Emerson UnCommon civic game launches Sept. 22

Want to have fun and make an impact on the future of Emerson College?

On Monday, September 22, Emerson launches a civic engagement game called Community PlanIt: Emerson UnCommon, a highly innovative, distinctively Emersonian way of cultivating community input for the College’s ongoing strategic planning process.

Students, faculty, and staff can sign up now.

“I am eager to be part of Emerson UnCommon myself,” said President Lee Pelton, “and look forward to talking with everyone about what we learn from it and how to move forward with our collective vision for Emerson.”

Community PlanIt: Emerson UnCommon – Intro from Community PlanIt on Vimeo.

Designed by Emerson’s Engagement Lab, Emerson UnCommon gives participating students, faculty, and staff a remarkable opportunity to make their voices heard in an important all-campus conversation about Emerson’s five strategic priorities: academic excellence, civic engagement, internationalization and global engagement, innovation, and financial strength and stewardship.

The game will be played over three weeks, with a new “mission” being launched each week.

September 22: Mission 1, “My Emerson”

Explore your personal experience at Emerson as a student, faculty, or staff member.

September 29: Mission 2, “Campus/Community”

Imagine the ways in which Emerson makes an impact in the surrounding community.

October 6: Mission 3, “Global Outlook”

Set goals that will help Emerson become the world’s leading institution of higher education in the arts and communication.

When players participate in Emerson UnCommon, they will be able to propose (or vote for) “causes” that help advance the strategic priorities. The three winning causes will each receive $1,000 in funding so they can be implemented on campus.

Emerson’s Engagement Lab has used the Community PlanIt platform to launch numerous games all over the world to promote local civic engagement.

In April, the lab launched a game about youth unemployment in the Eastern European nation of Moldova with the help of the United Nations Development Programme, which had 1,000 participants.

Community PlanIt has been used to aid in the municipal planning process in numerous cities, including Detroit, Philadelphia, South Central Los Angeles, Boston’s Chinatown neighborhood, and many more.

This month, several Boston neighborhoods will participate in Community PlanIt: What Matters for Health, which will help health researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.