Shenkar College and Beit Berl College are currently teaming up with Games for Change (G4C) for the launch of Game Exchange – an international virtual program for youth from the United States, Bahrain, Israel, and the United Arab Emirates, whose goal is to promote social-cultural discourse and help middle school students connect to one another through game design.

Students from each of the four countries will gather to design digital games with a social and intercultural agenda, guided by teachers who were trained in G4C’s special curriculum for game design.

“Games and game design have great potential to connect people across cultures, languages, and identities. With the support of the Stevens Initiative in the US and our partner countries in the Middle East, Game Exchange will be able to reach around 3,000 middle school and high school students within two years,” says G4C president Susanna Pollack. “This program will help students acquire comprehensive capabilities and develop important skills for the 21st century, allowing them to thrive in a world that grows ever more connected."

Shenkar and Beit Berl College are two of the seven international partners leading the Game Exchange program, which promotes encounters between middle and high schoolers in each of the partnering countries, which include: the United States (Atlanta, Detroit, and New York); Bahrain: Ministry of Youth and Sports Affairs and Bahrain Polytechnic; Israel: Beit Berl College and Shenkar; and the United Arab Emirates: Aldar Education and AD Gaming. Participants in the program will work together to design games that promote the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. The games will be themed around three main topics: human rights, sustainable friendship and a healthy planet. 

“Digital games are a powerful tool for imagining new worlds. Students in the digital game design and development master’s program at Shenkar will instruct teachers and students in high schools and middle schools on how to develop games that promote the goals the UN has set forth for sustainable development,” says Vered Pnueli, head of the master’s degree in digital game design and development at Shenkar. “In this exciting collaboration with the Games for Change organization, and with the support of the Stevens Initiative, students from all over Israel will work in teams with students from the US and North Africa to develop games that explore solutions for poverty, healthcare, mental health, gender equality and more.”

In collaboration with Shenkar and Beit Berl, Games for Change will provide professional development training to high school teachers, who will then support their students and help them implement the program. In addition to the program’s courses, students will participate in a local gaming hackathon guided by professionals in the global games industry. At the end of the program, the students will submit their original games to an international competition, where they will have the opportunity to win prizes and receive international recognition.

The Game Exchange program is supported by the Stevens Initiative, which is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State with funding provided by the U.S. government and administered by the Aspen Institute. The Stevens Initiative is also supported by the Bezos Family Foundation and the governments of Morocco and the United Arab Emirates.

Since 2004, Games for Change has been training creators and entrepreneurs from the gaming industry to use computer games to effect change. Using games, the organization helps people from all over the globe learn and lead community development, and in doing so makes the world a better place. G4C works in collaboration with technology and gaming companies, organizations, foundations, and governmental agencies to run international events, arcade centers, design challenges, and youth programs. G4C supports the international community of game developers and is leading the trend of using games as a tool to cope with various global challenges, from humanitarian conflicts to education and the climate crisis.

The Stevens Initiative is the global leader in virtual exchange. The organization connects young people from all over, using everyday technology to promote partnership and collaboration. Using its 86 grants, the organization is expected to expand its reach to include almost 75,000 youths in 17 countries in the Middle East and in 47 US states by the summer of 2023.