ANTI-RACISM GETS TOP SPOT !

 

The morning plenary session in the gym began with an icebreaker and moved into a values auction, complete with a fiddler and an auctioneer. Each delegate had a $1000 to spend on their favourite values. A few of the items up for auction were:

• a year with all of your needs being met

• a new car every year

• knowing when and how you will die

• finding a cure for cancer.

All of the delegates were given an opportunity to participate, and bid on the items that they most valued. The purpose of this activity was to have fun while examining the values that underlie bids. Each bidder had a bidding limit of $1000 to be spent on at least three values with a minimum bid of $50 required.

" The auction was a lot of fun, it felt like I was in a real auction with the auctioneer yelling out bids... I think that it should have been a bit more organized, but it was great".

The results showed the top three are all global issues and/or concerns, while the bottom three are much more materialistic. Each of the top three were bid on by 40-50% of the delegates, however there is obviously still a very wide range of values which were important to the delegates.

This activity stimulated a discussion within their breakout groups about values, what their values mean to them, and how they prioritize their values in their own lives.

The afternoon session was filled with facilitators sharing personal stories about the obstacles they have overcome in their lives.

The panel was composed of Lanny, Dan, and Kaitlyn. Each had very different stories: Lanny talked about moving from one country to another due to violence. Dan recounted how others react to his unconventional family decisions, and Kaitlyn spoke about sexuality. To get up on stage in front of more than 150 people and to share such personal experiences with people you don't really know took a lot of guts, which makes us believe that the panelists are very admirable and should be commended for their contribution.

Lanny spoke about her sadness for her people, and her anger towards the people who made her leave her country, and who hurt her family. Lanny said she is trying to stay true to her values of love and forgiveness, but it is hard when she harbours so much anger. She also shared struggles of trying to explore what values are of importance to her and why she finds them important.

Kaitlyn shared a very personal story about her sexuality and how she was not sure of how to classify it. She explained how she explored different options of how to classify herself, but none seemed to work. Sharing her experience of having to tell her parents of her sexuality was powerful and moving for many delegates. Kaitlyn inspired a lot of young people with her speech which was evident later on that evening when she held a workshop called " Sexuality 101. Kaitlyn's workshop was an enriching experience for people that attended the session. She modelled bravery, and showed everyone that understanding, tolerance, and education can overcome fear. Ultimately this is a message that will impact on each individual.

 

A total of 89 people submitted for analysis, their bids on the values that were on the block. Listed are the 3 most popular bids, and the 3 least popular bids:

 

TOP 3

(number of bids/ percentage of total people who bid)

•Ending racism/discrimination (49/ 55.1%)

•Family Health (44/ 49.4%)

•Cure cancer (42/ 47.2%)

BOTTOM 3:

(number of bids/ percentage of total people who bid)

• Stop Aging (10/ 11.2%)

• Year of massages and fine dining (6/ 6.7%)

• having a "hot" partner (6/ 6.7%)

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