NEGOTIATING POWER, PRACTICING LEADERSHIP: WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO MAINTAIN PEACE, PROTECT VALUES, AND LEAD UNDER PRESSURE?
Power Play (1945 - 1990) invites students to explore the global stakes of Cold War diplomacy through immersive roleplay, civic analysis, and collaborative problem-solving. In this teen-centered learning experience students step into the role of U.S. diplomats during a high-stakes historical moment and practice the real-world skills of negotiation, advocacy, and strategy. With the Cold War as backdrop, students explore how fear, power, and influence shape global relationships—and how diplomacy can either sustain or destabilize peace.
Created in generous partnership with XQ Institute, the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching (CFAT), and educators and students in Indiana, New York, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee.
"Sitting there in a class every day and opening up a book, it gets very repetitive and then after a while you just zone out. But this is different. You actually have to think on the spot and it switches up every time. [It] flows and works better than how we teach [the same content] now." — HS Student after Power Play
YOUTH-LED SIMULATION: DIPLOMACY IN ACTION
At the heart of this experience is Diplomacy in Action, a multiplayer, role-playing simulation game hosted on the award-winning iThrive Sim platform. Students research a country, collaborate to brief classmates, and prepare a diplomatic portfolio before stepping into a game of diplomacy inspired by real world events.
In the role-playing simulation game, students negotiate across competing interests, decode power dynamics, and grapple with the civic and ethical dilemmas of international leadership—all the while building critical tools to understand global affairs today.
WHAT STUDENTS DISCOVER AND CREATE
Throughout Power Play, students grow as critical thinkers and collaborative problem-solvers. They develop fluency in historical analysis, policy writing, and real-time decision-making—all while learning how to lead with clarity, empathy, and purpose in a complex world.
TEEN-CREATED ARTIFACTS INCLUDE:
Research on their assigned "Host Countries"
Strategic policy memos and briefs
Gameplay reflections from the iThrive Sim experience
Diplomatic portfolios and advice for future diplomats
These artifacts highlight students' capacity to understand the levers of power—and how to use their own voices, insight, and collaboration—to drive meaningful outcomes.
A CALL TO ACTION
We're actively developing this course—and we're looking for visionary partners to help us bring it fully to life. If you're a funder, educator or institutional partner committed to youth wellbeing, educational equity, and civic imagination, we invite you to co-create with us. Together, we can build a U.S. History course that helps students not only understand the world, but contribute to it meaningfully.
Take a deeper look at our teen-centered approach to U.S. history.
Explore what teens & teachers shared about their civic learning.
Fill out our interest form to receive everything you need to get started!
