When we talk about climate change, we usually picture reports, data, or policy debates — not dice, cards, and laughter. Yet for Janot Mendler de Suárez, play is one of the most powerful tools we have for learning, connecting, and creating change.
A founding member of the Pardee Center Task Force’s initiative: Games for a New Climate, Janot has built an extraordinary career helping people turn complex challenges — from water resilience to social protection — into playful, participatory experiences that make learning natural.
She is currently a technical advisor with the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre and consults on climate-resilient financing with the World Bank. Previously, she served on the Council of Advisors for the Collaborative Institute on Oceans Climate and Security at UMass Boston and was the first co-chair of the Global Oceans Forum Working Group on Oceans and Climate — both initiatives that have since evolved, as these issues became central to the Global Oceans Forum.
Her work, often in partnership with her husband and fellow innovator Pablo Suarez, has spanned over 80 countries and countless audiences — from rural African farmers to global policymakers. Together, they have designed games that reveal how systems work, encourage collaboration, and inspire people to take action.
“Playing is one of the most natural ways for us to learn,” Janot said. “It engages our curiosity, our emotions, and our sense of community — all at once.”
Through play, participants can inhabit complex systems and see how small actions affect the whole — whether it’s rainfall, markets, or community resilience. That “systems vision” helps players understand problems more deeply than any report or slideshow could.
One of Janot’s early successes was with the Rockefeller Foundation, where she developed game-based workshops on resilience planning. She also helped Oxfam America translate complex research on economic volatility into an experiential learning tool and co-created a game that explained rainfall index insurance to rural farmers in Africa.
But beyond technical breakthroughs, Janot’s games open space for human connection.
“Games level the playing field,” she explained. “They help people stop worrying about looking silly or being wrong — and start solving problems together.”
That inclusive power makes games especially effective for communities where participation can be hard to spark. Games help overcome resistance, build trust, and reveal shared goals — fostering what Janot calls collective intelligence.
For grassroots leaders, she shared simple tips to bring games into community work:
- Start small: Use familiar materials and simple mechanics.
- Create a safe space: Emphasize exploration, not perfection.
- Reflect: Always debrief — “What did we notice? What might we do differently?”
- Connect to real life: Ground the game in the local community’s reality.
“Play keeps us in the conversation,” Janot said. “It lets us approach tough topics with curiosity and joy — and that’s where transformation begins.”
Today, her “serious fun” continues to ripple outward, helping organizations worldwide use play to explore climate adaptation, urban sustainability, and equitable policy.
Because when people play, they don’t just learn — they imagine, connect, and act.
Learn More:
Discover more about Serious Fun and explore resources from the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre:
👉 https://www.climatecentre.org/programme-area/serious-fun/
