PoN: Promoting environmental education through engaging gameplay
PoN is a non-profit gaming initiative led by the Danish Cultural Institute in Brazil that promotes environmental education through the award-winning mobile game ‘PoN! Armadillo Island’ and its educational kit. The game transforms complex environmental issues into a collaborative adventure, empowering young people to connect with environmental agendas and take action on climate change through engaging gameplay and advocacy.
The environmentally themed mobile game
‘PoN! Armadillo Island’ translates complex socio-environmental issues into a playful and interactive language, aiming to help young people identify with environmental agendas and engage in action.
In the game, players are tasked with protecting their island from robots that are destroying nature and stealing its essence. The robots are cutting down trees, polluting rivers, and exploiting natural resources, threatening the island’s ecosystem. Taking on the role of an armadillo, players embark on the mission to defend nature and restore balance to the island. While fighting the robots, players can explore four different Brazilian biomes while learning about environmental issues.
The PoN game and kit together form a powerful and innovative tool for environmental education, promoting environmental awareness, engagement, and agency among young teenagers in Latin America and beyond. The game is developed by Brazilian developer Ilex Games as part of an intercultural collaboration involving Brazilian and European partners. Led by the Danish Cultural Institute in Brazil, the PoN initiative involves over 40 Latin American and European partners, including youth climate organisations, Brazilian and Colombian Ministries, WWF, universities, embassies, and the Danish animation school: The Animation Workshop.
The materials and methodologies have grown into a multitude of advocacy and learning formats, including educator and student training workshops as well as online formats for collaborations between schools in the Global South and the North. The PoN material is approved by the Ministry of Education of Colombia and has been implemented in the public school curriculum of the municipality of Santos (BR) and in the Fábricas de Cultura of São Paulo State, soon to be included in the state’s educational network.
“The climate crisis is (also) a crisis of imagination. With PoN, we bring environmental education and youth engagement into play, to inspire new reflections and nourish discussions.”
About the Danish Cultural Institute (DCI)
The Danish Cultural Institute (DCI) is a self-governing institution founded in 1940 with headquarters in Copenhagen and activities in more than 15 countries. DCI Brazil works to facilitate intercultural dialogue between Denmark and Brazil at local, national, and regional levels. Since 2019, the projects have focused on the cultural dimension of the transformation towards a sustainable world. DCI strives to tackle complex issues through arts and culture, creating mutually engaging and enriching experiences that bridge the Global South and North, with special attention to children and youth.
Learn more about 'PoN! Armadillo Island’ and the educational kit.
The game is available in multiple languages and can be downloaded for free on iOS and Android in Play/App stores. The educational kit is also available for free in Portuguese and Spanish.