1.2 Billion People Live in Poverty - Rockefeller Foundation and Institute for the Future Invite 7 Billion People to Help Find Solutions

What:

Today, April 3, Rockefeller Foundation and the Institute for the Future (IFTF) will join forces with people across the globe and ask

them to help solve global poverty through an interactive, online game.  The game, dubbed Catalysts for Change, was designed by Jane McGonigal, and is based on the premise that collaboration on a global scale can yield unique insights on ways to create a more prosperous, equitable future.  These insights will trigger innovations which will make a significant difference in the lives of poor and vulnerable communities. A game preview video is available here.

Also today, Dr. Judith Rodin, president of the Rockefeller Foundation will launch a conversation with Bay Area leaders in the fields of international philanthropy, development, technology, design, and social innovation, asking them to help rethink ways to catalyze positive change. 

Why:

Organizations have been trying to tackle poverty for hundreds of years, yet there are still 1.2 billion people living in extreme

poverty across the globe.  Games can help close the gaps as they are powerful tools to break through the limits of our thinking. They use competition to build cooperation, and as they spread across the Internet, they provide a powerful platform for linking ideas around the world for a common purpose.

Game Time: 

Catalysts for Change game starts today, Tuesday, April 3 at 16:00 GMT and lasts 48 hours, ending on April 5 at 16:00 GMT

About Forum:

Special interactive game Webcast with Dr. Judith Rodin, president of the Rockefeller Foundation. Join here for the live-streaming

global conversation with Dr. Judith Rodin, President of the Rockefeller Foundation and her special guests, Mitch Kapor, Jane McGonigal, and Shannon Spanhake.  Timing below:

New York, April 3 7:00 PM

San Francisco, April 3 4:00 PM

Nairobi: April 4, 2:00 AM

Mumbai, April 4, 4:30 AM

Watch the live-stream, tweet questions #catalyze4, and we'll pass them along!

To Play:

Anyone with access to a web browser, anywhere in the world, can play the game at game.catalyze4change.org. Players can also

share their ideas and build on themes from the game by participating through the Catalysts for Change Facebook page: www.facebook.com/catalyze4change, or through connecting on Twitter at http://twitter.com/catalyze4change.