When Olga Ialovenko made the decision to escape her war-torn home of Ukraine with her family, like many she left with few possessions. One of those things was a well-worn box containing the board-game invented in her country called Life Capital. With a lot of hard work Olga translated the game into English and the first full Canadian game event happened in Kingston on December 6th. Olga gives us a short description of what the game is.
The aim of the game is to allow players to develop their financial literacy skills to meet everyday challenges. While the game was originally designed for an adult audience, it was discovered by chance that teens were excellent at navigating simulated life events to achieve their dreams on the board.
Olga’s connections with Rotary International accelerated the adoption of the game in Canada and in other countries around the world. She notes that players learn a very special lesson; partnering and cooperating with others around the board, lead to much better results. A new interest in math, was an unexpected benefit of playing the game.
Life Capital isn’t yet available on store shelves as the creators wish to offer training and demo sessions first in order for players to get its full benefits. You can learn more at lifecapital.ca and hear our complete interview with Olga below.
Story by Brian Turner
