How to design a game aimed for children of Senegal; simple, replicable and that teaches the value of collaboration? Twine, stones, bottles and a few other materials available to students of the masters engaged in the laboratory organized by ERShub last May 2. An initiative coordinated by Professor Francesco Rullani, in collaboration with “Energia per i Diritti Umani Onlus” for students of specialized Master in English of LUISS Business School.
Designing a game for children in Senegal with limited time and resources. Students at work at the #ERSLab pic.twitter.com/NQdBIOicIO
— LUISS BusinessSchool (@LUISSBusiness) 2 maggio 2016
The main objective of the workshop is to broaden the perspectives of the students involved, make it clear to them that a good economic player must necessarily take into account the impact that its action raises in social and environmental context. A mission which characterizes the whole activity of ERShub – the hub for ethics, responsibility and sustainability – engaged in the Organization of this type for several courses of study of LUISS Business School and of the Department of business and Management.
What kind of game can you conceive in order to transmit to children the value of collaboration? This was the task assigned to the students of the Master being tested in creating games aimed at kindergarten children managed by “Energia per i Diritti Umani Onlus” in Senegal and Gambia.
Energia per i Diritti Umani, present during the lab with several volunteers, is an organization active in the field of development and international cooperation with the aim to defend and disseminate human rights. The organization is active in different sectors (from education to female empowerment, from training to agricultural projects) in Senegal, Gambia, India and Italy and in particular it runs six different schools in the two African countries to confront the limits of their respective school systems.
During the day students were divided in groups, they worked with great commitment to design and test a game with the aim to reach an objective, not a simple task at all. How to use the few materials available? To what extent has the game managed to convey the value of collaboration? Will the game be suitable for children aged between 3 and 5 years? How to empathize into a context, the African one, that is so different from the one we are used to?
After confrontation regarding these matters students have exposed the games they have created in front of a jury. “Fishermen and Fishes” was the winner of the day, created by Angela, Chiara, Angelo, Fabrizio and Arianna and awarded for its simplicity and collaboration level required for its implementation.
From brainstorming to idealization, from material assembling to the rules of the game, all participants have dealt with the workshop challenges with positivity and curiosity. A special mention is given to “Les avions du Senegal” created from the group composed by Maria Ludovica, Emilia, Carlo Alberto and Parfait, it distinguished itself for the particular imaginative idea and the “engineering” abilities in the realization of the game.
A day to create, challenge their selves and most of all take into consideration the positive, social and environmental impact that the economy could have. Sensitize our students in these topics it’s one of the main objectives of ERSHub because we believe that this could make them better professionals, complete and competent.
And the games? In recent weeks the volunteers of “Energia per i Diritti Umani Onlus” went to Senegal and Gambia to pursue their own projects and engage with local partners.
They took along the game designed by the students of the specialized Master “Fishermen and Fishes” and they made children try it to convey to them, through fun, the need and the importance of collaboration.
Workshop Gallery
ERShub Staff
01/06/2016
