BREAKAWAY: Preventing Violence Against Women

In partnership with the Population Media Center and at the request of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the Emergent Media Center has designed and created a game to address the issue of violence against women (VAW). The goal of this undertaking is to bring the changing world of electronic media to bear on the public health and human rights crises impacting women. Students, faculty and staff have conducted research and testing in South Africa and St. Lucia, as well as within New England. For more information please visit here.

BREAKAWAY launched its first chapter during the 2010 FIFA World Cup and has been played in over 128 countries (as of June 2011). Five full chapters of the game have now been released. Current work now focuses on creating a facilitator's guide and launching an international marketing campaign.

Click to Meet the Student Team

Over 60 students have worked more than 23,000 hours to make BREAKAWAY a reality.

Champlain College Faculty & Staff (current & former):

Ann DeMarle - Director
Julie Bond - Assistant Director
Greg Morgan - Development
Lauren Nishikawa - Project Manager/Creative Director
Sarah Jerger - Marketing & Operations Manager
Raymond McCarthy Bergeron - Project Manager
Heather Kelley - Creative Director
Ken Howell - Artistic Technical Director
Brendon Holt - Technical Advisor
Dr. Megan Frenzen - Faculty Advisor, Research
Dr. Elaine Young - Faculty Advisor, Marketing
Amanda Crispel - Faculty Advisor, Game Design
Michael Lange - Faculty Consultant, Anthropology & Folklore
Erik Esckilsen - Faculty Advisor, Narrative
Josh Buck - Faculty Advisor, Art & Animation
Hilary Hess - MFA Student Project Manager
Christina Sbarro - MFA Student Project Manager

Collaborators:

Dr. Steffen P. Walz - game design & technology consultancy and workshop
David Bird- Founder & President of Sawol, a soccer brand & company
Scott Mapes - Vermont delegate to US Soccer Federation
Raymond de Villiers - CEO of Wisdom Games
Tino Kreutzer - UCT Centre for Film & Media Studies, mobile phone usage research
Luyanda Kota & Joy Olivier of IkamvaYouth - empowering youth through education
Sinethemba Secondary School - Philippi Township, Cape Town, South Africa, primary research/interviews
Sizwe Matoti & Youth Empowerment Project (YEP Clan) - Khayelitsha, Cape Town, South Africa, encouraging leadership, opportunity and growth for youth
Matthew Kalil & Thabo Ashley Mvumvu - Scriptwriter and Filmmaker from UCT
Leighton Forbes & Bishop's Preparatory School - Rondebosch, Cape Town, South Africa, primary research/focus groups
Steve Vosloo - Shuttleworth Foundation, social policy and innovation through education and technology
Marion Walton - UCT Centre for Film & Media Studies, literacy, technology accessibility, and game/web user experience research
Gary Marsden - UCT Department of Computer Science, mobile technology interaction design
Canda Kincses - Nice-nice Productions, Animation SA, producer for Breakdesign, a company that specializes in cell phone gaming
Emma Harvey - Counselor at Rape Crisis Cape Town