Line Exercise
Line Exercise
Everyone starts out on an imaginary line. I am going to read a series of statements with directions for you to follow. Please respond honestly and be respectful of others’ responses. This exercise is about personal experience. Please know that this may be a difficult exercise to do and of course you can opt NOT to participate on any of the statements however, with full participation, I think we will all see the power of this exercise. At its conclusion, we will have a discussion about our experience and the illustrations this exercise makes and how it affects our every aspect of our lives and our place in the world.
v Take 1 step forward if you are a
v Take 2 steps backwards if English is NOT your or your family’s first language.
v Take 1 step forward if you own a house.
v Take 2 steps backwards if you are female.
v Take 1 step forward if you have medical insurance.
v Take 2 steps backwards if you do NOT have medical insurance.
v Take 1 step forward if you are employed full-time.
v Take 1 step forward if you are paid at least $14/hr at your job.
v Take 2 steps backwards if you are paid under $14/hr.
v Take 1 step forward if you got a high school diploma.
v Take 2 steps backwards if you received a GED.
v Take 1 step forward if you grew up in a two-parent household.
v Take 2 steps backwards if you grew up in a single-parent family or were in an out of home placement.
v Take 1 step forward if you are in college or have received a college degree.
v Take 2 steps backwards if you are relying soley on school loans to pay for college.
v Take 1 step forward if you identify as Christian.
v Take 1 step forward if you have your own car.
v Take 2 steps backwards if you rely on public transportation.
v Take 2 steps backwards if you live in income-based housing.
v Take 1 step forward if you identify as heterosexual.
v Take 2 steps backwards if you or someone in your immediate family or social circle identifies as something other than heterosexual.
v Take 2 steps backwards if you have any kind of disability.
v Take 2 steps backwards if you have raised children as a single parent.
v Take 1 step forward if you grew up in a predominantly White neighborhood.
v Take 2 steps backwards if you grew up in a non-White community.
v Take 1 step forward if you are saving in some way for retirement (savings account, retirement package, investments, etc.)
v Take 2 steps backwards if you’ve ever experienced some kind of violence based off some aspect of your outward appearance.
v Take 1 step forward if you are a registered voter.
v Take 2 steps backwards if you will not participate in voting for any number of reasons.
v Take 1 step forward if you are a supervisor or manager at your place of employment.
v Take 2 steps backwards if you work second or third shift at your place of employment.
v Take 1 step forward if you work first shift at your place of employment.
v Take 2 steps backwards if you work more than one job.
v Take 2 steps backwards if you’ve ever been discriminated against because of your age.
v Take 1 step forward if you have taken a family vacation to somewhere other than our immediate 5-state area or overseas.
v Take 2 steps backwards if you have never been outside MN.
v Take 2 steps backwards if you have never been outside the 5-state area.
v Take 1 step forward if you are White.
v Take 2 steps backwards if you are NOT White.
