ROCKET

ROCKET Admin Staff Training: Advancing DEI through Critical Virtual Exchange, Role-Playing Games, and Conflict Transformation
2025-10-13 - 2025-11-21 | online
Are you an admin staff in a university? Do you want to learn more about effective ways to address conflict, including issues related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI)? Are you interested in experiential learning methods for practicing socio-emotional skills? Consider joining one of our online trainings!
The Erasmus+ ROCKET project is holding an international online training in the fall connecting topics related to DEI to skill building in conflict transformation. This training will take place in a Critical Virtual Exchange (CVE): an innovative format that includes asynchronous discussions with video conferencing sessions.

This admin staff training will be open to members from the ENLIGHT network:
ROCKET Admin Staff Training
This training is intended for university employees who work with students, teachers, and other staff members in an administrative capacity. We are especially interested in employees in services related to human resources, accessibility, and student health, but anyone working for an ENLIGHT university is welcome. The training will be held in English.
In this training, you will learn to:

Identify underlying positions, interests, feelings, and needs in conflict
Practice different conflict styles through short role-playing scenarios
Discuss intersectional factors related to DEI in the university context
Map the support resources available at your institution

Time commitment:

Date range: Oct. 13 – Nov. 21
10 hours total spread over 6 weeks

4 asynchronous written discussions or journal entries
4 synchronous video conferencing sessions on Zoom

Oct 14 (12-13), Oct 28 (13-15), Nov 11 (13-15), Nov 18 (13-14). All times in CEST.

This training is ideal if you want to learn the basics of conflict transformation and DEI while connecting with admin staff in other universities. You will receive a digital badge or a digital certificate from one of our universities for successful completion. Please be aware that places are limited and selection will refer to a “first come first serve” principle per partner university.
If you are unable to attend one or more of the synchronous sessions, please sign up anyway and indicate those dates on the form.

Registration deadline: September 29

Please register here:

Your name

Your email

Your Institution

I will not be able to attend the following sessions:
Oct 14 (12-13)Oct 28 (13-15)Nov 11 (13-15)Nov 18 (13-14)

Your Questions or comments (optional)

By submitting this form, you confirm that you have read and accept the Privacy Policy of the University of Göttingen (ROCKET’s coordinating institution).

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If you have any questions about the course or need information on the accessibility of the online learning environment, materials or digital tools used during the training, please contact rocket@uni-goettingen.de.
ROCKET is an innovative project co-funded by the Erasmus+ Cooperation Partnerships program with partners from Göttingen, Uppsala, and Groningen universities. The project develops a working concept for Critical Virtual Exchange which implements role-playing games for conflict transformation. These novel modes of online interaction can aid participants to take on new perspectives and gain a deeper understanding of issues relating to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).

ROCKET Teacher Training: Advancing DEI through Critical Virtual Exchange, Role-Playing Games, and Conflict Transformation
2025-09-15 - 2025-11-14 | online
Are you a teacher in a university? Do you want to learn more about effective ways to address conflict, including issues related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI)? Are you interested in experiential learning methods for practicing socio-emotional skills? Consider joining our online training!
The Erasmus+ ROCKET project is holding an international online training in the Fall connecting topics related to DEI to skill building in conflict transformation. This training will take place in a Critical Virtual Exchange (CVE): an innovative format that includes asynchronous discussions with video conferencing sessions.
This teacher training will be open to members from the ENLIGHT network:
ROCKET Teacher Training
In this more extensive training, educators from different ENLIGHT universities are invited to come together to learn how to address issues of DEI and train skills in conflict transformation in your curriculum design. This training will also introduce best practices in Critical Virtual Exchange (CVE), using the training itself as a model. The training will be held in English.
If you attend the training, you will collaborate with other educators to plan activities related to your course content and experience role-playing methods in an embodied fashion. You will learn to recognise conflict styles as key drivers in everyday interactions and gain tools on how to make your classroom more inclusive.
In this training, you will learn to:

Identify underlying positions, interests, feelings, and needs in conflict
Practice different conflict styles through short role-playing scenarios
Discuss intersectional factors related to DEI in the university context
Map the support resources available at your institution
Recognize the value of critical virtual exchange in fostering (inter-)disciplinary and transversal competencies relevant to your courses
Identify design features of transformative role-playing games

Time commitment:
We have two options for the teacher training. All learners will take the mandatory core modules, with the option at the end to take the extension modules.

Core modules (mandatory):

Date range: Sep. 15 – Oct. 10
16 hours spread over 4 weeks

8 asynchronous written discussions or journal entries
4 synchronous video conferencing sessions (5 hrs 30 min):

Sept 17 (10-11), Sept 26 (10-11:30), Oct 2 (14-16), Oct 10 (10-11). All times in CEST.

Extension modules (optional):

Date range: Oct. 13 – Nov. 14
24 hours total spread over 5 weeks
Option to take some or all modules
If you take all modules, 1 week / 40 hours total of training including the core, spread out over time

Maximum 9 asynchronous written discussions or journal entries
Maximum 4 synchronous video conferencing sessions (4 hrs 45 min): Oct 23 (10-12), Oct 30 (10-10:45), group meeting week of Nov 12 (based on your schedule), Nov 14 (10–11). All times in CEST.

In the extension modules, you can learn to:

Deepen your understanding of CVE and jointly work on a concrete scenario for future collaboration with a partner
Discuss educational applications of RPGs
Design and facilitate transformative role-playing games for conflict transformation
Address issues related to conflict and worldview, cognitive dissonance, and perception checking
Explore intersectional aspects of DEI from your own experience

Join our teacher training if you would like to explore new avenues of international collaboration with educators from other universities in the ENLIGHT network!
If you are unable to attend one or more of the synchronous sessions, please sign up anyway and indicate those dates on the form.

! Registration deadline extended until September 7, 2025 !

Please register here:

Your name

Your email

Your Institution

I will not be able to attend the following sessions:
Sept 17 (10-11)Sept 26 (10-11:30)Oct 2 (14-16)Oct 10 (10-11)

Your Questions or comments (optional)

By submitting this form, you confirm that you have read and accept the Privacy Policy of the University of Göttingen (ROCKET’s coordinating institution).

Please be aware that places are limited and selection will refer to a “first come first serve” principle per partner university.
You will choose whether or not to take extensions at the end of the Core. If you participated in the pilot training in early 2025 already, you are eligible to sign up for the extension directly. Please let us know at rocket@uni-goettingen.de.
You will receive a digital badge or a digital certificate from one of our universities for successful completion.
* * *
If you have any questions about the course or need information on the accessibility of the online learning environment, materials or digital tools used during the training, please contact rocket@uni-goettingen.de.
ROCKET is an innovative project co-funded by the Erasmus+ Cooperation Partnerships program with partners from Göttingen, Uppsala, and Groningen universities. The project develops a working concept for Critical Virtual Exchange which implements role-playing games for conflict transformation. These novel modes of online interaction can aid participants to take on new perspectives and gain a deeper understanding of issues relating to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).

Transformative Play Initiative Seminar 2025: Games, Conflict, and Education
2025-06-12 08:00 - 2025-06-13 17:00 UTC | Uppsala University’s Department of Game Design, Visby, Sweden
Erasmus+ ROCKET is co-organizing a seminar for educators, practitioner, and researchers in Visby, Sweden on June 12-13, 2025!
The Transformative Play Initiative at Uppsala University’s Department of Game Design is co-hosting a two-day seminar on Games, Conflict, and Education directly following the Gotland Game Conference (GGC) in Visby, Sweden together with the Erasmus+ ROCKET consortium.
The seminar invites educators, researchers, and design practitioners to present work related to conflicts within games, their associated communities, and/or game-based learning environments. Such conflicts can be central to the game, e.g., in the setting, mechanics, or themes. Alternatively, presenters can focus on conflicts arising within these leisure and educational environments, e.g., due to issues related to diversity, equity, and inclusion. While critical work is welcome, a special interest is placed on games that aim to practice prosocial skills aimed to increase peace and justice through analog role-playing games or other formats, e.g. resolution, or transformation.

For more information, click here: https://tinyurl.com/3uxywbxy
To RSVP on Facebook, click here: https://tinyurl.com/5a6e7e4p
The seminar will be hybrid, meaning attendance is possible online and in-person at Campus Gotland in Visby. Presentations will be streamed through Zoom, recorded and uploaded both to our archive and our YouTube for posterity.
Please register here: https://forms.office.com/e/KADM0bGg2N

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Keynote Speakers

First keynoter is David J. Smith! He will speak about “Lessons Learned in Experiential Education for Humanitarian Action: How Simulation Can Foster Professional Pathways.”

David will share his experiences over 20 years in developing and offering experiential learning opportunities to advance peacebuilding and humanitarian education. He will share the work of the Forage Center, teaching at the Carter School, and look at the future of experiential and simulation-based learning. He will address the challenges of teaching skills needed for “in person” activities and professional pursuits in a training world that is increasingly virtual.

David J. Smith is the president of the Forage Center for Peacebuilding and Humanitarian Education, a U.S. based NGO that offers experiential based training for high school, college, and university students. He is adjunct faculty at the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution at George Mason University and sits on the board of the humanitarian action master’s degree program at the Joan B. Kroc School at the University of San Diego. He has written three books including Peace Jobs: A Student’s Guide to Starting a Career Working for Peace (IAP 2016) and served at the U.S. Institute of Peace as a senior program manager.

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Second keynoter is Shirin Catterson Khosropour! She will speak to us about “Conflict, Play, and Psychology.”

The transformative power of play is well documented with more than a century of research. Play can not only fulfill our universal human need for fun but also support learning. But play’s potential for adult education remains underdeveloped and not fully utilized. Topics related to peace and conflict studies are particularly well suited for role-playing games. What if a wide range of educators and game designers could be empowered to create games that challenge players to develop their social-emotional skills in a safe environment? Games that help players better understand themselves, feel more in control of their emotional and behavioral responses in moments of conflict, and give them skills to face their cognitive biases. This keynote explores the intersections of identity framing, culture, and play from a psychological lens, drawing on Khosropour’s extensive experiences teaching conflict transformation in workshops and college classrooms.

Shirin holds a Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin. She is professor of psychology at Austin Community College and is founder and director of the Center for Peace & Conflict Studies. Shirin has earned certificates in Global Conflict Analysis, International Humanitarian Law, and International Conflict Management from the Johns Hopkins Bologna Institute for Peace & Security. In 2012, the American Red Cross appointed her an International Humanitarian Law Teaching Fellow. She has been awarded several teaching and leadership awards and has developed new programs in Global Studies and African Diaspora Studies for the college. An educational psychologist, Shirin’s work focuses on peace and conflict in cross-cultural contexts. A former community college student herself, Shirin strives to expand the reach of peace and conflict education in higher education.

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Third keynote speaker is Mikhail Silvestro Sustersic! Mikhail will speak to us about “Larp in Peacebuilding Work.”

In a world increasingly overshadowed by conflict, the pursuit of peace has never been more urgent. Peacebuilding is a sensitive field, which requires innovative, inclusive, and forward-thinking strategies to address complex global challenges and the root causes of violence and injustice. One promising approach might be live-action role-play (larp). By showcasing experience in larp design and peacebuilding, Mikhail Silvestro Sustersic will reflect on how larps can tackle critical issues like structural and cultural violence, nuclear disarmament, climate justice, and gender equality. Participants can in this way get first-hand experiences of ethical and practical dilemmas in peace and security and make more informed decisions today, collaboratively forging pathways to lasting global peace.

Mikhail Silvestro Sustersic is a peacebuilding expert with a transdisciplinary background and a holistic approach to the complexities of our world. With expertise in peace and security, conflict management, human rights, gender equality and more, Mikhail is dedicated to fostering inclusivity, equality and meaningful dialogue and passionate about preventing and countering violent extremism (P/CVE), transitional justice and supranational criminology. He is currently the Director of the Agency for Peacebuilding, an organisation bridging the gap between research and practice in peace and security. Monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL) expert, trainer, facilitator and researcher, Mikhail has made successful contributions to impactful projects for actors such as the UN, OSCE, Council of Europe, and civil society organizations including Search for Common Ground, USIP, UNOY, Kofi Annan Foundation, and GCERF. But Mikhail’s vision goes beyond conventional approaches. As a larp and experience designer with the association Chaos League, he creates immersive events for personal and social transformation, challenging participants to think differently and trying to inspire change.

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The seminar is an Erasmus+ ROCKET project Outreach Event and is co-organized with members of Uppsala’s Political Science and Peace & Conflict Studies departments. ROCKET is a Cooperation Partnership between Göttingen, Uppsala, and Groningen University in the ENLIGHT network on the use of conflict transformation through role-playing in Critical Virtual Exchange for diversity, equity, and inclusion in EU universities.
Learn more about the Games & Society Lab: https://www.uu.se/…/game…/research/games–society-lab
Learn more about Gotland Game Conference: https://gotlandgameconference.com/2024/
Learn more about the Transformative Play Initiative: https://www.uu.se/…/rese…/transformative-play-initiative

ROCKET Professional Development: Advancing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion through Critical Virtual Exchange, Role-Playing Games and Conflict Transformation
2025-02-07 11:00 - 2025-03-10 12:00 (Europe/Berlin) | Online synchronous and asynchronous sessions in the ROCKET training environment
ROCKET Professional Development: Advancing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion through Critical Virtual Exchange, Role-Playing Games and Conflict Transformation
What?
Join our online training and explore new avenues of online collaboration with teachers from other universities. Plan activities related to your own course content and experience role-playing methods for yourself. You will learn to recognise conflict styles as key drivers in everyday interactions and gain tools on how to make your classroom more inclusive.
ROCKET is an innovative project co-funded by the Erasmus+ Cooperation Partnerships program. It seeks to develop a working concept for Critical Virtual Exchange which implements Role-Playing Games and Conflict Transformation. These novel modes of online interaction can aid participants to take on new perspectives and gain a deeper understanding of issues relating to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. For more information on the ROCKET core concepts, check out here.
Who?
Teachers, Lecturers, Curriculum Developers across disciplines in Higher Education.
The time investment for participants is approximately 16 hours. Participants can receive a certificate of participation in the form of a digital badge.
When?
February 3 – March 10, 2025,
including 4 online sessions: Feb 7 at 11-12:00, Feb 14 at 10-12:00, March 3 at 11-12:00, March 10 at 11-12:00.
Where?
Online synchronous and asynchronous sessions in the ROCKET training environment.
How?
Please register below.
For questions about the training, please contact rocket@uni-goettingen.de.
We will only register your details for organising the training. If you want to be informed about ROCKET activities and outputs, you may subscribe to our mailing list.

ROCKET Project Outreach Event
2024-10-29 09:30 - 17:30 (Europe/Helsinki) | University of Groningen, Faculty of Arts, Oude Kijk In’t Jatstraat 26, Groningen, 9712 EK
ROLE-PLAYING GAMES IN VIRTUAL EXCHANGE FOR CONFLICT TRANSFORMATION
How can we make teaching and learning more inclusive and diverse through critical virtual exchange and inclusive group work and feedback? How can role-playing games help our students explore issues of inclusion? What is conflict transformation? What new resources are being developed for the inclusive teacher? How can we adapt to include everyone?
These are just some of the topics that will be covered on October 29 at the ROCKET outreach event. Participants will be encouraged to interact and experience the tools as much as possible.
Join us and participate in as many sessions as you like to find out more.
This is a free, in-person event for anyone interested in innovative practices in DEI and applying them in their daily lives and professional contexts.
The full programme for the event can be found here: Outreach Event Programme
Registration for this free event is mandatory. Please register for in-person and online participation using this form.
Deadline for registration: 21 October 2024 !
If you only want to participate online, the registration deadline is October 25, 2024!

ROCKET workshop at IVEC Conference 2024
2024-10-21 17:00 - 18:30 (Europe/Helsinki) | online
Erasmus+ ROCKET will be part of this year´s IVEC conference (International Virtual Exchange Consortium)! During this fully online conference, members of the ROCKET team will facilitate an interactive 90-minute workshop featuring Critical Virtual Exchange, DEI and educational role-play for conflict transformation. Join us on October 21, 2024 (17 – 18:30 CEST) for this innovative pedagogical approach in the conference track “Virtual Exchange for Global Change”!

ENLIGHT Teaching & Learning Conference
2024-10-07 09:30 - 2024-10-08 17:00 (Europe/Moscow) | University of Tartu, Ulikooli 18, Tartu, 50090, Estonia
This year’s Teaching & Learning Conference will take place at the University of Tartu from 7th until 9th October. The 2024 Conference highlights the topic of “Creativity and Innovation”. Check out the overview below to find ROCKET colleagues who will be facilitating workshops at the conference. If you are at the conference yourself or know a colleague who will participate, feel encouraged to join or recommend one (or more) of the workshops below!

Workshops:
7th Oct, 9:30 – 12:30
Serious Games
This workshop will explain how to design and run transformative role-playing games for the university classroom. (Sarah Lynne Bowman, University of Uppsala)

7th Oct, 9:30 – 12:30
Curriculum Design in ENLIGHT: Focussing on virtual internationalization
In this interactive workshop, we aim for a joint exploration of the concept of ‘curriculum’ and some common language around curriculum design in the context of the ENLIGHT alliance. (Philipp Freyer, University of Göttingen)

7th Oct, 14:00 – 17:00
Innovation through critical virtual Exchange: The creative use of roleplaying games in ROCKET
This workshop will initiate active engagement on concepts and experiences from the Erasmus+ project ROCKET (Role-Playing Games on Conflict Transformation for Equity in Higher Education through Virtual Exchange). (Sarah Lynne Bowman, University of Uppsala / Josefin Westborg, University of Uppsala /Carole Fuller, University of Groningen /Alexandra Schreiber, University of Göttingen / Philipp Freyer, University of Göttingen)

8th Oct, 15:15 – 16:45
Fostering Creativity and Innovation: The Role of Communities of Practice in Higher Education Diversity & Inclusion Initiatives
Discover the transformative potential of Communities of Practice in HE diversity and inclusion. (Carole Fuller, University of Groningen, poster presentation)
