The Circle of Conflict was originally theorized to support mediations. This makes it a flexible tool to utilize in conflict resolution. The circle, divided into five components, illustrates the potential sources of conflict in negotiations. Understanding the impact of imbalances within the circle forces all parties to first identify and diagnose the source(s) of conflict,… Read more »
SmileUrbo encourages full player participation that requires becoming emotionally engaged in the roles. The end of the game is easily the most exciting for players as they eagerly wait for their results. However through the complexity of this game, the final indicators may not reach the required level and the group will lose. Players might… Read more »
Coaches often present their concerns to us regarding the construction of the budget in SmileUrbo. The purpose of this article is to gather in one place all of the information related to the budget and currency (urbo) that operates within the game. Village Budget The initial budget allows 4000 urbos for the village. The construction… Read more »
The idea of SmileUrbo all started in a small village in the region of Kociewie, Poland where Aleksandra Zemke – founder of the Asociacion Smilemundo- spent her holidays as a child. For several years, the village hosted a profitable music festival. However, the locals were unable to take economic advantage of this opportunity. Locals did… Read more »
SmileUrbo is largely based on the Tragedy of the Commons theory. This economic theory explains that within a shared-resource system, individuals will behave and act on self-interest rather than the common good by depleting the system of its resources through their collective action. The Tragedy of the Commons was popularized in an article by ecologist… Read more »
Interpersonal communication is a complex process that we rarely consciously think about. We are so accustomed to the exchange of information that we often do not realize the mistakes we make and the emotional reactions we cause in the recipient. What may seem like a good message in our head turns into a direct attack… Read more »
The nature of SmileUrbo requires participants to actively engage in the roles assigned to them during the game. The goal of these workshops is to prepare players to participate in group settings; local communities, associations, etc. Theory When participants are assigned roles, it is important to recall that just as they assume the role and… Read more »
This module was created as an extension of the social capital chapter (included in the Educator’s Guide). Below, we provide a theoretical and practical basis for organizing a research walk with the workshop participants. Knowledge module [75 – 85 minutes] Discussion [10 minutes] A research walk is an interactive field method. It encourages participants to… Read more »
This article was purposed primarily as a tool for educators who have had little to no experience conducting workshops, or have used other methodologies during their workshop. SmileUrbo’s workshops and methodologies were designed with Kolb’s cycle in mind. What is Kolb’s Cycle? David Kolb published his learning style cycle in order to show that learning… Read more »
You already know the game. So you know that it is a flexible tool, allowing You to fit a number of training needs, but at the same time demanding from trainer to be perceptive. If You let participants to spread its wings and the run game, You can put yourself in a position of an observer. But in order to maintain discipline on the training room and to facilitate the players subsequent analysis of the situation and to draw useful conclusions, it is worth at the outset, to introduce clear and accepted by all the rules.