On May 17 and 18, 2021, we took part in the SDGs Market Place at the UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) World Conference on Education for Sustainable Development. The SDGs Market Place is a virtual exhibition that features online booths and live sessions, with the aim to showcase innovative ESD (Education for Sustainable Development) projects and highlight ESD as a key enabler for all SDGs.

Live sessions were dedicated to educators, policymakers, and researchers. In our session, Dr. Piotr Magnuszewski talked about Social Simulations, a type of game-based learning that offers participants an innovative and immersive way of exploring solutions to complex problems and testing future pathways.

The traditional approach to education tends to be siloed and linear, and this is reflected in how policymakers work and act. By showing researchers, policymakers, and students how to take a systems approach to problem solving and practice collaboration in a safe environment that encourages experimentation, we enable them to come away with solutions that are more viable and sustainable. Our session included examples of who and in what contexts the tool has been used, from policymakers at the OECD through stakeholders involvement in the RURITAGE project to students at the Swiss Business School, how it can be used, and how the game looks and plays.