By Giannira Giunti
Every time a Puma makes progress on their badge plan (learning path) and completes milestones (a key step or achievement within the badge plan), they celebrate their effort by spinning the wheel at the end of the week. This wheel contains privileges and rewards that the Pumas designed at the beginning of the year. It’s a ritual of celebration and recognition.
But… this Tuesday, Aurelia brought a powerful question to the Town Hall (a weekly meeting to discuss as a community):
What happens when someone wants to give away a privilege they earned?
Daniel facilitated the conversation by proposing a physical stance:
👉 On the right, those who believed privileges should not be transferred.
👈 On the left, those who believed privileges could be gifted.
Aurelia opened the discussion with her viewpoint:
“I believe privileges should be transferable because it’s something you earned through effort, and you should get to choose if you want to gift it or not. It’s like what you buy from the Hero Coin Menu (a menu of rewards learners can purchase with Hero Coins)—you can decide to gift it or not.”
The opposition replied:
“I don’t think so, because it’s something you earned through your own effort. Giving it to someone who didn’t earn it isn’t fair—they can work to earn it themselves. Plus, it’s not the same as giving someone something from the Hero Coin Menu, because in this case you’re giving away privileges, which might be a distraction for a Puma who’s not ready for them—especially if they’re in Ground Level (a support-focused phase where learners build routines and accountability).”
Lucía, a Puma leading the opposing group, made a deep connection to our big question of the year:
“Our question this year is ‘What does it mean to be a good friend?’ Do you think a good friend would give you that privilege, or would they encourage you to earn it yourself?”
The group in favor responded:
“Being a good friend also means gifting a “Collab 1 Day” (a one-day collaboration pass with another learner) to someone in Ground Level, because it might help them focus better by working with someone else.”
Vicentte added:
“Also, a good friend might choose not to gift it, even if they can. Just because the option exists doesn’t mean you have to do it. You decide.”
Minerva contributed:
“A good friend gives you things, opportunities, or privileges. Imagine you told a friend you really wanted something but couldn’t get it—they would try to get it for you. Here, we know we have to give our best effort. It’s up to you whether you get distracted or use your privileges well.”
Then, Xavi dropped a question:
“Okay, but… is it still effort if you’re given something instead of earning it?. What if it's a temptation accepting that gifted privilege?
Silence. Minds in motion. The pro-gifting group replied:
“A good friend gives you something only if you need it. If you don’t need it, they won’t offer it.”
The debate ended with 6 Pumas against transferring privileges, and 5 in favor.
For now, the agreement is that privileges can’t be transferred—but who knows? Big questions always find their way back.
Is giving a way to help—or does it take away the value of effort? If you had a privilege someone else didn’t, what would you do? Would you help them earn it, or would you give it away?
