Are Britons prepared to welcome the world?
The city of London is gearing up for the 30th Olympic Games in July, and part of that means training the almost 70 000 Olympic volunteers that will assist the many hundreds of thousands of spectators and tourists that will pour into the city for the Olympiad.
To that end, the organisers have produced a sensitivity quiz (as part of a larger training programme) that covers areas like gender, sexual orientation, age and disability, and attempts to prepare volunteers, and members of the public, to deal with the variety of people from different cultures and backgrounds that they will encounter. The quiz was given to all of the volunteers, and many of their reactions were… not productive.
Try the quiz here, and see how you score. Remember, you’re playing the part of a helpful, friendly Olympics volunteer. Think Kenneth, from 30 Rock.
Now, on to the quiz:
1. Sexual Orientation: A spectator complains to you that there are two men holding hands sitting next to them – they feel very uncomfortable and would like you to tell the couple to stop. What do you do?
a) You tell the person to stop being a homophobic idiot and walk away.
b) You want everybody to feel comfortable and welcome at the Games, so you politely ask the couple to stop holding hands.
c) You explain that there is a huge diversity of people at the London 2012 Games, which includes gay, lesbian and bisexual couples.
2. Ethnicity/Race: You need to point out one of your team members to another colleague who requires his level of expertise. How do you describe him?
a) The tall black guy with short dark hair.
b) That guy over there, who looks like an athlete.
c) As your colleague is black, you are worried about sounding racist when you describe him, so you select another less qualified team member to assist instead.
3. Gender/Gender Identity: A spectator approaches you asking politely where the nearest toilets are. You are not sure if the spectator is male or female. What do you do?
a) Panic – you are not qualified to make this decision. Explain politely that you do not know, and sadly cannot be of assistance.
b) Just in case, tell them where the male, female and accessible toilets are.
c) Ask the spectator politely if they are male or female, so that you can direct them appropriately.
4. Disability: You are stopped by two spectators. Your attention was drawn by the man as he called over to you politely from a short distance away. The man is accompanied by a lady in a wheelchair. She has a speech impairment and speaks very quietly. She is asking you a question but you are finding it very difficult to understand her. What do you do?
a) Turn to the non-disabled man and ask him what she is saying.
b) Tell her politely that you are unable to understand her, and you are very sorry, but you need to be at your team briefing in two minutes.
c) Tell her that unfortunately you are unable to understand her, and ask if there is anything you can do to help her communicate with you.
5. Age: You have been asked by your Team Leader to assign several duties to you and your team members. One of your team members is a great deal older than the others, what do you do?
a) Ask your colleagues if they have any preferences or issues with any of the duties you need to share out, and then assign appropriately. Your older colleague does not raise any issues, so you give him one of the more physically demanding roles, as he says he has done it before.
b) Assign duties regardless of the colleague in question.
c) Wink cheekily at your older colleague and explain that you will be kind on his ‘old bones’ and the ‘young ‘uns’ can do the running around today.
6. Belief: You are chatting to a fellow Games Maker at the security line while waiting to access the venue. They point out a woman in front of you who is wearing a scarf on her head and remark ‘surely she won’t be allowed to wear that in the venue!’. What do you say in response?
a) Ignore the comment and change the subject.
b) Point out that the woman is wearing a hijab, which is a form of Muslim headwear some women choose to wear as part of their faith.
c) Wait until your first shift with the colleague wearing the headscarf and raise your issue in front of them and your fellow team members.
So, how prepared are you for black, disabled, androgynous lesbians trying to find the bathroom at an Olympic event?
Several volunteers who took the quiz complained that it is “patronising” in its tone and purpose, and that “anyone would just use common sense in these situations”. Other volunteers complained that the quiz was a waste of time and resources by the Olympic Games organisers. Other volunteers just complained. Bloody Poms!
Oh, by the way, the preferred answers were: 1) c; 2) a; 3) b; 4) c; 5) a; 6) b
How did you score?
[Source: The Huffington Post, The Telegraph]
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