What is HIV and AIDS?

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Time Activity
Section 5: Stigma and Discrimination
Activity 5.8: We are all in the same boat
Activity Outline
Objective: At the end of this activity, participants recognize that we are all at risk of HIV
infection.
Duration/Timing: 20 minutes
Materials/Resources: Open Space for people to move around freely.
20 minutes 1. Ask participants to stand in a line all facing the same direction.
2. Explain that where they are standing is the bank. When you call out “in
the river” they should take a step forward. But when you call out “on the
river” they should not move. If you say “on the bank” they should take one
step back on the bank. But if you say “in the bank” no-one should move. If
someone makes a mistake then they are eliminated from the game.
3. Start the game. Give commands quickly and ask anyone who has made a
mistake to leave the game. Continue for a few more minutes. Then
debrief.
4. Debrief: Note that everyone laughed when the first person made a
mistake. Ask the person who made the mistake—“How did that make you
feel?” (Embarrassed, angry, stigmatized, the laughter made me feel
bad!). Then explain that this game shows us that “We are all in the same
boat.” There is no separation between “us and them.” We are all facing
and living with this epidemic together. We are all affected—we have all
taken risks at one time in our lives and many of us still do. Lots of people
like to laugh at, blame and judge others, but one day they may also “fall
into the river”— and others will laugh at them. Remember: HIV affects
everyone. All of us are at risk of getting HIV so there is no point in
stigmatizing or blaming those who are already affected. We could join
them any day!
[Source: “We are all in the same boat”, Understanding and Challenging HIV Stigma:
Toolkit for Action, Kidd & Clay, (2003)]
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