Workshop Overview
The RealLives ChangeMaker Workshop is a 2-day learning experience where students explore real-life challenges, reflect on their choices, and work together to create solutions for social problems.
During the workshop, students will:
Play RealLives Simulation
Understand global and social challenges
Reflect on their own strengths and values
Work in teams to design a social idea
Present their ideas to everyone
Receive a ChangeMaker Certificate
This workshop focuses on learning by doing, not exams or marks.
Phases of the Workshop
The workshop is divided into clear phases, spread across two days, with some work done at home.
Phase 1: Opening & Workshop Introduction
(Day 1 – Morning)
All students attend a common opening session
Facilitators explain:
What will happen over the next 2 days
How the workshop will work
What students are expected to do
What they will create by the end
Goal: To help students understand the journey and feel confident about what’s coming next.
Phase 2: Simulation Experience (SDG Lives)
(Day 1 – Morning, in Labs)
Students move to their respective computer labs
They log into the RealLives simulation
Students play specific lives aligned to global goals:
SDG 1 – No Poverty
SDG 2 – Zero Hunger
SDG 4 – Quality Education
Each life presents different challenges, choices, and outcomes
Students make decisions related to education, work, money, health, and family
Important: The choices students make during these SDG-based lives are tracked by the system and are used to generate their RCMI competency reports.
Goal: To help students experience real social challenges and understand how their decisions impact outcomes, both in the game and in real life.
Phase 3: Personal Reflection (Empathy Canvas + RCMI)
(Day 1 – Given before lunch, completed at home)
Each student works individually on:
Empathy Canvas
Based on one character they connected with in the game
RCMI Report
A personal report generated after gameplay
Shows strengths like empathy, decision-making, leadership, etc.
Students receive:
A physical empathy canvas
A PDF RCMI report on their dashboard
Goal: To help students reflect on:
What they felt
What they learned
How they make decisions
Along with the Empathy Canvas and RCMI reflection, students are invited (optional) to:
Write a short letter to one character from the simulation they felt deeply empathetic or inspired by.
In the letter, students may choose to express:
What they felt while living that character’s life
What surprised or moved them
What they wish for that character
What they learned about themselves through that life
Important:
This activity is completely optional
There is no evaluation or grading
Students may write as much or as little as they like
Goal: To give students a safe, personal way to express empathy and emotional understanding beyond structured reflection.
Phase 4: Group Ideation & Social Idea Creation
(Day 1 – After lunch)
Students are divided into groups of 5
A short introduction is given on:
Social enterprises
Movements
Campaigns
Products or services for social good
Groups choose one problem and one solution
Each group receives a large physical Social Business Canvas
Canvas is completed after school (at home or online)
Goal: To turn empathy into a real-world idea through teamwork.
Phase 5: Pitch Preparation
(Between Day 1 & Day 2 – At Home)
Each group:
Finalises their idea
Prepares a 5–7 minute pitch
Decides:
What problem they chose
Why it matters
How their idea can help
Goal: To learn how to explain ideas clearly and confidently.
Phase 6: Reflection, Refinement & Presentation
(Day 2)
A few students share:
What they learned from their RCMI report
How they felt about the simulation
During the reflection segment, a few students may volunteer to:
Read a short excerpt from their empathy letter, or
Share what they wrote and why that character mattered to them
Important:
Sharing is not mandatory
Students may choose to keep their letters private
Groups get time to refine their pitches
Before presenting, each group explains:
Why they chose their idea
Groups present their ideas on stage (5–7 minutes)
Goal: To build confidence, communication skills, and purpose.
Phase 7: Closing & Certification
(Day 2 – End)
Closing remarks by RealLives Foundation
Key messages:
Support for student-led ideas
Importance of RCMI reports for the future
Launch of the Orchid School’s ChangeMaker website
Every student receives a ChangeMaker Certificate
Important: There is no judging — everyone is recognised as a ChangeMaker.
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