Power & Me: Wheel of Power Reflection
This activity encourages participants to explore their social identities and how these identities influence their experiences and interactions. It fosters self-awareness and understanding of power dynamics within a group or community.
Use this method at the beginning of a workshop or project to build a foundation of understanding around diversity, equity, and inclusion. It's particularly useful when addressing sensitive topics or working with diverse teams.
Solves: Lack of awareness of personal biases and privileges, difficulty understanding diverse perspectives, superficial engagement with DEI topics.
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Step 1: Introduce the concepts of social identity, intersectionality, and the Wheel of Power (5 mins)
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Step 2: Distribute the Wheel of Power handout and reflective questions (2 mins)
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Step 3: Individually reflect on elements of the Wheel and personal identities, answering reflective questions (15 mins)
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Step 4: Facilitate a group conversation about additions to the Wheel to make it more inclusive (8 mins)
- Acknowledge that the Wheel is rooted in North American norms and may need adaptation.
- Emphasize that sharing is optional and respect individual boundaries.
- Create a safe and confidential environment for reflection.
- Use a different framework for exploring social identities.
- Focus on specific dimensions of identity relevant to the group's work.
- Have participants create their own personalized Wheel of Power.