Understanding and Challenging Stigma toward ... - Pact Cambodia

A7
Personal Experience
of Being Stigmatized
3. Sharing in Plenary: Invite participants to share their stories in the large
group. This is voluntary; no one should be forced to give his/her story. People will
share if they feel comfortable. If it helps, give your own story to get things started.
As the stories are presented, ask, “How did you feel? How did this affect your
life?”
4. Processing: Ask, “What did you learn from the exercise about stigma? What
feelings are associated with stigma?”
5. Summarize:
This exercise helps us get an inside understanding of how it feels to be
stigmatized.
The feelings of being stigmatized are very painful and last a long time.
Stigma destroys people’s self-esteem. People begin to doubt and hate
themselves. They feel very alone at a time when they really need the support and
company of other people.
Everybody has felt ostracized or treated like a minority at different times in their
lives. And it is okay to feel like that because you are not alone. We have all ex
perienced this sense of social exclusion.
72