The goal:
A player is aiming to complete a school year to be able
to progress to the next grade. However,
surprising situations might disturb school attendance and at worst, force them to stop going to school completely. After the game it is good to have a peaceful moment for discussing and reflecting on thoughts and feelings raised during the game.
Materials:
- A dice
- Game board
- Playing cards
Rules:
- In the beginning, each player chooses a pawn and picks up a joker card that they can use as the game progresses.
- The youngest player begins the game. The players are taking their turns in clockwise order.
- On their turn, players can move forward by throwing the dice and moving their pawn on the board according to the number on the dice.
- If a pawn stops in a red circle, the player picks up a period card and acts as instructed. Once played, the card will be placed lowest in the deck.
- If a pawn stops in a yellow circle, the player picks up a joker card and acts as instructed. The joker cards can counteract the impacts of period and PMS cards. The player can keep the joker card until they decide to use it. Once played, the card will be placed lowest in the deck, unless the card says otherwise.
- If a pawn stops in a blue circle, the player picks up a PMS card and acts as instructed.
- If a pawn stops in a green circle, the player picks up a life situation card and acts as instructed.
Print the game board and playing cards needed:
#NMSD playing cards (print and cut out)
Aiding questions and answers for ending conversation:
- How do periods impact school attendance of people in Uganda?
If one has to skip school repeatedly, it will have an impact on performance in school, amongst other things. Learning becomes harder, school dropouts increase, and finding a job in later life becomes more difficult. - What kind of situations made it harder for you to advance in the game? Did you experience any misfortunes? Do you think the difficult situations you faced might be reality for some people?
Yes. Menstruation impacts some people’s school attendance in Uganda in ways that were mentioned in the game. - In Uganda, many taboos or harmful beliefs make it harder for menstruators to go to school. How did these taboos sound to you? Are there any harmful beliefs regarding periods in Finland? What are they like?
Menstruation cultures vary a lot even within Finland. Different family cultures impact how menstruation and menstruators experiences are seen and related to. Different religious groups and minorities can have their own ways of relating to menstruation. - The game was situated in Uganda, but what kind of impacts can menstruation have in Finland? Can they impact school attendance, or hobbies maybe?
People can skip school in Finland, too, because of painful periods or being embarrassed of going to school during them. Some can also skip training or other hobbies because they are on their periods. A family’s wealth can also impact whether they can afford buying period products, and lack of such products can cause non-attendance to school or hobbies. It is, however, possible to live normal everyday life during periods, if suitable period products are available. - What does the game tell you about the world? What about attitudes?
Not all people are in equal positions compared to each other. Negative attitudes towards menstruation can make things like studying unnecessarily difficult. - What kind of ways can you think of that could help to create a more equal world for people?
Education and receiving reliable knowledge through ie. school or scouts (like #NMSD-project), because taboos are broken with knowledge. Getting reliable information and speaking one’s thoughts and feelings out loud can also help to break free from the modesty and shame around menstruation.