Christophe De bont 
07/08/2019Kids with a migration background often face extra difficulties at school, resulting in a higher dropout rate. A new serious game, in development by Serious Urban Game developer [ew32] (link in Dutch), helps them to recognise and appreciate their own qualities and talents in order to power through when the going gets tough.
A Serious Urban Game is a city game that creates a challenging learning environment to approach a serious subject in a playful way. Players run around with tablets and learn more about the subject matter by completing various objectives. At the end of the game students and teachers discuss new insights and learnings. With their Serious Urban Games [ew32] has already tackled various subjects, such as entrepreneurship, financial literacy, and interviewing for your first job.
The development of the game is part of the European research project CONNEXT for inclusion (link in Dutch) that aims to improve the chances of youngsters with a migrant background to find a place on the job market. Partners organisations include Arteveldehogeschool in Ghent, Metropolia University of Applied Sciences in Helsinki and the Swedish town Karlstad.
The game is due out by the end of next year and after a short training, educators will be able to freely work with it.
