Teens discuss social justice issues. /Photos courtesy of Denise Fase
Social Justice work /Photo courtesy of Denise Fase
About 20 teens with Tall Turf Ministries and Madison Square CRC sit in a circle in the activity room at the Tall Turf Ministry building on the corner of Franklin and Madison. They are participating in the Magic Ring game. The rules of the games are not explained, and as the game progresses some of the students begin to understand how the game is played and some do not. The game continues and while some students began to get more and more frustrated that they don’t "get it." Those that understand the game become annoyed with the perceived stupidity of those that don’t. Before they know it, full-fledged oppression is going on! And while some of them are experience the degradation of being harassed for their ignorance, the oppressors are taken back at their own behavior and how it affects others.
The teens will be starting Session Three of an eight session social justice series. They have spent two sessions learning about oppression, how it works and its impact on people subjected to oppressive conditions. Participating in the game described above showed them how oppression works in society and in their lives.
In future sessions, students will be learning about a variety of strategies and interventions that have been historically used to fight the inequality in the world. Students will also be challenged to continue to identify and research an injustice topic of their choice. The ultimate goal for the participants this summer is to identify a social justice area that they feel is worth their time and energy, then connecting students with community partners that work to fight injustices every day in Grand Rapids.
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