Tag Archives: game charity

LARPing for Good with Cultura Connector and the GRIT Ukraine Program!

Posted on by
Reply
Image courtesy of DrachenFest US.

If you’re not a roleplaying game fan, you might not be familiar with LARPing or Live-Action RolePlaying.

Essentially, it’s playing a tabletop storytelling game in a more interactive fashion. There is dressing up, combat, physically accomplishing tasks, and interacting with other players and NPCs (non-player characters that support the narrative).

And the organization Cultura Connector believes it can be used to help young people in Ukraine.

They are currently raising funds for their first GRIT Ukraine program, enabling Ukrainian facilitators to lead a 12-week LARP program with Ukrainian young people living in Poland to strengthen resilience, communication, emotional awareness, problem-solving, and connection with Ukrainian youths.

Here is part of the mission statement from their website:

Ukrainian families have been living within the immediate violence of war from Russia’s full scale invasion. They have had to leave behind homes, schools, and people they love. Even after reaching safety, the ground can still feel unsteady.

Parents are trying to build a life in a new country while carrying concern for the one they left. Children and teenagers are learning how to belong again while the adults around them are still trying to catch their breath after so much upheaval.

GRIT creates a structured space where young people can reconnect with others, practice making choices, and rediscover their capacity to shape what happens next.

GRIT stands for Games for Resilience and Interactive Transformation. It is a culturally grounded, trauma-informed program developed by Cultura Connector, a U.S.-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

Image courtesy of DrachenFest US.

It might sound silly, but LARPing can absolutely help someone find confidence in themselves and a community of likeminded people.

It happened to me in high school.

Making friends who brought me into their game taught me about storytelling, about trust, about letting go and enjoying myself and wholeheartedly embracing what I loved to do. LARPing was my gateway to the world of roleplaying games, a hobby and passion that has stuck with me for decades.

Please share the link and donate if you can. It would be so amazing to reach out to young people halfway around the world and show them the magic of storytelling while helping build them up.

You can also click here for more details on Cultura Connector and the GRIT program.

Thank you to Dan and the incredible hardworking crew at DrachenFest US for letting us know about this wonderful and worthwhile endeavor.

Happy LARPing, everyone.

The “No ICE in Minnesota” Charity Bundle!

Posted on by
Reply

Fuck ICE.

Hi! You might not have known my feelings, either morally or politically from reading this blog, so please allow me to get my stance out of the way bluntly and clearly.

Fuck ICE.

I’ve written about this corrupt administration’s policies in the past, discussing how they’ve affected the puzzle and game industry as it regards to tariffs, manufacturing, and so on.

And I’ve happily tried to help spread the word about puzzly efforts to organize against those and many other restrictive, harmful, and ignorant policies.

So I’m overjoyed to share another game-fueled charity effort for the betterment of this country…

The No ICE in Minnesota Charity Bundle.

Many puzzle and game companies have contributed to this bundle — featuring nearly 1500 games and downloads for tabletop games, video games, books, music, and more — and all they’re asking is a minimum donation of $10.

Their goal is to raise $100,000 for the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota, and they’ll be collecting until March 13th.

Here is the full statement on their itch.io link:

We created this bundle to raise funds for Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota in response to the Trump administration sending ICE agents to the Minneapolis area and the reckless murder of an innocent people by ICE agents. ILCM provides free immigration legal representation to low-income immigrants and refugees in Minnesota and North Dakota.

They also work to educate the community about immigration matters and advocates for public policies which respect the universal human rights of immigrants. ILCM provides services based on capacity and has a generally high demand for services. The more we are able to fundraise, the more people they will be able to assist.

Please donate, or at the very least, share the link and help get the word out about this worthwhile cause.

The people of Minnesota have shown us the true heart of America, the power of speaking out, of organization, of standing up against the masked faces of violence, racism, and corruption, and the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota deserves our support.

Thanks for reading today.

Oh, and one more time for the folks in the back, Fuck ICE.