Working with a climate game expert (center) are (clockwise from left) UFT Climate and Justice Committee co-Chair Ryan Bruckenthal and teachers Gabriel Fontes of Leaders HS in Brooklyn, Mark Henderson of Stuyvesant HS in Manhattan and Gijon Polite of Humanities Prep.
Fun and games with a purpose sums up the first game night organized by the UFT Climate and Justice Committee on March 21 at UFT headquarters. The 25 participants got to try Energetic: The Board Game, which challenges players to work together to decarbonize New York City while factoring in funding, zoning, political support and other factors. The game’s creators joined the session. Kevin Jacobs, a social studies teacher at Beacon HS in Manhattan, said he was “excited to meet other teachers who are making climate education part of their practice and getting to hear their ideas about how to use the game with students.” Committee co-Chair Ryan Bruckenthal said the committee believes New York City can achieve its clean-energy goals if the labor movement and environmental movement work together. “Energetic is a fun and serious way to collectively game out a path forward,” he said.
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