Step into this activity to explore how to address systemic barriers to access and equity. Through real-world scenarios, you’ll uncover challenges, reflect critically, and craft inclusive solutions.
This activity was made as a part of One Future Collective’s Catalysing Change Toolkit, which includes a variety of facilitation materials, such as activities, reflective exercises, energisers, games, ice-breakers, and more. You can utilise these tools in your communities—be it at your workplace, within your family, or among friends—to bring about meaningful change. Through these resources, you can engage in reflection, foster dialogue, raise awareness, and advocate for important issues.
Remember, change starts with you, today. So let’s dive in!
✨ Why This Matters
Inequity is not just an abstract concept; it shapes our daily lives in ways we often overlook. Access to education, healthcare, and other essential services is frequently determined by factors such as language, class, caste, gender, disability, and geography. Marginalised communities—whether due to socioeconomic status, ethnicity, or systemic discrimination—often find themselves excluded from decision-making processes that directly impact their lives.
This activity is an opportunity to move beyond theory and critically analyse real-world scenarios through an intersectional lens. Using frameworks such as Gender Equity and Social Inclusion (GESI) and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), participants will uncover both visible and invisible barriers that reinforce social inequities. More importantly, they will strategise actionable solutions that challenge these structures and promote justice in meaningful ways.
The goal is not just to identify injustices but to cultivate the mindset that equity requires intentional, structural change. This session will push participants to think systemically and collaboratively about solutions that are community-centered, sustainable, and justice-driven.
🎯 What You’ll Unlock
- Develop a deeper understanding of systemic barriers that marginalised groups face.
- Strengthen critical thinking and problem-solving skills through real-world applications.
- Learn to design practical, inclusive strategies that promote social justice.
🧑🏫 Who Can Facilitate
Anyone interested in fostering awareness, application-based learning, and solution-driven discussions on equity, access, and inclusion. No prior expertise is required—only a commitment to learning and engaging critically.
🎭 What You’ll Need
- Pen
- Paper
⏳ Clocking It In
25 minutes
| 🌀 Step-by-Step Facilitation Guide 🌀 |
| Step 1: Setting the Stage (5 minutes) Welcome participants and set the tone for the session. Begin by asking: 𖥔 Have you ever faced barriers in accessing a service—whether it was healthcare, education, or another public resource? 𖥔 What made it difficult? 𖥔 Who was responsible for creating or removing that barrier? 𖥔 Why do some people experience these barriers more than others? Encourage brief reflections to ground the discussion in lived realities. Reinforce that inequities are not random—they are built into social structures and require deliberate efforts to dismantle. Step 2: Introducing Real-World Scenarios (5 minutes) Divide participants into two groups, ensuring diversity in perspectives within each group. Present the following two real-world situations that highlight systemic barriers: Situation 1: Language as a Barrier to Life-Saving Information. Leaders in the National Capital Region hold a public information session about COVID-19 safety, testing, and vaccination. However, the meeting is conducted only once and exclusively in English. No translators are provided, and no alternative sessions exist for those who do not speak English fluently. As a result, a significant portion of the population—especially non-English speakers—misses out on critical health information that could save lives. Situation 2: The Digital Divide and Education Inequity. During the pandemic, students in Dharavi, a low-income settlement, struggle with remote learning because they lack internet access and digital devices. A local nonprofit raises funds to provide each student with a laptop. However, due to limited resources, they cannot provide Wi-Fi hotspots, leaving many students unable to access online lessons despite having laptops. In contrast, students in wealthier neighbourhoods continue learning uninterrupted with stable internet and digital tools. After introducing the situations, ask each group to focus on one scenario and begin analysing the barriers and brainstorming solutions. Step 3: Analysing the Barriers (15 minutes) Guide participants in examining their assigned scenario critically. Use the following prompts to deepen their analysis: 𖥔 Who is most affected by this issue? Why? 𖥔 What systemic factors contribute to this inequity (e.g., lack of funding, policy failures, language hierarchies, digital exclusion)? 𖥔 Who holds power in this situation? Who is left out of decision-making? How does this issue reflect broader structural inequalities in society? Encourage participants to challenge assumptions and consider intersecting factors such as gender, disability, caste, class, and race in their analysis. Step 4: Designing Inclusive Solutions (10 minutes) Now, ask each group to shift from problem analysis to solution-building. Encourage them to think creatively yet realistically. Use these guiding questions: 𖥔 What immediate steps can be taken to reduce harm in this situation (e.g., translation services, local hotspot access points, and so on)? 𖥔 How can decision-makers be held accountable for ensuring equitable access? 𖥔 What long-term policies or structural changes would prevent this inequity from happening again 𖥔 How can marginalised voices be meaningfully included in the decision-making process? Encourage each group to develop both short-term and long-term solutions, considering who needs to be involved (e.g., government bodies, nonprofits, community leaders, corporations). Step 5: Collective Reflection & Debrief (5 minutes) Bring both groups together to share their analysis and solutions. Guide the discussion with the following prompts: 𖥔 What common themes emerged across both scenarios? 𖥔 What solutions were the most practical? Which required structural changes? 𖥔 Were there barriers to implementing your solutions? If so, how could they be overcome? 𖥔 Did this activity shift your understanding of equity, access, and justice? If yes, how? Encourage participants to reflect on how these insights connect to larger systemic issues and how they might apply these principles in their own communities. Step 6: Closing & Taking Action (Optional, 5 minutes) If time allows, close the session by connecting the activity to real-world advocacy. Ask: 𖥔 What can we do in our own communities to advance equity? 𖥔 Who are the key stakeholders we need to engage to create systemic change? 𖥔 What commitments can we make to challenge exclusionary practices in our daily lives? Reinforce that addressing inequities requires sustained efforts and that each participant has the power to influence change. |
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