In the frame of the “Forum Jugend und Politik” project of the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, CRISP de-veloped and implemented two simulation games on autocrats and autocratic tendencies in de-mocracies with students at the Gymnasium Alsdorf.
The first game simulated the US presidential race in the lead-up to the primary elections. Partici-pants took on the role of presidential candidates and their campaign staff. They examined the candidates´ political platforms and developed campaign materials such as posters, social media posts and radio spots to make their message clear to voters. The candidates engaged in a TV de-bate on pressing issues like immigration, discrimination, healthcare and poverty. Through this experience the participants were able to gain insight into autocratic tendencies in domestic politics.
The second game simulated a UN conference on climate change and nuclear disarmament titled “One Planet. One Future.” In separate committees, heads of states and foreign ministers of 10 na-tions worked to draft agreements on their respective topics. This allowed the participants to expe-rience the challenges of working with autocratic leaders in international politics.
Project Goals
The goal of the two-day workshop was to give the participants insight to the mind-set and actions of autocratic leaders while allowing them to explore current and relevant political topics.
Target Group
The participants were high school students who were members of the honors courses history and geography at the Gymnasium Alsdorf.
