The Exclusionary Circle Game: A Tool to Promote Critical Dialogue About HIV Stigma and Social Justice

The Exclusionary Circle Game was a learning tool developed for an intervention study to address stigma associated with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and social exclusion.

The objectives of The Exclusionary Circle Game were to enhance collective resonance and empathy, promote critical reflection and dialogue, and motivate collective action to address social exclusion.

The game began with all participants being inside a circle. Each participant was randomly given one color-coded card. Each card color represented a character with a specific lived experience associated with racism, patriarchy, homophobia, transphobia, HIV stigma, and so on. Participants holding a marginalized status card were asked to leave the circle in sequence and go to designated spaces. Eventually, only one half of the participants were left in the circle. Participants then debriefed about their experiences within the entire group.

The game has been used, beyond the intervention study, at research conferences with positive feedback. In this article, we detail the processes, strengths, and possibility of using this game for empowerment education.