Role-Playing for Climate, Wellbeing, and Transcultural Understanding

2-Day Interactive Workshop and Lecture in Kyoto (2024/11/27-28)

This English-language workshop with public lecture is dedicated to developing and presenting role-play scenarios focusing on climate change and health in a transcultural context. Jointly organized by the Heidelberg University Hospital, Kyoto University, the University of Göttingen, and the Heidelberg University Office, Kyoto (HUOK), it aims to create a profound awareness of these critical issues through interactive learning methods and public discourse.

Speakers Barteit, Schreiber, and Kamm will guide academics, students, and experts from Japan and Germany to create role-play scenarios using design thinking methods. These scenarios simulate realistic challenges in the web of climate change, physical and mental health, and intercultural understanding of these realities to promote strategic thinking and problem-solving.

The two-day workshop concludes with a public lecture and networking event in which the developed scenarios and their solutions will be presented interactively to a broader audience. This part of the program will be held at the HUOK premises and seeks to stimulate public dialogue on the topics discussed, in addition to disseminating the workshop results.

The workshop is supported by the German Centre for Research and Innovation Tokyo (DWIH Tokyo) and the Japanese-German University alliance HeKKSaGOn.

Participation in both, workshop and lecture, is free.

Workshop Registration

Registration for the workshop itself has closed. If you are interested in learning about the results, please come to the public lecture.

Public Lecture Registration

If you would like to attend the public lecture on November 28 only, please register with your name and affiliation by emailing eclipse@cats.bun.kyoto-u.ac.jp by November 10, 2024 (deadline extended). Please indicate any dietary restrictions in your email.

Program

As of November 2024, subject to change

November 27, Wednesday

09:15 – 09:30 Registration and welcome coffee

09:30 – 10:00 Get to know each other

10:00 – 10:45 Larp Experience and Debriefing

10:45 – 11:15 Opening speech: ‘Role-playing Games – A Gateway to New Experiences and Action’ (Björn-Ole Kamm, Kyoto University)

11:15 – 11:30 Coffee break

11:30 – 12:00 Input speech 1: ‘Understanding Climate Change and Mental Health’ (Sandra Barteit, University of Heidelberg)

12:00-12:30 Input speech 2: ‘’Wicked Problems’ and Heterogeneous Cultural Groups (Alexandra Schreiber, University of Göttingen)

12:30 – 13:30 Lunch break

13:30 – 15:00 Workshop part 1: ‘Generating Ideas for Role-Plays with Design Thinking on the Topic of Climate Change’ (exercises on changing perspectives and empathy with Design Thinking in various groups).

15:00 – 15:15 Coffee break

15:15 – 16:30 Workshop part 2: ‘Developing Characters and Storylines | Role-play Scenarios for Empathy and Competence for Action’

16:30 – 17:00 End of the day: Feedback round and preparation for day 2

18:00 Voluntary dinner

November 28, Thursday

09:30 – 10:00 Arrival and overview of the day
10:00 – 11:30 Workshop part 3: ‘From Theory to Practice – Conducting Role-Plays’

11:30 – 11:45 Coffee break

11:45 – 12:30 Workshop part 4: ‘Role-Play Simulations – Participants experience their own scenarios’

12:30 – 13:30 Lunch break

13:30 – 15:00 Workshop part 5: ‘Reflection and Analysis – what have we learnt?’ (Reflection tools for concrete action strategies.)

15:00 – 15:30 Coffee break

15:30 – 16:30 Preparation of the presentations

16:30 – 17:00 Change of location to HUOK

17:00 – 18:30 Final presentations (Public lecture): Participants present a shared talk about the design process behind their role-plays and run their scenarios together with the audience

18:30 – 19:00 Final discussion and feedback

19:00 – 20:30 Networking session and conclusion