Winnipeg Social Justice Day

Hey Canada,

We want to tell you about the Bead Game (or we called it the “Chip Game”) – a simulation game we played as part of our Catholic Schools Social Justice Day in Winnipeg/St. Boniface.

In this game, global realities are simulated on a small scale. Participants have an opportunity to experience some of the dynamics of the global economy.

The game is from the United Church of Canada Websight program: here is the link to the Bead Game, here is the link to more games from Websight.

 Here is some on-site blogging on what we thought about our game…

Andy, Zach, Jayden, Jacob, Chris, Darian, Shane:

The hardest part of the game was trying to pay taxes, help friends, and still be able to benefit for yourself. The easier part was that the taxes were not as much as people expected in real life. It really helped people see the true difference between classes.

trading during the bead game

Karl, Michelle, Marina, Ula, Ludvika, Matt, Sam:

The best part was getting all the chips and cheating. It felt like the silence, the not talking and not getting caught cheating was the hardest part. But we would do it again because it was FUN and a CHALLENGE. And some felt it was good to cheat while others found it hard giving away chips and students who were sad and thought it was unfair.

Lindsay, Emily, Jessica, Marissa, Tiahna, Abigail, Karima, Adan:

The best part of the global economy game was being able to survive. The hardest part was not being able to communicate and some people were lacking specific instructions. We all enjoyed the game and would probably play again. It was very quiet and at times it was nerve-racking because we didn’t want to be caught talking.