TESA (Toolbox for Education and Social Action) is a favorite partner of Dr. Pop and the L.A. Coop Lab. We liked their Co-opoly Game so much that we blew it up to 10 times its normal size so that even more people can have fun and learn what it’s like to be a member of a worker coop. This month, TESA is raising money on Kickstarter for their latest game, this time about community organizing. Dr. Pop guest blogger Darya Marchenkova tells us all about it and how you can make Rise Up a reality below.
If you’ve ever wanted to start a conversation with your neighbor, coworker, or uncle about injustice, oppression, or the movements we see growing across our country…
If you’ve ever felt stuck in a debate about strategy and tactics with the members of your activist organization…
If you’re a parent who has wondered if there are any games to play with your kids that teach values of love, equity, and justice…
If any of these resonate with you, check out Rise Up: The Game of People & Power on Kickstarter!
We’re TESA Collective, or the Toolbox for Education and Social Action, and Rise Up is our latest board game. We’re currently raising funds to finish the game on Kickstarter. We’re the creators of Co-opoly: The Game of Cooperatives, which we created for the growing worker cooperative movement. Now we’ve created a game for social movements, people who are curious about them, and board game-lovers looking for a game that’s both meaningful and enjoyable.
All of us at the TESA Collective are longtime community organizers, so we know the value of tools that make it easier and more effective to bring people together and talk about ways to create the change we need. Our vision with Rise Up is a powerful tool that activists can use to inspire conversations about the change we need and what it will take to get there together. It’s a way to have no-risk, no-pressure discussions about how to build campaigns, movements, and fight back against the systems bent on on stopping us.
We’re also big lovers of games, so it was equally important to us that Rise Up be able to stand alone for a game night with friends. As Hnin W. Hnin, one of our test game-players, said: “The game was super fun! Loved that it encourages cooperation, creativity, and strategic thinking in a super chill way.”
To learn more about how Rise Up is played, visit our Kickstarter page. Rise Up will only be funded if we raise $35,000 by November 3rd—consider backing us today!