PoN! Game Workshops at Fábricas de Cultura in São Paulo

At the Danish Cultural Institute, we are committed to the cultural dimension of the transition to a sustainable world. One of our most significant projects, the PoN! Game, is being highlighted at Fábricas de Cultura in São Paulo. Throughout 2024, we have conducted workshops for educators from eight branches of the state’s cultural center network, located in underserved areas.

The PoN workshops focus on the integration and activation of the game “PoN! The Island of Armadillos” and its educational kit, which together become a powerful tool for engaging young Brazilians in discussions about climate, coexistence, and sustainability.

Our target audience includes instructors, learners, and users of cultural centers, many of whom are residents of urban outskirts or rural areas with limited access to cultural opportunities, where climate engagement is often modest.

We offer two workshop formats:

• Professional Development Workshop for Educators: This format aims to educate and inspire teachers from various disciplines to use the PoN materials. The workshop includes a three-hour session featuring a presentation, demonstration, guided gameplay session, and reflection/debate.
• Intergenerational Training Workshop for Teachers, Students, and Representatives from Education Departments: This workshop is designed to educate and inspire students and teachers from various disciplines, as well as general multipliers, to use the PoN materials. Additionally, it seeks to establish partnerships with local decision-makers. The format includes a two-hour session with a presentation, guided gameplay session, and reflection/debate, followed by a meeting with stakeholders to discuss next steps.

Recently, we conducted PoN Influencer Training Workshops at the Fábrica de Cultura in Vila Nova Cachoeirinha, with the enthusiastic participation of students from the game development course. The words of PoN Game’s educational consultant, Tainá Félix, resonate in these events, empowering the new PoN Influencers to lead their own workshops and interventions, emphasizing the transformative potential of games in fostering reflection, empathy, learning, and climate engagement.

This year, we have already held workshops at the Fábrica de Cultura in Vila Nova Cachoeirinha and at the headquarters of Poiesis, at Oficina de Cultura Oswald de Andrade, providing an enriching experience for educators and learners from eight libraries within the Fábricas de Cultura network.

Anders: 
“We are proud to see the positive impact that the PoN Game is having by empowering educators and engaging young people in the fight against climate change. These initiatives exemplify our ongoing commitment to environmental education and our belief in the power of culture to drive positive change in society.”

And Tainá Félix, PoN Game’s educational consultant, adds:
“By providing students and teachers with the necessary tools to understand and address climate challenges, we are building a community of change-makers. I am excited to empower a new generation of PoN ambassadors, inspiring them to lead the way toward a more sustainable future.”