Board games for democracy - A special board game night in the Bolygó Community Space
The Foundation for Democratic Youth' s project, Wing - A Game about Populism and Social Change, is an initiative that explores the theme of active citizenship, enriched with different approaches and events. A number of organizations have recently joined in to organize their own programmes linked to the game. We, the Civilisation Coalition, have decided to bring this inspiration to life in the form of a board game focusing on the knowledge and skills needed for active citizenship.
The board game was recently presented in the Bolygó Community Space during a board game night. The Bolygó opened last year with the support of Greenpeace, where people can participate in activities related to the arts, activism, culture and the environment. The event was a real success: many people came to try the game and take part in the lively discussions that spontaneously took place during it. Not only did we have fun, but deeper dialogues were also generated on how we understand citizenship, what challenges we face today in the field of populism and human rights, and what we can do together to strengthen democratic values.
The aim of our board game is to bring people closer and teach them in a playful way about important topics such as civic education, recognising populism, understanding our rights and duties, learning about democratic values and processes, and human rights. They learned when they are eligible for GYED, what to do if a policeman gives you a ticket, what we celebrate during Pride month and much more. The game provided a fun and interactive way for participants to learn about these basic issues while interacting, debating, and sharing their own experiences and perspectives.
One of the key lessons of the evening was that such creative approaches not only educate, but also build communities. Through play, it was an opportunity to connect, to learn from each other's experiences and to understand that democracy is truly a shared cause.
We are grateful to all the participants who contributed to the success of the evening, and we would like to thank UNDEF and DIA for their support in making this project possible. We trust that board games and events like this will provide further inspiration for communities to actively shape their environment and society.
If you are interested in the game or want to learn more about the work of the Civilisation Coalition, follow us on instagram, subscribe to our newsletter or join our next events!
The GameON for Democracy, also known as "Using Digital Games to Promote Youth Engagement and a Culture of Democratic Debate in Hungary" project is supported by the United Nations Democracy Fund's "Using Digital Games to Promote Youth Engagement and a Culture of Democratic Debate in Hungary" programme, coordinated by the Foundation for Democratic Youth.
