Roger OngVery often, organizations tackle one or a few aspects of SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals). This, of course, makes sense. Not everyone would be an expert to tackle all the problems present in this world. Neither does anyone have the resources to tackle all 17 goals too.
These organizations can visualize a world of a fulfilled goal, for example everyone has medical access, or where gender discrimination no longer exist. But what would a world with all 17 goals fulfilled look like?
The invitation to play the SDGs LOCAL Card Game was then extended to me, proving promising to show me what such a place would look like. “SDGs LOCAL Card Game, where I am the main character in building a sustainable city? Challenge accepted.”
Furthermore, the game is a winner of the Good Design Award 2019, under the Good Design Best 100. This was a good opportunity to find out what makes this game about sustainability great.
The invitation was extended to me by Fujita Chie, a caregiver from Yuzu no Ki. She is leading driver behind the SDGs LOCAL Card Game, and aims to promote the awareness of the sustainable goals. She was also very gracious to offer her time for an interview.
Intervewee Profile: Chie Fujita
A caregiver from Yuzu no Ki. Fujita started the SDGs LOCAL Card Game events in Fukuoka in April. Realizing the dangers to society and environment if citizens do not act, she decided to help promote SDGs. The SDGs LOCAL Card Game was the ideal choice to promote SDGs in a fun and interactive way.A gathering from all walks of life
I arrived at the designated cafe, Ta Te, located near the popular Tenjin area in Fukuoka. Although I was informed that the turnout was going to be small, a group of 20 participants had already filled the Ta Te cafe.
Opening small talks with the participants before the event revealed that they came from all walks of life. They include welfare givers, university professors, company HR managers, photographers and a news reporter. There was also a high school student, and an 8-year-old girl, Mao, who was the most eager and motivated among us.
What started out as a game with cards, evolved into a whirlwind of communication. Individuals swept in and out of groups of discussions, looking for resources and partnerships. Yet there was an order in the frantic scramble to achieve our goals: to raise the status of the city we were building.
Building a paradise city of sustainability was deceptively immersive
This is probably the first time I am playing a board game that involves more than 20 people. The game, however, plays best at that number! Since we are members of a city, each participant takes a role in it. These roles include business owners, NPOs, service providers, government administrators and many more. Their goals are different, some for economic success, others to complete a target number of projects related to particular SDGs goals.
The best thing about these projects is that they are actual projects around Japan, which roots the game in reality. Some of the projects require the city to reach a certain development before allowing it to be completed. Furthermore, not all completed projects will affect the city status positively. For example, building a mall would bring increase the quality of living, but affect the natural beauty of city surroundings negatively.
Halfway through the game, Fujita would describe the development of the city as a checkpoint. “How everyone’s commitment to the city’s growth has allowed it to advance economically”. “Unfortunately, ignorance for the environment has degraded it. It’s not attractive enough, thus causing the population to decrease”. These are some of the stories which the participants awe or laugh at. It showed how invested the participants were in building their own city.
After an hour of frantic “who has what resource” and “who needs help with what”, the participants gave an applause before the final round was over. Everyone had achieved their own goals. Smiles were all around, affirming their satisfaction in a job well done. Fujita then gives a final description of everyone’s city: a city of prosperity with the highest standard of living, while co-existing with nature. Economically strong, environmentally friendly, discrimination-free, equality and access for all. A true paradise on Earth. Participants listened intently, proud of their efforts.
The game reveals how to make people take interest in SDGs
Those who actively promote SDGs often ask, “How do we get more people to know the SDGs?” By getting more people interested in the SDGs, more will realise the international scale and thus its urgency. We can then speed up building a better world. Yet, the adoption rate is not where we want it to be, with many still not hearing of the term “SDGs” before.
The SDGs LOCAL Card Game manages to involve and educate participants, while getting them to feel invested in building their own city. How did the SDGs LOCAL Card Game and its founder Fujita achieve it?
Framing the SDGs for the audience is very important
Fujita recalled her first session of the SDGs LOCAL Card Game, “We booked an office that was in a convenient location. Instead of the interactivity that we saw today, the participants mainly kept themselves, which made game progress slow.
“It was then that I realized that the participants assumed what kind of event it was based on the environment we set up. Instead of a fun board game, they assumed it was a serious seminar of sorts. So we knew we needed to reframe the event.”
That was when the collaboration with the cafe Ta Te begun. It was a cozy, natural cafe that did not share an office’s stiffness. Instead, it lets visitors feel at home. This allowed participants to open up to chatting with other participants, and communication drastically improved when the game started.
“And that is just like reality, isn’t it?” shared Fujita. “If the environment is uptight and all business, trust takes a long time to build, and communication consequently stagnates as there is no exchange of ideas or resources. SDGs doesn’t need to be that way.”
Help participants tie it up together
One newly introduced aspect of the event was a presentation by a medical professor. He shared the developments of SDGs in the international scene in simple terms, including how businesses are playing their part (eg topics like ESG – Environmental, social and corporate governance).
Together with the introduction Fujita gave at the beginning of the event, the talks serve two purposes. Firstly, the talks show how actions are being taken around the world in pursuit of the SDGs. It revealed to the participants the scale in which SDGs is operating in, and how serious the international social and environmental issues are.
Secondly, the talks remind that we are not isolated from the social and environmental issues. We can no longer think that these matters have nothing to do with us. This heightens the relevance of SDGs for each individual. While it can be overwhelming to learn the scale of all 17 goals, awareness is created when the participants know how they can better society and environment.
Instead of focusing on all 17 SDGs goals, focus on just one
At the end of the game session, a survey was handed out to participants. The first two questions coaxed the participants’ feedback about their time with the SDGs LOCAL Card Game. But the true crux of the survey form was in the second half, which asks, “What can you [the participant] do from tomorrow onward to contribute to the 17 SDGs?”
“I think we can agree that it is quite daunting for one individual to do everything for the 17 SDGs goals. This is especially true for the child or house maker who has just begun to learn about the SDGs. However, an individual can just focus on one, something he or she can make a direct impact on,” shared Fujita.
This is no doubt an important point to get more people onboard for the SDGs. We are often reminded of social issues like poverty and food waste, and suggested of solutions like circular economy and regional revitalization. These are big concepts that are hard to draw relevance to. But if we look from our individual perspectives, there are a number of simple things we can do.
For example, reducing plastic waste. We can choose to use our personal straws instead of using plastic straws in cafes and restaurants. We can buy from a Bulk Shopping store to avoid food packaging. Or we can bring our own carry bags instead of asking for a plastic bag at convenience stores. Doing these help reduce plastic pollution, and we’d be contributing to 7 different SDGs, including responsible consumption (SDG 12) and protection of ocean and sea life (SDG 14).
We don’t need to change the world alone. Friends are around us.
“Connection is very important too,” Fujita reminded us. “One of the realizations that our participants get from the game is the fact that no one can achieve their goals alone.” This is very true. I would occasionally hear the word “tasukeai”, which means “mutual help”, used in their participants’ personal discussions. In fact, in the last round of the game, those who had already completed the game were helping others to complete other projects.
The game may be designed for cooperation, but it reflects the similar truth in reality. Seldom does an organization go far on its own. Progress is best in cooperation and collaboration, and that is especially true if we want to solve the worlds’ issues soon. Goal 17 of the SDGs is “Partnerships for the Goals”, which also shows the importance of collaboration between different parties, be it a local government, a multicorp, or an individual of the human race.
SDGs is the passport across languages, is the vector to create connections among us
The SDGs LOCAL Card Game offers an unexpected revelation. After a session of fun, we all went home realizing how we came from different walks of life, but we share the same dream of creating a better world.
Sure, it made exchanging namecards much more authentic, knowing that we had a common direction. But more importantly, is that we do not need to change the world alone. There are friends we can reach out to. They could be business partners who have ideas to improve social problems. They can be from academic or scientific fields who know the latest developments. Or they can simply housewives exchanging ideas on reducing waste on a daily basis.
The SDGs LOCAL Card Game has captured the imaginations of its participants through fun and openness. There is much that we can learn from this successful medium. No doubt Fujita’s future events are also going to get bigger. There is no better conclusion than the one Fujita puts forward, “SDGs is the passport across languages, is the vector to create connections among us.”
[Website] SDGs LOCAL Card Game
