DEVELOPING AN INTERGENERATIONAL GAME AND IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCE TO SUPPORT CHILDREN AND YOUTHS EMPOWERMENT

1. Presentation of Terre des hommes

Terre des hommes, founded in 1960, is an independent, neutral, and impartial Swiss organization committed to bringing meaningful and lasting change to the lives of children and young people, especially to those most exposed to risks and vulnerabilities. We strive to protect them, to improve their well-being and ensure the effective application of their rights as defined by the Convention on the Rights of the Child and other relevant human rights instruments. To make a difference, we focus on the areas of maternal and child health, children and youth on the move, and access to justice. We aim to empower children and young people through active participation. We advocate for the respect of children’s rights, supporting them in voicing their needs and interests. We work in fragile and conflict settings, as well as in stable environments.

Terre des hommes (Tdh) aims to enhance the rights and develop the resilience of children and young people who are exposed to risks and face difficulties in accessing essential services around the world. Working in the areas of health, migration and access to justice, our teams both address issues directly and train other people and organizations to do so, in order to strengthen systems in a sustainable way. We take an inclusive, localized approach to create lasting solutions to the challenges children and their communities face and, by working together with them, we bring meaningful change to their lives. In 2022, Tdh supported 7.1 million children and members of their communities through 243 projects in 30 countries. We directly provided essential services to 2.6 million people, while a further 4.5 million were supported by people our teams trained. 67% of the people Tdh helped were children, 56% were children between the ages of 0-4 and 54% were women and girls. We recorded the highest number of directly supported people through our health activities (44%) and in Sub Saharan Africa (42%). Last year, the consequences of climate change and the global economic crisis, exacerbated by the war in Ukraine, exposed many vulnerable communities to further risk and difficulty in accessing essential services. Despite the reduction of humanitarian space and sometimes with highly restrictive regulations for NGOs limiting access to populations, such as in Mali, Afghanistan and Myanmar, our teams, supported by local organizations and community volunteers, provided quality assistance to disadvantaged children and their families and fought alongside them to uphold their rights.

For more background about Tdh globally and in Europe, visit our global website and our European website.

2. Context and the project

Tdh sought to explore what a truly empowerment-focused child rights organization might look like, and to take steps towards becoming one. This initiative builds on the openness and desire of Tdh staff to push the organisation in the direction of greater integrity and on the voices and perspectives of the children and young people in whose name Tdh exists.

“Following a process of mapping and review of literature and existing practices that promote and enable child and youth empowerment within the organization, Tdh identified some innovative solutions to tackle the “child and youth empowerment” challenge which gave life to the “Power Together “project, funded by Tdh’s Innovation Fund.

This project “Power together” is proposing the development of a new innovative solution to support workers to engage in power-transformative approaches[1] in their work with children and youth in contexts of adversity (children on the move; children in contact with the law; children who experience violence) The solution will be developed together with children and youth of the Resilience Innovation Facilities. Their participation and consultation in this development will be facilitated by Tdh teams.

3. Scope of work AND DELIVERABLES

As part of the “Power Together” Project, Terre des hommes aims to develop a toolkit for adult workers aiming to create an enabling environment to engage in power-transformative approaches in their work with children[2] in context of adversity using immersive learning techniques, as well as for children to also support them in understanding and operationalizing empowerment, side by side with adults.

The starter kit will be made of 2 parts:

Part I – an immersive and competency-based experience for adult working with children and youth (already developed)

Part II – (the subject of this assignment) an intergenerational playful activity using gamification techniques to support children, youth and adults to discuss empowerment.

IMPORTANT: Child advisory boards and youth groups, within the Resilient innovative facilities in Romania

will be consulted to develop the draft solution and test it.

Required characteristic of the game.

• The intergenerational game should be, in its principle, based on the Tdh theoretical framework on “child and youth empowerment” (Report not published and it will be handed over to the selected consultant) It should enable participants to examine how various dimensions of power materialize in their very context: working intersectionality, intergenerationally, collaboratively. It should also guide participants in reflecting about at collective and individual dimension of power (Power within, power with, power to and power for) they are experiencing in their daily life.
• It should enable participants to examine how the dimensions of power materialize more specifically in relation to childhood and be Child friendly, enabling aan inter-generational power analysis. It should explore the different areas of a child environment (school, home, justice, governance),
• The game should resort on immersive techniques that bring various audiences through practical steps / exercises (ex. privilege walk, role plays) that involve the individuals as a whole: body, spirit, and cognition (movement, energy, mindfulness, rationale work).
• It should enable “experiential learning” to support the acknowledgement of some of the key competencies identified within the “EmPOWERment” competency framework for adult professionals working with children and young people “developed also as part of the POWER together project.
• It should include gamification techniques made of several steps and playful exercises, and modalities to encourage participants as they complete their journey in analyzing how power dynamics materialize in their context, including specific social integration/ inclusion challenges such as discrimination, racism (ex. Symbolic “prize” or rewards).

Expected deliverables.

The expert(s) or team will be required to submit the following deliverables in line with the following steps (all in electronic version):

• Conceptualization
  • Produce a conceptualization paper of the game outlining the game’s story, mechanics, and visual style.
  • Support in developing a consultation methodology for children about the concept of the game (Tdh will manage those consultation in Romania and Hungary)
• Game design
  • Based on contribution from children, and validation of the concept, develop a detailed game design document (GDD) outlining every aspect of the game, including gameplay mechanics, level design, art style, etc.
  • Develop the core mechanics and rules of the game. Determine how players will interact with each other and the game components.
  • Create a prototype of the game using basic materials such as cardboard, paper, or inexpensive game components.
  • Playtest the prototype (with Tdh staff support) to refine the mechanics, balance, and overall gameplay experience.
• Art and graphic design
  • In collaboration with children, design the visual elements of the game, including the game board, cards, tokens, and other components (tdh will support children’s consultation).
  • Create artwork and graphics that align with the theme and aesthetic of the game and are vibrant, colorful, and universally appealing.
  • Design characters, environments, and animations that would suits older players while also captivating younger audiences.
  • Design of characters and all the compounding elements of the game should consider the diversity, inclusivity and the intergenerational characteristics of end users and it should be easily adaptable to different contexts and cultures.
  • Consider usability and clarity when designing game components to ensure they are easy to understand and visually appealing.
• Prototyping and playtesting
  • Produce a more refined prototype of the game using higher quality materials. This may involve printing custom cards, tokens, and other components.
  • Develop the methodology for Tdh to test the prototype with a wider audience of different age groups to gather feedback on gameplay experience, difficulty balance, and overall enjoyment, as well as identify any remaining issues or areas for improvement.
• Production:
  • Finalize the design and artwork of the game components.
• Develop supportive documents to run the game.
• Develop rules of the game, guidance for the facilitator of the game (short training /presentation package), including recommendation

Further expectations for the expert(s)

To ensure the smooth implementation of the mandate, the consultant will report to Tdh focal point, Maria BRAY. This will include face-to-face meetings, communication via email, mobile, and online meetings. The consultant must sign the Terre des hommes Safeguarding Policy and Code of Conduct and be willing to adhere to its principles and expected practices. If a breach of the policy or code of conduct takes place, the consultancy will be terminated immediately without any financial burden on Tdh.

Throughout the development process, it’s essential to have clear communication and collaboration among the development team members, including programmers, artists, designers. Additionally, flexibility is crucial as changes and adjustments may be needed based on feedback and unforeseen challenges.

• To deliver the assignment as per the signed contract, Terms of Reference, and the Technical and Financial Offer and relevant annexes, including Tdh policies where applicable (e.g. those related to Data Protection and Child Safeguarding). To submit all required deliverables as per the agreed deadlines.
• To be available for regular check-in calls, as necessary, throughout the assignment to share updates on the progress.
• To ensure that the identified Tdh project staff is regularly informed in case of any questions and issues (particularly, delays and blockages) that may emerge during the assignment and may require mutual discussion/planning.
• To generally ensure the confidentiality of the process as well as the information and documents received from Tdh.

Tdh supportive role

• Share with the consultants all Tdh resources and framework on “children and youth empowerment”.
• Share with the consultants the other components of the “children and youth starter toolkit”; the immersive experience of “Farrah and the multiverse”, the “EmPOWERment competency framework for adult professionals working with children and young people”, as well as the theoretical and operational review “bringing back power in”.
• organise consultation and reviews with Children and youths based on the methodology proposed by the consultants.
• Share with consultants the outcomes of the consultation with children and youths.
• Review and feed into the draft deliverables.
• Feedback to children and young people about the results of the work.

1. Chronogram

The foreseen timeframe and estimated number of working days for the assignment are indicated in the table. The final schedule and number of days will be mutually agreed between Tdh and the selected expert, also taking into consideration the proposal in the offer. The applicants are invited to develop their detailed work plan for the phase of the assignment period and can break these steps down to further sub-steps to illustrate the process they would plan to follow.

Steps/phases & deliverables

Number of days (suggestions) : 30 days

Starting date of contract/assignment: 15th of June

Introductory meeting with project team to better understand the scope of the assignment & Desk review of relevant documents (internal tdh and external) : 2 days

Conceptualisation (8 days)

Conceptualisation document: 4 days

Methodology to co create / consult with children : 1 days

Further review concept based on children and youth perspective : 3 days

Game design (6 days)

Pre-production document : 3 days

Methodology to Test with children and youths : 1 day

Review after testing : 2 days

Art and graphic design : 4 days

Prototyping : 3 days

Playtesting and review: 2 days

Final production : 3 days

Development of supportive document; guidance for facilitators / rules of the game : 2 days

Closing date of contract, final administration : 1st of August

5. Profile of the expert (or expert team) – qualifications and experience

Tdh will accept applications from both individuals, teams, academic entities, NGOs and companies as long as they are officially registered with a tax number (i.e., are able to issue an invoice) and have training, education, research or similar as their object of activity, which can be proven by legal documentation. In case the work is conducted by a team, the team should ideally be diverse, and gender balanced.

Proficiency in both child protection/Empowerment content and game design/development is essential, acknowledging the potential challenge of finding individuals with dual expertise, thus, we encourage consultants to submit their applications collaboratively as a team.

Required experience and skills

• Master’s degree (or higher) in (child) psychology, child development, social sciences, education, or other related field(s) from an accredited university.

• Demonstrated experience working on the issues of child protection & child participation, safeguarding, mental health and psychosocial support, with strong components of inclusivity and empowerment; specifically in context of instability where children’s rights are at risk of being violated.

• Professional experience in game design, track record of successful production of games targeting children and youth of age 7-25- . Strong understanding of age-appropriate gameplay mechanics and pedagogy

• Experience with playtesting and user research methodologies for developing games for children.

• Experience and / or understanding of social inclusion, integration, discrimination, and racisms challenges faced by people on the move.

• Strong writing skills and ability to convey information and knowledge in tailored manner to the target audiences’ needs.

• Full written and oral proficiency in English.

• Strong graphic skills, computer proficiency in producing quality written materials as well as graphic, visual material

• Official registration as an individual consultant or as an organization, company, think-thank, academia entity etc. being under the registered scope of activities.

• Capacity to issue invoices with tax registration in Europe (Switzerland included).

  6. Budget

The proposed budget for the work will be provided by the consultant in the Financial Offer. Upon the review of the Financial and Technical Offers, Tdh may choose to negotiate the final price with the preferred evaluator considering the Financial Offer and Tdh’s available budget (incl. VAT ). Tdh may also go with an offer different from this (incl. lower) depending on the combination of the quality and competitiveness of the Technical and Financial offers.

Payment will be transferred by Tdh based on the submission of deliverable, approval by Tdh and the accompanying invoice issued by the contractor(s), within a maximum of 30 working days following the receipt of the deliverable and invoice (this will include the time frame for approval by Tdh), in line with Tdh’s internal financial rules and regulations. No advance payments will be considered.

[1][1] A power transformation approach with children involves empowering them to actively participate in decision-making processes, challenge power imbalances, and advocate for their rights and interests.

[2] children on the move, children in contact with the law, children who experience violence or exploitation.

How to apply

Interested applicants shall submit their application via e-mail to the following e-mail address: [email protected]. The e-mail should have the subject-line: Power Together – Thematic Consultant – Applicant’s name. The deadline for submission is the 5th of June.

The application package shall include:

• Technical Offer should contain: – (i) outline of the methodology (ii) a short concept note outlining some of key considerations, – (iii) workplan with a timeline.
• Financial Offer – indicating daily fee in EUR. The indicated prices should be net amounts.
• Up-to-date CV of the expert(s) or professional profile/portfolio in case of an organization – max. 3 pages/CV or company profile.

Applications – incl. all annexes – must be in English. Other languages will not be accepted. Applications must be submitted as a single application package. Documents sent separately will not be accepted. Tdh will confirm the receipt of each application within 3 working days. The Technical and Financial Offer must be signed on the first and last page and stamped (if an official stamp is available). Both offers shall contain the name and contacts of the lead expert (or the representative if it is a team, company or similar)