Passages Game
An awareness game putting players through the experience of refugees.
© UNHCR
Passages is a role playing game developed by UNHCR in 1995 designed to put participants through the experience of being a refugee fleeing war or persecution.
It is played in a large space, outside on a square or inside in a large room like a gymnasium, in groups of 15 to 67 people.
A game leader is designated and the group is subdivided in "families". Each of these families will play game modules putting them through all aspects of being a refugee (fleeing a country, crossing borders, claiming asylum). The game leader will brief and debrief the players afterwards. Some props and clothing are necessary to set up the game modules.
Depending on how many modules are played, the games take half a day to a day to play.
Materials available
The Passages Booklet contains all information needed to play the games. It also contains the instructions for the game leader and the briefings and debriefings.
Age groups
No age defined, but ideally for groups of teenagers and/or adults.
Languages
The Passages booklet is available in Dutch, French and English.
How to order
The Passages Booklet is available here as a free download in English, in French and in Dutch