Students from Exeter returning to College after sitting their AS-Level exams welcomed the opportunity to participate in a learning opportunity with a difference! Even though attending College after exams was not compulsory, 33 students joined which allowed for 3 very active Perspectivity Game sessions to run. Students from 3 courses; Politics, World Development & Economics were mixed evenly between the tables which led to some very contrasting strategies to be employed and certainly enabled conversations between the 3 disciplines which would be very welcome in addressing some of challenges faced in current geopolitics.
The debrief allowed students to share their thoughts on what is needed for ’triple bottom line’ development (economic, social & environmental) which they had studied in earlier weeks. They were visibly challenged when asked to consider what they could do towards a more sustainable world and finally they reflected on 1 key lesson they would take away from the session.
A participant wrote “The world and its social, economic and environmental activities are unpredictable. Filled with people acting primarily for their individual self-interests. The short-term gains incentivise people and only a minority pursue long-term gains. Perspectivity has taught me that self-interests and the pursuit of these, doesn’t necessarily bring the best results. Team-work and communication are vital in society. I want to take these skills and apply them to life. Perspectivity Game is a real eye-opener and exciting to play.”
If such thinking can be brought to surface in just one afternoon, we are keen to see how much further we can engage with the education sector and excited as to what the future could hold if young people start thinking more broadly and see engagement in world issues a key part of their life.