Why Should I Support GRIT?

Help Heal the Wounds of War 

Join us in bringing hope to the children of Gaza with GRIT

Children in Gaza are growing up in the midst of traumatic conflict and unimaginable violence, experiences no child should ever endure. According to Save the Children, over 80% of children in Gaza show severe emotional distress: 

• 84% report feeling fearful (up from 50% in 2018)
• 80% feel nervous (previously 55%)
• 77% experience sadness or depression (previously 62%)
• 78% are grieving (previously 55%)

More alarmingly, over half of Gaza’s children have contemplated suicide, and three out of five engage in self-harm.

At Cultura Connector, a 501c3 nonprofit, we believe that the power of transformative games can make a difference. By working with displaced and war-affected communities, we support them in sharing their stories and shaping this initiative. Our role is to facilitate a space where cultural expression, resilience and healing can emerge through play, ensuring that their identities and lived experiences are represented authentically.

What is GRIT? 

GRIT — Games for Resilience and Interactive Transformation is a pioneering therapeutic live-action role-playing (LARP) program designed to help children heal from the invisible wounds of war.

In collaboration with the Alsaid Foundation in Jordan, cultural consultants in Palestine, Guardian Adventures in the USA, and Evocative Games in Sweden, we are introducing a new form of intervention that blends play with purpose, resilience with recovery. 

Our impressive advisory board includes leaders from Sesame Street, Harvard Graduate School of Education, Disney, Accenture, Discord, and Uppsala University. The entire program will be developed and led in partnership with trauma-informed therapists and facilitators.

Why Donate?

Direct Impact: Your donation directly funds the development and operation of this innovative therapeutic program. Unlike traditional talk therapy, transformative game design combines role-playing games and professional therapy, allowing children to process trauma in a creative and emotionally safe way.

Evidence-Driven: Traditional group therapy often struggles to engage children. However, play therapy, specifically role-playing games, has shown to have both significant potential and more immediate effects.

Research shows that children are more likely to express their emotions through the characters they play, especially those facing challenges, rather than speaking directly about themselves. This process allows them to integrate feedback for their character that they can also internalize and apply to their own lived experience.

To ensure the program’s effectiveness, a neutral third party will conduct studies comparing GRIT to traditional group therapy. Our long-term goal is to expand this model beyond Gaza, bringing healing to children in conflict zones worldwide.

Building Peace: Our long-term vision is to see a world where today’s war-affected children are able to process their trauma in a safe, creative space and let go of fear and anger. This, in turn, can help them create a sustainable and resilient life as they grow into adulthood. By preventing the radicalization of youth, we are investing in a peaceful future for all.

Your Role in This Mission

With an initial fundraising goal of $15,000, we will cover the travel and training expenses of our dedicated team. First, they will travel to Washington DC to collaborate with representatives from supporting countries, and then to Jordan to conduct an intensive two-week training program for local staff who will then administer the program in Gaza and beyond.

Every contribution counts. Whether you donate $5 or $500, you are helping a child reclaim their future.

Join us in sowing seeds of peace through play. Your generosity brings hope and healing to children affected by war.

Donate today and be part of this life-changing mission. Every contribution, big or small, makes a difference.

As tabletop role-playing has entered the mainstream, some of the earlier generations of role-players have brought their role-playing experience with them into their practice as therapists. By using role-playing as a group-based support in their therapeutic work with children and youth, these therapists are reporting amazing results in record breaking time. One therapist shared with us how the parents of their patients are amazed at how their kids that would previously sit non-responsive and quietly in the backseat when they got picked up from their therapy sessions, now come running to the car, overflowing with stories about their day and the session. This opening up and responsiveness would then transfer over to the rest of their lives and interactions. Another therapist how they feel that after a few weeks of role-play supported therapy they are seeing results that might have taken years with traditional talk therapy. Research has been catching up to these testimonials in the last couple of years, and it seems clear that we are only beginning to understand the great potential that role-playing supported therapy has in group therapy work with kids and youth.  

Phase 1 Budget:

$7500 Group Travel to World Bank for Pitch

$5500 for flights for 4 from 3 different countries

$2000 for housing for 6 days

$7500 Pitch Deck/Assets/Video

Total: $15,000