Playing Games for Social Change

Our program is designed to educate children living in slum communities in villages through games. It runs for a one year period with teams attending competing on a regular schedule. At the end of the first year with the first team of players we noticed improved performance in their regular classes, more motivation to learn in general and a much more respectful manner towards other children, specially of the opposite gender.

After the year is completed, from all the data collected we determine which children have excelled and offer them private schooling and additional support for them to continue to higher education.

For example, the top four players of our first team became coordinators for the program and now help manage it as officials under the NGO while still attending school and advancing on their studies. In essence they have become community leaders and have the potential to eventually graduate from college, which would make them the first in their families to do so and that has a fantastic impact!

The long term goal of this program can be measured in several ways, particularly in their changed behavior as they begin to collaborate and rely on each other more, treat others with courtesy and respect, concentrate on tasks, and look for solution to problems without giving up easily.

Today there are several teams competing in Kolkata and Pune and we are looking to expand the program to other cities in India as well as across the world.