📣 Big News! Free Resources, New Esports League with Verizon, Game Plan & More for Educators!

Welcome to the August G4C Learn Newsletter! What an incredible past few months at Games for Change and in the games and learning space. With the school year quickly approaching, G4C Learn has ample opportunities for you to integrate game-based learning in the classroom before school starts in the fall. In this issue, we will share valuable information about our new learning hub hosted on the Verizon Innovative Learning platform, explore the professional development program Game Plan, highlight opportunities to join a new scholastic esports league powered by Verizon Innovative Learning, celebrate 10 years of the G4C Student Challenge with educator recruitment, and preview an insightful session at the Serious Play Conference. Read on to learn how to get involved! 🎉

- G4C Learn Team

Games for Change is thrilled to announce a brand new FREE games and learning resource hub on Verizon Innovative Learning HQ! Designed for educators, school leaders, and district leaders, this hub showcases the power of game design, esports, and gaming in the classroom. Games for Change resources include:

📗 District Leader Series: Learn about games, esports, and how to integrate them at a district level
📘 School Leader Series: Delve into the positive impact of games and esports and how to integrate them at a school level
📕 Educator Series: Master game design basics, understand impactful learning game design and dive into the world of esports

Plus, explore more free resources: 

🕹️ Learning Games Arcade: Explore our impactful games catalog with resources
🎤 Voices from the Field: Listen to interviews with gaming industry professionals and experts
🧰 Playforce Toolkit: Unlock our insightful resources for running positive social gaming clubs

The G4C Student Challenge is back for its 10th year, and we are delighted to announce that we are partnering with the World Food Program USA, Earthwatch Europe, and the Whitaker Peace & Development Initiative. This year’s themes will inspire students to create games to end hunger, connect with nature as a means to fight climate change and reduce climate anxiety, and distribute resources equitably as an avenue for peacekeeping. Theme prompts will be posted on the Student Challenge Website in September, so stay tuned for more information, lesson plans, and student resources around each theme. 🎮 🌱

Over the past 10 years, the G4C Student Challenge has inspired tens of thousands of students worldwide to explore game design as a tool for social good, helping them develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Today, we are delighted to announce that we are now accepting educators worldwide to join this year’s Student Challenge! By joining, you have the opportunity to:

• 📚 Receive free professional development in social impact game design and theme related content (our PD catalog will be released in early September!)

• 🎮 Access to school-based game design courses with free and accessible curricula.

• 🎉 Participate in free virtual and in-person student workshops and events to develop game design skills and build game industry career awareness.

• 💰 Compete in a competition where students submit their games for the chance to win prizes, including a $10K scholarship.

Are you ready to go a little deeper into the pedagogies around game-based instruction? Game Plan, led by game designers and experts in game-based learning, provides a deep dive into the game design process and the power of games and play to engage youth in meaningful learning. Each year, national cohorts of cross-sector educators become experts in using games for good in their unique settings, forge a supportive community of practice, and walk away with all the tools and resources they need to set up courses and programs infused with games, design, and play. 

This fall we are running two cohorts of Game Plan: STEM educators and out-of-school educators who work in museums, libraries, summer camps, afterschool programs, and more! The two cohorts will meet on Tuesdays from September 24, 2024, to November 19, 2024. STEM teachers will meet in the evenings, 7-9 PM EST, and the out-of-school meetings will meet from 12-2 pm EST.

Participants receive:

• 💻 Virtual professional development on Zoom that incorporates play, design, and other interactive strategies for engagement.

• 🌐 Access to a national community of like-minded STEM educators for support and fresh ideas via an online collaboration platform.

• 📚 Free curriculum guides and lesson plans in the foundations of game design and digital game design.

• 💰 Participation stipend of $500.

Who’s up for game night at SXSW EDU 2025? Games for Change is hoping to bring our educator community together in Austin this March 2025 with a meetup focused on games, game design, and game-based learning. 

Games for Change Game Night (Meet Up)

Calling all gamers, game lovers, game-based pedagogues, and play-curious people. Join Games for Change for a play-based meetup where we will play both analog and digital games with purpose. We will nourish and restore conference energy, learn about Games for Change’s suite of educational programs, and build community with like-minded educators who are looking to unlock the power of games in their teaching practice. This meetup invites attendees to explore the capacity of games as transformative teaching tools at the intersection of learning and impact.

We need your help to make this happen. To vote, click the link below and select “Vote Up.” You need to create an account to vote, but it takes less than a minute. The last day to vote is August 18.

Are you eager for more game-based learning insights from Games for Change? Join the G4C Learn team at the Serious Play Conference on August 12. Participate in the hands-on workshop "Designing Games for Social Impact" with Leah Hirsch and Brendon Trombley. Uncover the G4C game design curricula, tools, and strategies, and learn how to use the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a framework for designing impact games. 🎮 📚

Do you know educators who would be interested in bringing games and play with the professional support and community of G4C Learn? Share this newsletter with them!