Attending the retreat this past Saturday at the Martin in La Jolla was insightful and enjoyable. Although 9:00am was a bit early for a weekend, it was ultimately worth it, seeing how productive we were as a cohort and being greeted by the beautiful view of the ocean. One of the first activities we did in which we had to guess what we had on our back and find our partner, led us to interact with each other as some of my peers struggled to identify the word on their back. Although many of the activities we did led to a learning experience, the life board game left an imprint on my experience at the retreat.
Playing the board game truly revealed the advantages and disadvantages that people receive base off uncontrollable aspects of their lives such as their race and/or if they came from a single mother household or not. As the game went on and each group had to pick stop or go cards, the level of disadvantages continued to rise. We noticed how many opportunities are provided for individuals who are privileged in comparison to those who are not privileged and how much is actually taken from these individuals. Another big factor from this game, was understanding how little control we as individuals have on some of our largest life barriers. Often, we tend to blame ourselves for unfortunate events, but the reality is that most of these events are actually not in our control and happen due to our predetermined status of being advantaged or disadvantaged.
Playing the board game truly revealed the advantages and disadvantages that people receive base off uncontrollable aspects of their lives such as their race and/or if they came from a single mother household or not. As the game went on and each group had to pick stop or go cards, the level of disadvantages continued to rise. We noticed how many opportunities are provided for individuals who are privileged in comparison to those who are not privileged and how much is actually taken from these individuals. Another big factor from this game, was understanding how little control we as individuals have on some of our largest life barriers. Often, we tend to blame ourselves for unfortunate events, but the reality is that most of these events are actually not in our control and happen due to our predetermined status of being advantaged or disadvantaged.