(1) Disparity Trap – Disparity Trap Board Game
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Disparity Trap Board Game

Disparity Trap Board GameDisparity Trap Board GameDisparity Trap Board Game
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Disparity Trap

The Unfair Game of Life

Disparity Trap: The Socially Conscious Board Game provides an easy way to have the hard conversations around race & privilege in America and how they impact society in systemically dominant (SD) and systemically non-dominant (SND) ways. The game play is like many of its kind, where your individual goal is to accrue as much wealth as possible. But where it differs is that you can have a team goal as well where you work with  your fellow players to dismantle the Disparity Traps seeking to keep everyone in poverty. Within this game you also step into someone else’s shoes; to experience the disparities within an identity different from your own. Throughout the game, the dice roll correlates your identity in the game to real life statistics.
So like life, the dice are in your hands, but the odds are not.

*systemically dominant and systemically non-dominant terminology are from the “IST of an ISM” paradigm by Debra (Debi) Jenkins, PhD (all rights reserved and used by permission).


​Discussion Questions: Throughout each stage of the game, there are thought-provoking questions the group can ask themselves to spark conversation about where each player currently is in the game and what led them to be in those positions.

Journal Sections: Before/During/After the discussions, the participants are encouraged to journal their thoughts within the workbook so that they can refer to them later.

Homework Assignments: After the dust has settled and the participants had time to think on their experience, there are post-game questions provided for them to complete and turn in  as a homework assignment or to share in wrap up discussion at a later time.


The Disparity Trap board game leans on the research and work of Dr. Debra (Debi) Jenkins, a professor in Education and Psychology, and consultant in Justice, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion for academic, non-profit, and corporate institutions. The following are her words about the Disparity Trap board game."Racism is a system created before anyone today was born and remains one of the most unfinished conversations within the United States. Disparity Trap brilliantly provides a learning opportunity to acquire a deeper understanding of inequity and to begin conversations about racism in an innovative yet poignantly strategic way! Links to statistics give players a relevant connection to how racism continues to impact on systemic, institutional, and interpersonal levels.

Systemic racism, as a system of oppression, has beneficiaries and nonbeneficiaries. I created the language 
systemically dominant (SD)- those a system was created to benefit and systemically non-dominant (SND) - those a system was not created to benefit for my IST of an ISM paradigm. The paradigm and language prevent misunderstandings about who holds systemic power and privilege which is at the root of inequity. The language SD and SND are used in Disparity Trap to provide language which can promote forward movement and help participants understand inequity as the intended outcome of systemic oppression.

The Disparity Trap board game is fun, educational, and insightful! Youth (ages 14) up to adults can learn how race as a system impacts those of us who live within the United States. Disparity Trap can encourage a step towards the work of dismantling oppression and can bring conversations about race to effective levels whether played at home with friends and family, in professional settings, or in junior high through college- level classrooms." 
-
Dr. Debra (Debi) Jenkins

Disparity Trap is a board game that focuses the conversation on the systems and institutions established to create inequity within the United States and how we as individuals have the ability to alter those systems for the better. The game's sole purpose is to encourage participants to work together in order to understand systemic inequity more clearly.
Now, I know what you might be thinking, "Who wants to play a board game about systemic oppression?" To be honest, when I first conceived this idea back in 2019, I thought the same thing. However, with the two pandemics, COVID-19 and racism, over the past year, the world has been forced to stop in its tracks. And because of that detour, the light of injustice has shined far brighter than ever before.

With the murders and attacks on those who identify as Black, Brown, Indigenous, or People of Color (BIPOC) as they live their everyday lives at work, in the park, or simply walking down the street, it's hard to stand idle or be complacent. Seeing how racism has manifested into a spectrum of disguises in today’s society has made me realize I couldn't shelve this game any longer. Our country is in crisis, and I believe the biggest obstacle is our inability to TALK about the issue.

How are we supposed to find a solution as a nation, when we can't even agree on the problem?

If we don't talk about it now, then when?

If not us, then who?

The objective of this game is to open a path toward conversation about the systemic impact of racism. I invite you to play the game, share your experience, and to join the conversation.

-Christian Telesmar


RISKS AND CHALLENGES WITH KICKSTARTER PROJECTS

SMALL TEAM, SIGNIFICANT EXPERIENCE.
Each team member on this project has YEARS of experience working professionally in their field of expertise. Each of them is passionate about their contribute and the mission behind the vision. You can rest assured that not only has significant experience been put into this game, but also a significant amount of love and care.

MANUFACTURING.
We are working with a very experienced team at LongPack Games, one of the leading table top game manufacturing companies. They have helped produce countless Kickstarter games before Kickstarter games were even a "thing."

Zero risk is impossible but that being said, outside of making sure that the game is properly prepared and choosing our partners wisely (printers, logistics, etc.), it is not impossible that we face delays from uncontrollable sources *cough* world-wide pandemic *cough*. This may cause some delay in the delivery date but rest assured that, if delays were to happen, we will keep you informed about the situation.

REFUND POLICY
All pledges can be refunded up to the completion of the Pledge Manager campaign, no questions asked.

If the refund is requested more than 15 days after the end of the Kickstarter campaign, 15% will be deducted from the amount (corresponding to the charges incurred by Kickstarter and Stripe, since we will not be refunded at that point), and the refund will have to be done via PayPal instead of the Credit Card you used on Kickstarter.

If you've paid for a pre-order, either on Kickststarter or e-commerce store front (like shopify), but have changed your mind about the purchase, you can request a refund. Disparity Trap refunds can be issued for pre-ordered products, as long as the request is made within 30 days of release date (date of delivery announcement), or within 14 days of purchase, and the product has not been downloaded (virtual product) or opened/unwrapped (physical product).

Please note, if you have downloaded the virtual product of the order or opened the product out of its wrapping, you will not be able to request a refund.

All refunds require the return of the unopened product and the customer must cover the return shipping costs. If the product is returned undamaged a refund for the product price will be issued to the card on file (less the shipping charge and any deduction listed above).

TERMS AND CONDITIONS
By pledging to this Kickstarter, you acknowledge that the final appearance, materials and content of the rewards (and the Kickstarter) are subject to change and may differ substantially from what is presented while the Kickstarter project is active.

You agree that our responsibility to you is to ship your order as entered into our pledge manager system, that title and risk passes to you upon delivery to a common carrier for such shipment, and that you are responsible for providing correct address information, and ensuring that this address is deliverable by normal methods. We regret that we are unable to ship to PO Boxes in most countries. If you do not reside in a shipping friendly zone , you agree that you are responsible for import duties or any other duties that may be payable to the relevant tax authorities.

If you cannot accept these conditions, we advise that you do not back this project.

Secured payment

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Estimated Delivery

We estimate delivery will be around or after the end of June/July 2022.

Have Any Questions 🤔?

DisparityTrap@gmail.com

This game is great for teenagers and adults ages 14 & up!

5 minutes to get started and 60-90 minutes of game play (depending on how many players in the game. Recommended for up to 6 players at a time.)

Not yet. For the time being, there is only an English language version of the game available.

Systemically Dominant (SD) and Systemically Non-Dominant (SND) are terms created by Dr. Debra Jenkins. Here is an excerpt of how she defines these terms and how they are used within the context of the Disparity Trap board game:

"Systemic racism, as a system of oppression, has beneficiaries and nonbeneficiaries. I created the language systemically dominant (SD)- those a system was created to benefit and systemically non-dominant (SND) - those a system was not created to benefit for my IST of an ISM paradigm. The paradigm and language prevent misunderstandings about who holds systemic power and privilege which is at the root of inequity. The language SD and SND are used in Disparity Trap to provide language which can promote forward movement and help participants understand inequity as the intended outcome of systemic oppression."

In the system of racial oppression within the United States, the systemically dominant group is White and the systemically non-dominant group covers a range of racial and ethnic heritages outside of White. These include, but are not limited to: Black, Indigenous, Latinx, Non-White Hispanic, Asian American, Pacific Islander, Middle Eastern, Arab, and multi-racial people of color.

*systemically dominant and systemically non-dominant terminology are from the “IST of an ISM” paradigm by Debra (Debi) Jenkins, PhD (all rights reserved and used by permission).

If you are an educator who can't afford a game and would like one for your class, then there is a Google form available to fill out to nominate yourself or someone that you know for a donated Educator Bundle. Once we have completed pre-orders, we will then reach out to as many nominated educators/schools/organizations as we have donations.

Here is the nomination form: go.disparitytrap.com/donationform

The only criteria to qualify is that you be employed with a public school/community-based organization that doesn't charge for it's services. If your school/organization charges families to participate we will ask that you make a pre-order for the Educator Bundle (4 box sets for up to 24 players).

Yes. To order more than one copy of the game box set, increase the quantity up as much as you would like and then press the black button to checkout. Just before the checkout page you may be offered to upgrade your order to a Educator Set or Educator Bundle which allows you the opportunity to play with up to 24 individuals at a time.

Note: additional shipping may be added.

We will contact you before the ship date to confirm all the details.

Like most Kickstarters, the purpose is to raise enough funds in order to start manufacturing . This means that once the Kickstarter is funded, there are more stages to completing the game production process. This includes finalization of designing, prototyping, mass manufacturing, and then distribution of game sets.

We hope to advance through these stages as efficiently as possible, we expect the shipment to arrive to the port by the end of August, get through customs and sorted and out for delivery to homes by the end of September 2022.

We expect the virtual version of the game to be available by end of June-July of 2022 as well!

All pledges can be refunded up to the completion of the Pledge Manager campaign, no questions asked.

If the refund is requested more than 15 days after the end of the Kickstarter campaign, 15% will be deducted from the amount (corresponding to the charges incurred by Kickstarter and Stripe, since we will not be refunded at that point), and the refund will have to be done via PayPal instead of the Credit Card you used on Kickstarter.

If you've paid for a pre-order, either on Kickststarter or e-commerce store front (like shopify), but have changed your mind about the purchase, you can request a refund. Disparity Trap refunds can be issued for pre-ordered products, as long as the request is made within 30 days of release date (date of delivery announcement), or within 14 days of purchase, and the product has not been downloaded (virtual product) or opened/unwrapped (physical product).

Please note, if you have downloaded the virtual product of the order or opened the product out of its wrapping, you will not be able to request a refund.

All refunds require the return of the unopened product and the customer must cover the return shipping costs. If the product is returned undamaged a refund for the product price will be issued to the card on file (less the shipping charge and any deduction listed above).

Currently, we do not offer international shipping.

If we did the shipping costs we would have to charge you would be so high!

We recommend either using the address of a US contact or a mail forwarding service like Shipito.com to get your reward delivered to you from the US.

Yes. Please email us at DisparityTrap@gmail.com to update your order.

Yes. Please email us at DisparityTrap@gmail.com to update your order.

Our high-quality playing cards are 2.5 inches by 3.5 inches (66mm x 88mm).

1) Any product can be delivered to you directly and then you can provide that donation to whomever you like personally on your end.

2) If you wish for us to ship the donation directly to someone you know, then when you make the pledge enter their name and address as the destination for the shipping.

3) If you don't have someone in mind who you would like to donate to, that's okay too! Select the "Donor Bundle" and we will locate a public school/teacher in the Los Angeles area who could use this game for their classes. We will then store it and donate it on your behalf as some point over the next school year.

If you still have questions about donating a reward, please feel free to email us at DisparityTrap@gmail.com.

If you are interested in discussion retailer partnerships, please email us at DisparityTrap@gmail.com.

Kickstarter Video Credits

CAST (order of appearance) :
Kacie Rogers
Jonathan P. Sims
Liz Fenning
Mark Jacobson

Also Thanks To
Director/Writer: Christian Telesmar
Co-Writer: Gary Wilkerson Jr. UPM: Hazel Lozano 1st Assist. Director: Lacie Armstrong DP/Editor: Frankie Guerrero Gaffer: Jon Lile G/E Swing: Casey Oberhansil Sound: Chris Cole Hair/Makeup: Monique Paredes Wardrobe/Costume: Halei Parker Production Designer: Colin Redmond Covid Compliance Officer: Jan Redondo Production Assistants: William Wohlfarth & Adrian Tafesh

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