about which they do have ready information. In other cases it may make sense to reflect on the reasons information may not be available. For some participants, “family” might mean “the people who raised you” whether or not those people were legally related to the participant or each other.

Additionally the assignment will have particular complications for students with recent immigration in their families. Because class manifests differently in different national contexts, information participants have about their family members’ class situations in another country may require interpretation. Since the U.S. has had global influence for many years, participants may still be able to name connections between their families’ experiences and U.S. historical legacies of classism, but they will be different connections than those of participants whose families have been in the U.S. for at least several generations. The significance of the historical moment in which a family immigrated is itself a valuable historical connection to make.

Adapting as a homework assignment: If participants complete the worksheet during the session, many will not have all of the information the worksheet asks for. In that case, they can still participate in the activity based on whatever information they do know. As a homework assignment, the activity can be expanded to include informal interviews with relatives, asking for further information about the family’s class history.

Recommended Readings/materials for Students:
Readings for Diversity and Social Justice, Classism Chapter

Recommended Supplementary Materials/Readings for the Instructor or Facilitator:
Readings for Diversity and Social Justice, Classism Chapter

Zinn, H. (1995). A people’s history of the United States, 1492–present. (Rev. ed.). New York: Harper Collins

Takaki, R. (1993). A different mirror: A history of multicultural America. Boston: Little Brown.

Name(s) to credit for this activity: Davey Shlasko

Worksheet: Family History in Context

(in-session version)
Make notes about your family history over the past 2 or more generations (if possible). For the purposes of this assignment, “family” can mean the adults who raised you, whether or not they were biologically or legally your parents – and, going back further, the adults who raised them.

• What did each person do for income?
• What if anything did they own (land, house, business, etc.)?
• What sort of status did they have within their communities? Were they well-regarded? By whom?
• What major changes occurred in their lives, in terms of class? For example, did they buy a home, lose a job, win the lottery, start a business, complete a degree, emigrate, get married or divorced, or experience a disability or chronic illness? How did each event impact their class?
• What historical trends or significant moments have you learned about that might have had an impact on your family’s class trajectory? How? (For example, were members of your family impacted by the changes in the job market during WWII, by the GI bill, by increasing acceptance of women in professional-middle class jobs, by changes in welfare policies and programs, by the dot com bubble, by changes in immigration policy … ?)

Worksheet: Family History in Context (homework version)

1. First, make notes about your family history over the past 2 or more generations (if possible). For the purposes of this assignment, “family” can mean the adults who raised you, whether or not they were biologically or legally your parents, and going back further, the adults who raised them.
• What did each person do for income?
• What if anything did they own (land, house, business, etc.)?
• What sort of status did they have within their communities? Were they well-regarded? By whom?
• What major changes occurred in their lives, in terms of class? For example did they buy a home, lose a job, win the lottery, start a business, complete a degree, emigrate, get married or divorced, or experience a disability or chronic illness? How did each event impact their class?
• What historical trends or significant moments have you learned about that might have had an impact on your family’s class trajectory? How? (For example, were members of your family impacted by the by changes in the job market during WWII, by the GI bill, by increasing acceptance of women in professional-middle class jobs, by changes in welfare policies and programs, by the dot com bubble, by changes in immigration policy … ?)
=
• If your relatives experienced financial success or upward class mobility, consider how they were able to do so. Assuming that everyone’s personal skills, merits, and decisions are part but not all of the explanation, what else made it possible (or impossible) for them to achieve their successes?
2. Second, interview one or more family members to learn more about aspects of your family’s history that might relate to class. Ask follow-up questions to get the information you’re looking for. Pay special attention if someone says, “Somehow, they managed to …” and ask questions like, “What do you mean ‘somehow’? What made that possible? What resources did they draw on? What about that moment made that more likely than it would have been earlier or later?” Take notes about all your interviews.
3. Based on your notes, write a 2-3-page story of your family’s class history, including how it shaped your class experience growing up and now.

• Participants will deepen their understanding of classism by generating, as a group, a wide range of examples of manifestations of classism
• Participants will explore overlapping manifestations of classism and other systems of oppression

Time Needed: 40-90 minutes
Materials Needed: easel paper, markers, plenty of wall space and movable chairs
Degree of Risk: low to medium
Procedure:

This activity is based on “The Five Faces of Oppression,” a model articulated by Iris Marion Young (1990) to describe different manifestations that oppression takes. Whereas the “levels of oppression” (micro, meso, macro) identify the scales at which oppression operates, the five faces describe qualitatively how it operates.

A brief version of the activity can be conducted in as little as 40 minutes, and more in-depth versions can take several hours. Based on your estimate of students/participants previous understanding, and your time constraints, adapt the timing to meet your needs.

1. Set-up: Create a station for each of the five faces consisting of an easel sheet titled with the name and brief definition of the face, several blank easel sheets, and several markers. Stations should be spread out around the training space.
2. Introduction (5-10 minutes): Briefly review the Five Faces model by presenting a summary definition of each face (such as those below) and/or asking students/participants to generate them (if they have read the article in advance). Provide and/or ask students/participants to generate two or three examples for each face (related to different isms, not only classism), to ensure that participants understand the definitions.
• Exploitation is the systematic transfer of resources (such as land, wealth, or labor value) from one group to another
• Examples: The transfer of material wealth affected by the 2008 mortgage crisis, in which many low- to moderate-income families (disproportionately families of color) lost their homes to the benefit of wealthy real estate developers (mostly white men). Wage exploitation, when workers are paid less than the value of their labor to the employer. Theft of indigenous land. Unpaid caring work performed primarily by women.
• Marginalization is the prevention or limiting of full participation in society through exclusion from, for example, the job market, healthcare system, public benefits programs or community activities
• Examples: Discrimination in hiring. Healthcare policies that exclude any care related to being transgender. Youth curfews. “Paternity establishment” rule that requires single mothers to disclose the identities of their children’s biological fathers in order to receive cash aid (TANF), which disproportionately excludes parents who are young and/or poor, as well as parents who have experienced intimate partner violence.
• Powerlessness is deprivation of the ability to make decisions about one’s living or working conditions
• Examples: Laws restricting the ability of formerly incarcerated felons to vote. Incarceration generally. Unnecessary restrictions on behavior during the workday, for example, limiting the number and length of bathroom breaks that workers can take. Campaign finance systems that amplify the power of people with wealth. Union busting, which limits the ability of workers to organize a collective voice in negotiation with employers.
• Cultural Imperialism isthe valuing and enforcement of the dominant group’s culture, norms and characteristics
• Examples: English-only policies in schools. Curricula that only acknowledge European history and culture. Indian boarding schools. Marketing of watered-down or distorted non-dominant-cultural practices such as yoga, kabala, and indigenous art, by and for people who are not of those cultures. Invisibility of queer families in mainstream media.
• Violence includes physical, sexual and emotional violence and the threat of violence, including policies and structures that condone violence
• Examples: Sexual assault. Structural biases in prosecution of crimes. Physical punishment of children. Nonconsensual sterilization. Hazing.

Small group work (15-30 minutes):

• Divide participants into five small groups of 3-6 people. Each group will begin at a different station, where they will generate specific examples of manifestations of classism that fit into that face, and record their examples on the easel sheets. The easel sheets will remain fixed at the station for the next rotation to refer to. Inform participants of how much time they will have to work on the first face.
• When the time is up, have the groups rotate to a new face. At the new face, each group should review what the previous group has recorded, and then add their own new examples for that face.
• Continue rotating until every group has worked on every face. (The amount of time spent at each face may decrease in subsequent rotations, since the previous groups will have already generated many of the most relevant examples. However make sure to give groups enough time to discuss the examples and really wrap their minds around each face.)
• In briefer versions of the activity, each group may only spend time with 1-2 faces before reporting out. However when time allows, allowing each group to spend time with all the faces is preferable because it builds a richer field of examples for the whole group to work with.

Report out (10-20 minutes): After each group has rotated through all five stations, ask for a volunteer to read aloud the easel sheets from each station. This gives all participants an opportunity to see and hear what has been written by the groups that came to each station after them.

Discussion (20-60): During and/or after the report-out, pose questions to the group (and encourage participants to ask questions of each other). If needed, some questions should prompt participants to fill in gaps in the examples generated, to make sure that examples address different levels/scales of oppression (micro, meso, macro). For example you might ask:

• The examples on this “face” mostly address interpersonal behaviors. How might this “face” place out at an institutional level?
• The examples on this “face” mostly address institutional examples. How might this “face” play out in terms of cultural norms and assumptions, media representations, or interpersonal behavior?
• How might the examples on this face be internalized by people who are targeted by them?

Other questions should support participants to get more specific in their descriptions of manifestations by specifying who is targeted, under what circumstances, and in what ways the manifestations are linked to larger system of power. For example if someone wrote “incarceration” as an example under “powerlessness,” you might ask:

• Who tends to be disproportionately likely to experience incarceration? (participants will probably say “poor people” among other responses.)
• Referring to the answers participants give, dig deeper with questions like
• Which kinds of poor people?
• Under what circumstances?
• Who besides poor people?
• What factors (social group memberships and/or other factors) contribute to people’s vulnerability to incarceration?

These questions often draw out parallels and intersections among –isms, such as the fact that transgender people, People of Color, and young Black/Latino men more specifically, are all groups that are disproportionately vulnerable to incarceration, in addition to poor people overall. Further questions can focus on the relationship incarceration to systems of power:

• Who has power over incarcerated people and people at risk of incarceration? In what ways? (e.g. judges, prison guards, police officers)
• Who has power over those people (e.g. who has power over judges, prison guards, police officers)?
• (If not already covered on the easel sheets) What policies, structures or norms condone or support the prevalence of incarceration and the disproportionate incarceration of specific groups?
• What are the ramifications of the prevalence of incarceration and the disproportionate incarceration of specific groups? Who benefits? In what ways?

After concluding the discussion of examples generated by students/participants, continue with one or both of the follow-up options: Web of Institutional Classism or Identifying Opportunities for Coalition. Both options expand upon the examples generated in the Five Faces of Classism to generate more specific analysis and build toward action planning. The easel sheets from the Five Faces stations should remain posted for the following activities.

Facilitation Notes: This activity involves a lot of time- and task-management. Facilitators should think through timing and room logistics carefully in order to effectively direct participants.
The discussion questions are key to this activity’s effectiveness. Facilitators should have follow-up questions on hand and be ready to improvise based on their knowledge of the group and its particular goals.
Accessibility: In this activity, participants often end up standing around an easel sheet together for lengthy periods. Many participants who can walk and stand may nevertheless need accommodation because of the length of time spent standing. Facilitators can easily address this by inviting participants to bring chairs over to each station as needed.
Recommended Readings/materials for Students:
Young, Iris Marion. “Five Faces of Oppression.” Selection 7 in RDSJ4.
Recommended Supplementary Materials/Readings for the Instructor or Facilitator:
Young, Iris Marion. “Five Faces of Oppression.” Selection 7 in RDSJ4.
Name(s) to credit for this activity: Davey Shlasko

• Participants will further solidify their understanding of institutional manifestations of classism
• Participants will understand the combined impact of institutional classism as greater than the sum of its parts

Time Needed: 20-40 minutes
Materials Needed: ball of yarn
Degree of Risk: low
Procedure:

1. Ask participants to stand in a circle. (If needed for access reasons, some or all participants may be seated.) Refer to the “five faces” easel sheets still posted, and ask participants to notice the institutions that are mentioned in institutional level examples. Give a few examples of institutions to illustrate (such as K-12 schools, higher education, healthcare provision systems, banks, etc.). Note that some of the institutions named may be general (e.g. higher education) while others may be quite specific (e.g. the specific college or university with which participants are affiliated).
2. Explain that each participant will call out an example of an institution (whether specific or general), followed by the name of another participant who is across the circle (not right next to them), and then, holding the end of the yarn, toss the ball of yarn to the person just named. The second participant will catch the ball (or pick it up, it’s okay to miss a catch!), and then name a specific example of classism that might play out in the institution just named. That participant will then name a different institution and, holding onto the yarn, toss the ball to a third participant. Facilitators may want to start with the yarn and name a first institution to get the activity started.
3. Continuing in this way, with the yarn ball crossing back and forth across the circle, with each participant continuing to hold on to their place on the yarn. If participants feel they are running out of names of institutions, they can do a second turn on institutions named earlier. Some of the examples they use may already have been named in the Five Faces activity, and others may be new. The process continues until everyone in the circle has caught the yarn ball, named an example, and tossed it to someone else.
4. By the time everyone has had a turn, numerous institutions will have been named, and there will be an interlocking web of yarn linking all of the participants in the circle and representing the web of all the institutions that play roles in maintaining classism.
5. Discussion: Optionally, begin by having students/participants share in pairs about initial reactions (feelings and thoughts). Then move into a whole-group discussion using questions like:
• What do you notice, think and feel when you observe the web we created together?
• The web represents manifestations of classism in institutions – what is the relationship of individual or micro-level classism to this meso- and macro- level web?;
• Do you think the nature of classism as a system is well represented by this web? How so, and how not?
• To the extent that classism is like a web, what does that imply for how we can challenge and transform classism?

Examples for facilitator to use, in case participants need help generating examples:

Names of Social Institutions	Examples of Religious Oppression
K-12 schooling	Funding formulas at the state and district levels. Tracking. Enforcing professional-middle class cultural norms. Requiring students or their families to purchase books, pay for field trips, etc. Expecting families to take time off work to attend school events.
The media (TV, magazines, newspapers, radio)	Stereotyped or missing representations of poor and working-class people (give specific examples from relevant media familiar to your participants). Overemphasis and unrealistic normalization of extreme wealth.News reporting on poverty that perpetuates misperceptions.
local police	Profiling based on race and class, including disproportionate policing of poor neighborhoods. Police harassment of people who are or appear homeless. Disproportionate enforcement of “quality of life” laws, e.g. those that prohibit loitering.
local, state and federal courts	Inadequate funding of public defender system. Fines and fees that disproportionately penalize poorer people.
businesses and workplaces	Underpayment of “unskilled” labor. Wage exploitation. Unreasonable restrictions on workplace behavior (e.g. restrictions on how many bathroom breaks employees may take). Enforcement of professional-middle class cultural norms. Expectation that employees can spend money for job-related expenses and be reimbursed later.
colleges and Universities	Financial aid system that does not meet people’s needs (for example, grants and loans cover only tuition and not books). Financial aid system that contains assumptions about family structure (e.g. assumption that both of a student’s legal parents will financially support their education). Enforcement and rewarding of professional-middle class culture. Cocurricular activities not financially accessible. Legacy admissions.

Facilitation Notes:
The success of this activity depends largely on the participants having sufficient information to provide examples of institutional oppression – from the previous activities, readings, videos, discussions, observation, and their own experiences – to generate examples quickly. The facilitator should have examples in mind to help out if participants have no examples, and in order to keep the process going.

Accessibility: Participants not able to stand (or not able to stand for long) can sit for the activity, or the whole group can sit (although that makes it harder for most people to throw and catch accurately). Participants who are not able to throw and catch can still participate fully by having the group pass the yarn around to them, and then to the person they pass it to next, rather than throwing and catching. (You may not be able to tell by looking if someone is unable to throw and/or catch, so it’s helpful to ask before anything is thrown.) Because this activity is so physically engaging, it is not really possible for participants to take notes during the activity. Facilitators can increase accessibility by giving several minutes for silent reflection and note taking after the discussion concludes. Or, after the yarn tossing has concluded, have the participants put the web down on the ground (so people can still see it, but not need to continue holding it), before initiating discussion. That way participants who benefit from note taking can do so during the discussion.

Recommended Readings/materials for Students:
Core Concepts section in RDSJ
Recommended Supplementary Materials/Readings for the Instructor or Facilitator:
same
Name(s) to credit for this activity: TDSJ2, adapted by Davey Shlasko

Name:Acting Accountably

Instructional Purpose Category: Processing / debriefing the process

Instructional Purpose:To introduce a framework for participants to think about accountable action for liberation.

Learning Outcomes:After this activity participants will …

• Understand the “4As” of liberatory consciousness as outlined in Barbara Love’s “Developing a Liberatory Consciousness” (RDSJ4 selection 131)
• Be able to apply the 4As to participants’ own anti-classist actions

Time Needed: 5-10 minutes

Materials Needed: “Liberatory Consciousness of Effective Allies” handout

Degree of Risk: low to medium

Procedure:

1. Distribute the Acting Accountability handout. Define each of the four elements of liberatory consciousness represented on the handout, and ask participants to provide examples of each element with regard to classism.
2. To conclude, ask participants to keep the 4As in mind during the remaining activities focused on taking action. For example:
• Awareness includes knowing about some common manifestations of classism
• Analysis includes understanding how some historical legacies of classism play out today, or understanding how classism intersects with other systems of oppression
• Action includes interrupting classist language, or working to change classist policy
• Accountability includes supporting the leadership of poor and working class people in deciding what changes to prioritize
3. Optionally, ask participants to assess themselves silently with regard to how they embody each of the four elements, and how they could do better. (For example, many participants might say they are pretty aware and have an analysis, but don’t have any relationships of accountability and haven’t taken any action beyond self-education. In other cases participants may admit they have taken action without accountability or analysis.) Invite a few volunteers to share their self-assessments.

Facilitation Notes: If additional time is available, participants may be asked to assess themselves aloud, in small groups or with the whole group. The risk level of the activity varies depending upon whether participants are expected to share their assessments aloud.
Some participants may struggle to apply the 4As to their own lives. In particular, some participants may have difficulty understanding the concept of analysis and how it applies to themselves. One way to explain it is to ask how they approach novel situations that may be classist. Do they count on others to tell them whether something is or isn’t classist? Or do they feel confident using their own knowledge, frameworks and reasoning to ascertain whether what about a situation is classist?

Other participants may have difficulty understanding the concept of accountability. One way to explain it is to ask what relationships in their lives (whether personal or professional, in-person or virtual) help them “double check” how their actions and beliefs do or do not support people who are more severely impacted by classism than they are. Accountability does not mean letting someone else do all your thinking for you (that would be tokenizing, and a sign of lacking analysis); accountability does include being regularly available to receive feedback from people who experience more severe impacts of classism than you (including those with less class privilege and those whose class privilege is mitigated by intersections with other systems of oppression). Accountability can include simply reading the analysis and action recommendations of people to whom you see yourself as accountable in working against classism, as well as being in active personal relationships with such people.

Some participants may experience some defensive feelings upon being asked to assess themselves. They may feel that their desire to be an ally, or their good intentions, should be given more “credit,” rather than focusing on how they can do better. It can be helpful to remind participants that impact can be different from intention, and that everyone (including the facilitators) have room to learn and grow in our work for justice. The purpose of self-assessments using the 4As is not to blame or rank people, but rather to identify specific areas in which we can each develop our capacity to act effectively and accountably for justice.The remaining activities in the quadrant may assist participants with identifying additional examples for themselves, and returning to the 4As through brief follow-up questions during later activities can be helpful.

Recommended Readings/materials for Students:“Developing a Liberatory Consciousness,” Barbara Love. Selection 131 in RDSJ4.

Recommended Supplementary Materials/Readings for the Instructor or Facilitator: “Developing a Liberatory Consciousness,” Barbara Love. Selection 131 in RDSJ4.

Name(s) to credit for this activity: Davey Shlasko

Name of Activity: Action Continuum and Spheres of Influence

Instructional Purpose Category: Developing action plans

Instructional Purpose: This activity uses two simple frameworks, the action continuum and spheres of influence, to help participants identify actions that are within their reach

Learning Outcomes: After this activity participants will …

• identify the range of possible actions one can take to address classism
• identify where they currently are on an action continuum with regard to class and classism
• identify where they might want to be to take their next steps toward action in coalition with others – across class differences, and across different identities

Time Needed: 30+ min

Materials Needed: Action Continuum Handout, spheres of influence handout (from Chapter 4: Core Concepts); larger version of each that can be displayed in the classroom on an easel pad, as a slide, on a marker board, etc.

Degree of Risk: Low- Medium

Procedure:

1. Post the “Action Continuum” so it can be seen by all participants. (If space permits it, post on a long wall, with each end of the continuum placed at the ends of the wall and the other stages spread out in the middle.) Introduce the activity by explaining that both internal and external factors discourage or encourage taking action against any form of inequality, and classism is no exception. There are internal barriers in one’s own attitudes and beliefs; and external barriers exist in the institutional policy, norms, laws, and attitudes and beliefs of others.
2. Explain the action continuum through an interactive mini-lecture, in your own words (~10 min) (shorter if the action continuum has been assigned as reading homework). For example you might say something like:

When we as individuals maintain the system of oppression, it can be because we are doing one of the following:


1. Actively participating: This means that the actions we take directly support classism and the oppression of the people marginalized by their different class positions. (Invite participants to give examples, then provide some.) Examples include:
• Making fun of people who are not dressed “suitably” for a specific context or occasion.
• Assuming that a person from a lower economic class is not as smart or capable as persons from upper economic classes.
• Opposing legislation that would provide fair pay and a higher minimum wage for low-wage workers and for part-time workers
2. Denying or ignoring: Denying that classism is a problem and/or ignoring discrimination against people who are poor, unemployed, or working class. (Invite participants to give examples, then provide some.) Examples include:
• Failing to speak out when others make fun of, discriminate against, harass, or are rude to homeless or unemployed people
• Refusing to acknowledge the effects of classism on the lives of people who are affluent
3. Recognition, but no action: Recognizing that discrimination against people of lower economic status is a problem, but failing to take any actions to address classism. (Invite participants to give examples, then provide some.) Examples include:
• Feeling uncomfortable when a friend tells a joke that targets a person who can’t join others for dinner at a restaurant, because of (otherwise invisible) lower economic status, but not speaking up to object to the joke
• A teacher realizes that her course materials are mainly middle class, but decides not to address this problem.

When we as individuals or as an institution begin interrupting the system of oppression, it can be because we are…

4. Recognizing and interrupting oppressive behaviors: We understand and take action against classism. (Invite participants to give examples, then provide some.) Examples include:
• Recognizing and responding to oppression against people of lower class positions or people whose class is lower than ours
• Saying something when someone makes a classist joke
• Naming the unfairness we observe in systems

This is a transitional stage where one goes from maintaining the system of oppression to interrupting the system of oppression.

5. Educating self: Learn about oppression against people of lower class positions and come to know the people with different class positions. (Invite participants to give examples, then provide some.) Examples include:
   • Reading a book, watching films, or researching on the Internet to learn more
   • Attending events and actively connecting with different class communities
6. Questioning and dialoguing: research and understand all levels of class and classism, and talk with others about these issues. (Invite participants to give examples, then provide some.) Examples include:
   • Educating others about class and classism
   • Going beyond just interrupting oppressive behaviors to engaging people in dialogue about these issues

   When we work to change ourselves, other individuals, or institutions, it can be because we are…

7. Supporting and encouraging: We take action and support members of oppressed class groups. (Invite participants to give examples, then provide some.) Examples include:
   • Publicly support current organizing campaigns around issues related to classism, like fair housing, fair wages and working conditions, ending cash bail, fair tax laws, etc.
   • Donate to current organizing campaigns led by people from less privileged class groups
   • Volunteer for organizations led by people from less privileged class groups
8. Initiating and preventing: Taking the first step toward breaking the cycle of oppression and accommodating the needs of people from marginalized class positions in order to create greater access and prevent discrimination. Actions that actively anticipate and identify institutional practices or individual oppressive behaviors and interrupt them. (Invite participants to give examples, then provide some.) Examples include:
   • Noticing that the financial aid policy is unfair, and reach out to stakeholders across the university to organize a campaign to change it
   • Notice that some norms in your friend group are classist (e.g. often eating out at a place some friends can’t afford), and taking initiative to do something different
   • Offer donations to someone who’s not explicitly asking for them, as a form of mutual aid
   • Propose a new policy, project or campaign to address classism
9. Invite participants to identify where on the continuum they see themselves as being currently, in terms of issues of class and classism. If space and access needs allow it, have participants move around the room to line up along the action continuum, standing near the stage that most closely reflects their current engagement around class and classism. (~5 min)
10. Ask participants to form small groups with others who have located themselves similarly on the action continuum. In small groups, have them discuss (~5 min):
• What are some examples of what it’s like for you to be at this location on the continuum?
• When you think about other isms (racism, sexism, heterosexism, ableism, religious oppression, etc.), are you in similar or different locations? What do you think about that?
3. Invite participants to move to a new location on the action continuum that best reflects where they would like to be in the short- to medium-term, in order to begin to take steps for action and change. (Choose a time frame that makes sense for the group - in the next semester, in the next year, in the next month, etc.)
4. Introduce the “spheres of influence” as described in Chapter 4: Core Concepts. Ask participants to form small groups with others who have located themselves similarly on the action continuum, and discuss (~5 min):
• What will it look like, for you, to move to this place on the continuum? What action might you take, in which spheres of influence?
• How you might build coalitions across class and/or across other differences, and/or how might you use your networks and relationships, to effect change?
• How does your own class position and identity influence or overlap with other identities (your own and others, privileged &/or marginalized) to support or challenge your moving forward on the action continuum with regard to class and classism?
• How will you practice accountability to people who are more directly impacted than you?

This activity can conclude with (6) above, or it can continue with (7) and/or (8) as follows:


5. Remaining in the groups from (6), have participants spend a few minutes discussing what benefits they experience when taking action against social injustice (5+ min). Examples of benefits could include:
• I feel good making my workplace more inclusive.
• It’s the right thing to do.
• I will feel a sense of integrity from acting in alignment with my values.
• I have relatives who have less class privilege than I currently do, and I want to work to make their lives better.
• Someday, my own class position might change and I will benefit from the changes I’m working toward.
• Right now, my class position disadvantages me, and the changes I’m working toward will make my life better.
• I have uncertainty about my own views about class and classism, and opening discussions about people who have different class cultures, experiences, and perspectives will help me in my own journey.
• I want to feel like I can make a change for the better.
6. Large group debrief (5-10 min): Ask for volunteers to share some of their insights or concerns with the whole group.
7. Transition to action strategy activity or closing.

Facilitation Notes & Considerations:

As written, the activity is pretty fast-paced. For groups that are ready and eager to identify their next steps, this can work well. Other groups may need to take the discussion more slowly, or may need more guidance or examples to support a fruitful discussion. Facilitators should plan their time accordingly. Assigning some reflection as homework before the activity may make it feasible for a group to go deeper more quickly.

The activity helps participants identify what they might want to do next, but not how to do it. In some contexts this is enough; in other contexts, it will be important to follow up with a more concrete activity, such as the action strategy planning or specific skill-building.

Participants may have emotional responses to locating themselves on the continuum, particularly if they are further toward the “actively participating” end than other participants. People may feel ashamed and/or defensive. It can be helpful to remind participants of the systemic nature of classism, and of the realities of socialization: We are not at fault for what we have been taught, but we can take responsibility for our actions now that we know better.

Similarly, when moving to where they want to be on the continuum, participants may feel pressure to move further toward the “initiating and preventing” end than they are actually ready for, and/or may feel embarrassed that they don’t “want” to be as far along as some of their peers. That’s why the activity focuses on a specific time frame. It can be helpful to remind participants this is not their “last chance,” and that it is okay to not always be at the very most active end of the continuum.

Recommended Materials/Readings for Students: Optionally, the two handouts can be assigned as reading in advance of the activity.

Recommended Supplementary Materials/Readings for the Facilitator: N/A

Name(s) to credit for this activity: This is a legacy activity we have learned from many generations of facilitators, most recently adapted by Lee Anne Bell and Davey Shlasko.

Name of Activity: Closing Activity Sentence Stems (Classism)

Instructional Purpose Category: Processing / debriefing the process
Instructional Purpose: This closing activity enables participants to make a positive, forward-looking closing statement to the group.
Learning Outcomes: After this activity participants will …

• Feel a sense of closure with the learning community
• Feel ready to bring their learning back out of the workshop space into their daily lives

Time Needed: 15-30 minutes (depending on size of group):
Materials Needed: Sentence Stems prepared on handout, easel pad, marker board or slide

Degree of Risk: Low - Medium

Procedure:

1. Post the sentence stems, and read them aloud, as examples of what participants might say. These are all positive and forward-looking statements, that acknowledge the learning, appreciate the role of the group, or look ahead to what participants might do next. The sentence stems can be adapted to the particular group. For example:
• One thing I’ve learned about Classism is …
• One thing I want you to know about my experience learning about Classism in this group is ….
• One thing I’m planning to do to create change about Classism is …
• One thing I especially appreciate about this learning community is …
• One thing I want to learn more about with Classism is ….
2. Give participants a few minutes to think to themselves and/or journal using the sentence stems as prompts.
3. Ask participants to arrange themselves in a circle facing each other. Beginning with any volunteer, and proceeding around the circle clockwise, each participant shares one sentence based on one of the sentence stems.

Facilitation Notes & Considerations: This activity is appropriate for any group, but particular those which came together just for this workshop and may not have ongoing relationships beyond the workshop space. The goal is to create a sense of closure and continuity. Depending on the overall goals of the workshop, and the learning needs of the group, facilitators may choose different or more specific sentence stems.

Recommended Materials/Readings for Students: N/A

Recommended Supplementary Materials/Readings for the Facilitator: N/A

Name(s) to credit for this activity: This is a legacy activity we have learned from many generations of facilitators, most recently adapted by Larissa Hopkins.

Name: Asking and Offering (Classism)

Instructional Purpose Category: Processing / debriefing the process

Instructional Purpose:To bring closure to the learning experience, and help the group integrate new learnings into their ordinary work together

Learning Outcomes:After this activity participants will …

• Feel ready to return to their regular working relationships with each other
• Understand what each member of the group needs, and what each member of the group can offer others, to carry their learning forward

Time Needed: 15-30 minutes

Materials Needed: none

Degree of Risk: Medium

Procedure:

1. Have participants stand in a tight circle, holding hands. 
2. Then have them let go of each other’s hands and take one big step back to form a looser circle. Explain that each person will share one request they have of the group and one contribution they can offer to the group. Depending on the context and type of group, requests and offers may be material, emotional, logistical, or something else. Some examples are listed below, but with many groups it is most helpful not to limit participants’ imaginations by giving examples.
• Someone may request that group members with professional-middle class privilege reflect on their assumptions about normative communication styles
• Someone may request that other group members hold them accountable in specific ways, such as reminding them of the commitments in their action plan
• Someone may request a follow-up conversation about a topic that felt unfinished during the session
• Someone may request specific material or logistical support from the group, e.g. rides to meetings so that they don’t spend as much time on public transit
• Someone may offer to take the lead on a piece of an action plan that the group will implement together
• Someone may offer to be a discussion partner for others who are seeking to deepen their own learning
• Someone may offer to provide material or other resources to support the group, such as bringing food to meetings, providing rides or childcare, or using their social capital to connect the group or members of the group with outside contacts
• Someone may offer forgiveness to someone who has unknowingly committed classist microaggressions against them, during the session or previously
3. After giving participants a few minutes to think, announce that whoever is ready may step into the circle and share aloud their request and their offer. After listening, whoever is moved to speak next may step into the circle do so. Once each person steps, they should stay in, so that by the end participants are in a tight circle and can clasp hands once again before dispersing. If desired a facilitator can record what is said during the activity so that the group can refer back to their offers and requests later.

Facilitation Notes: This activity is a good option for closing a workshop with an intact group – one in which participants have preexisting relationships and will continue to work together after the workshop is over. It should be nearly the last thing that happens in the workshop, after sharing action plans and final reflections (but before feedback/evaluations for the facilitator).

Note that the “requests” should be taken as real (not hypothetical) requests, but not as demands or requirements. Someone may request something that the group is not able to provide. This activity does not establish a plan for meeting everyone’s needs; it does make public the needs and resources that exist in the group, so that the group can move forward together in a compassionate and coordinated way.

Accessibility: The activity as written above is accessible for most wheelchair users, but may present challenges for individuals who do not use wheelchairs and and walk but not for very long. Remind participants that as always anyone who needs to sit should feel free to do so. If you know that one or more participants will find the physical aspect of the activity a barrier, you can conduct the verbal elements of the activity without having participants stand or step anywhere. However the physical parts are there for a reason - they engage people with kinesthetic learning styles and create a powerful emotional experience for the group. Look for ways to integrate people into the experience, moving in whatever ways work for their bodies.

Recommended Readings/materials for Students: None

Recommended Supplementary Materials/Readings for the Instructor or Facilitator: None

Name(s) to credit for this activity: Davey Shlasko