Join us at the 2020 Games For Change Festival, where iThrive Games Foundation staff will unveil iThrive Sim—our new educational offering that reimagines distance learning. The event, which will be held online July 14-16, will feature experts in games for learning from across the country. We are thrilled to have two chances to connect with you regarding our new resource for virtual classrooms.

Executive Director and Chief Scientist Susan Rivers, Ph.D., will present Listening and Staying Agile During COVID-19. She'll explore how iThrive Games pivoted to address distance learning and the opportunities/challenges of designing game-based experiences for new learning environments. 

Since COVID-19 has and will continue to present barriers to traditional learning, organizations and people who work with youth need new kinds of resources that can address the challenges of distance learning and create new possibilities. Staying agile in meeting the needs of youth and those who work with them is now more important than ever, as the education landscape changes and the pandemic continues. And so is listening deeply to the needs of young people today, as their needs and requests change. 

Susan's presentation will focus on addressing the needs of students, teachers, and parents in distance learning, reimagining learning, and rapid development cycles. Utilizing iThrive's experience in re-designing classroom products for the virtual space, Susan will discuss the opportunities and challenges of designing from the ground up for new and non-traditional learning environments. 

Additionally, at the Games 4 Change Marketplace, staff will be on hand to offer participants early access to iThrive Sim, which was co-developed, field-tested, and approved by educators and teen users alike. iThrive Sim offers tech-supported role-playing scenarios—including a specific Covid-19 scenario—that lets teens practice difficult decision making and collaboration in real-time. Attendees will also be able to speak with staff about iThrive Curriculum-our game-based, social and emotional learning units for English Language Arts classes. Sam's Journey is a short, easy to implement unit that debuted in June. Museum of Me is a unit with rave reviews from pilot teachers across the U.S. All of our offerings have a core focus on students' self- and social awareness and responsible decision-making that manifests through teens' playful engagement.

The festival is free to all who want to participate. Sign up here. We hope to see you at the session and at the virtual marketplace!