Rethinking the way we adapt to climate change and flooding
It’s time to create your own Township Flood Challenge game!
Applying understanding and reflection from previous learning, as a class or in groups, ākonga reimagine the game and town’s response as a hands-on board game.
Some things will stay the same:
- The impact of climate change and flooding is the main consideration
- The existing five characters
- The layout of the town
- The existing adaptation options
- The threat of extreme weather events using a six-sided dice (1,2,3 = no event; 4,5 = moderate event; 6 = severe event) to be rolled for each rotation.
Download the game board and adaptation options as a PDF (to be cut out).
Some new things are to be added:
To reimagine the town's response, create the below set of ‘value cards’. The value cards are to be shuffled and placed face down in two piles. Pick up one card from each before each roll of the ‘extreme weather’ die. The value chosen will guide discussion and decision making of each round.
- Eight VALUE cards - examples of values: kaitiakitanga, manaakitanga, rangatiratanga, social justice, economic wealth, protecting family, protecting the environment, responsibility to future generations, security of family health, social cohesion.
- Four WELLBEING cards - cultural, economic, environmental and social
- One COLLECTIVE card (representing equity, it invites the players to pause and hui/discuss when things are or feel out of balance.
The rest is up to the ākonga! Considerations include:
- The name of the town.
- Money available: the amount and how it is generated.
- Adaptation options: adding new and innovative options.
- The choices to be made: as individuals and/or collective responses – collective action is powerful in bringing about change. Purposeful individual actions contribute to the success of collective action.
- How do you know when the game ends - what does an interconnected, resilient town look like? What is the shared and collective vision for the town?
Creating a positive environment for discussion
Climate change is an issue that can promote strong emotions and reactions. These can be related to the causes of climate change, its predicted impacts, the potential responses/solutions, responsibility for the problem, and to the time frame for taking action.
Reimagining the game is an opportunity for ākonga to use their knowledge and understanding of climate change and associated decision making and values. They will be required to apply critical thinking and listening skills while respecting and learning about different perspectives.
To support positive conversations that encourage active listening and respect, share the five ways to respectfully disagree:
- don’t make it personal
- avoid putting down the other person’s ideas and beliefs
- use “I” statements to communicate how you feel, what you think, and what you want or need
- listen to the other point of view
- stay calm.
Akonga could create a poster of these to display while playing the game.