We had three components to our workshop: “Identity & Saliency Pie,” “IntersectionAllergy,” and “Comfort Zones.”
 
“Identity & Saliency Pie” focused on the different aspects of our identities that we are most in touch with at different times. Participants received a blank circle and were instructed to divide their “pies” into different sections illustrating the different parts of their identities (sexual orientation, race, class, immigration status, etc.) that they were most aware of in that moment.
 
After becoming aware of their different identities, we moved into “IntersectionAllergy,” a simulation that focused on limitations. Each participant received a food allergy and a menu, and was given the task of ordering a full, three-course meal without asking for alterations. After facing this particularly difficult challenge, we added a new component. Instead of food allergies, participants had life allergies. For example, participants could be allergic to stairs, public transportation, free time, phones, etc. In groups of three, they were tasked with planning an entire day’s worth of activities in Philadelphia. Participants remarked on how difficult it was to perform seemingly simple tasks with different disadvantages.
 
Lastly, we pushed the borders of our comfort zones by dividing the room into three sections: the comfort zone (where participants stood if they would absolutely, no question, do something), the learning edge (where participants stood if they would be uncomfortable doing something, but would be willing to try), and the danger zone (where participants stood if they were unwilling to try something at all). Here, we incorporated our own international and domestic experiences, using scenarios such as “I would feel comfortable…

• Walking alone on Temple’s campus, in North Philadelphia, and in a non-English speaking country
• Asking a stranger for directions in Philadelphia and in a non-English speaking country
• Challenging a professor whose beliefs conflict with your own
• Going to a religious service at a catholic church, a mosque, a synagogue
• Talking to parents about being in an interracial relationship
• Asking parents to fund a study abroad experience”

and more. Participants realized that depending on the setting, each scenario they faced could be different and different parts of their identity could manifest differently.