Basic Information
Program Name
Short Description
Fight Displacement is a board and trivia game that educates tenants on their rights and the different ways they can respond to the Boston housing crisis. It is intended as a training resource for community organizations working to fight housing displacement and influence local development.
Location
Boston, MA
Duration
First iteration of game was tested on 11/14/19. Final version of game will be published by June 2020
Funding
NuLawLab Gift Fund, approx. $1,500 to date.
Size (number of beneficiaries)
We have tested with approximately 50 people so far. The game is still in development.
Stakeholders
Who designed and set up the program?
NuLawLab, the game was created in partnership with Tufts/SMFA faculty Anthony Romero, the Boston Institute for Contemporary Art, and the NU Archives & Special Collections.
Who runs and manages the program?
Who funds the program?
NuLawLab Gift Fund, approx. $1,500 to date.
Intended Beneficiaries: Who does the program target?
Tenants in Boston
Program Details
How does the program work? What are the typical paths of action that the beneficiary + the service-provider take?
Fight Displacement! is a board and trivia game that responds to the Boston housing crisis by teaching Boston residents how to successfully navigate housing agencies, understand relevant legal rights, and draw from the history of Boston activism by way of need-to-know trivia and collective strategizing.
Players learn about how they can engage the Boston Planning and Development Agency, Zoning Board of Appeals, Office of Housing Stability, and Tenants’ Legal Rights to fight against local housing displacement and influence development.
Game play includes the opportunity for collective brainstorms on how to apply the lessons of past activism to today’s housing crisis.
Players leave the gameplay with a better understanding of how they can respond effectively to displacement and development.
What assets can be shared for others to use?
Please contact the program administrator for potential sharing.
Evidence Base
What are the plans for monitoring and evaluation?
We have commissioned an independent evaluation of the methods used to conceive, ideate, and test the game from Danya Sherman. Expect to have that white paper sometime this spring.
Have any evaluations been conducted so far?
N/a
Contact and Follow-Up Info
Program Website
Documentation + Links
https://www.nulawlab.org/projects/fight-displacement and Vimeo video at https://vimeo.com/388598451
Point of Contact for more information
Dan Jackson, Executive Director – NuLawLab, at da.jackson [@] northeastern.edu
