Crossroads Chronicles

Stories That Drive Change

Developing skills for courageous conversations

Crossroads app screen capture of the characters Allie and Jack discussing a potential conflict at school. Allie is wearing beaded earrings and has brown skin and black hair. Jack is wearing a button-up shirt and bowtie and has white skin and blonde hair.

Elevate understanding of intersectional equity practices through an interactive story experience that fosters dialogue, reflection, and
personal and social transformation.

Crafted by youth committed to a more caring and accountable future!

Step into the complex lives of Jin, Imani, Jack, and Allie—four teenagers navigating the intricacies of school dynamics at Crossoads High. Graduation is fast-approaching, and tensions surge as different ‘ism’s and inherited biases surface and test the students’ bonds with teachers, parents, and each other.  

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Screenshot from the Crossroads game showing an in-game decision-making interface titled 'RESPONSE OPTIONS'. The player is presented with three choices: 'Change the subject.', 'Defend your position.', and 'Express and listen.' The scene in the background is of a stylized purple-toned room, with a laptop on a desk, a chair, and a rug.

Choose

Pick from various response options, and influence how characters will react in challenging situations.

Notice when relationships become strained and egos clash, or fractures get mended and deeper connections are forged.

Reflect

Delve into the debrief zone after each scene.



Ponder the impacts of different choices, and how the character’s experiences, opinions and revelations might resonate with your own.

Interactive screen from the Crossroads game with a sky background and clouds, posing the reflective question 'What do you see as the key aspects of a meaningful apology?'. Key aspects like 'Remorse about hurt caused', 'Curiosity', 'Sincerity', 'Understanding', 'Humility', 'Commitment to learning and changing', 'Respecting right to choose if or when to forgive', and 'Openness' are scattered across the screen like thoughts floating on clouds. Navigation buttons 'BACK' and 'NEXT' are at the bottom to proceed with the game.
Screenshot from the Crossroads game showing an educational pop-up with the definition of 'Tone Policing'. The definition reads: 'Shutting down discussion by shifting the focus onto how something is being said (i.e., the emotional tone or expression), rather than addressing the content of what’s being said.' The pop-up features a character ‘Tip’ with a question mark above his head in a bubble, expressing curiosity on the right and interface buttons 'BACK' and 'MORE'. In the background, the top of two characters' heads are visible, suggesting a conversation context within the game.

Learn

Enhance understanding of concepts that pop up as the stories unfold.

Learn more about the justice and liberation-related terms through the in-game glossary.

Develop tools to notice, name, and respond to different forms of discrimination—from Black and Indigenous-specific racism, to homophobia, transphobia and classism.

Grow

Chart the characters progress as they move towards learning and transformation.

Reflect and connect in classrooms and beyond...

Crossroads provides learners (grades 8-12) with interactive, curriculum-aligned opportunities to enhance and extend core competencies in the areas of Communication, Critical Thinking, Personal and Social Responsibility.​

Enhance understanding of:

• everyday prejudices and micro-aggressions

• intersectional equity principles and practices

• active witnessing responsiveness

Build capacity to:

 • acknowledge and address inherited biases and gaps in your own knowledge

• have and hold courageous conversations about racism and other intersecting inequities


Crossroads dovetails with the learning outcomes of the following courses:

Career-Life Education (Grades 8 +9), Career-Life Connections (Grades 10 -12)

Social Studies 10, Explorations in Social Studies 11, B.C. First Peoples 12, Comparative Cultures 12, Contemporary Indigenous Studies 12, Social Justice 12, Philosophy 12

English Language Arts 8, English Language Arts 9, Composition 10, Composition 11, Composition 12, Creative Writing 10, Creative Writing 11, Creative Writing 12, EFP: Literary Studies + New Media 11, EFP: Literary Studies + Spoken Language 11, EFP: Literary Studies + Writing 11, English First Peoples 12, English Studies 12, Literary Studies 10, Literary Studies 11, Literary Studies 12, New Media 10, New Media 11, New Media 12, Spoken Language 10, Spoken Language 11, Spoken Language 12, Writing 10

Career-Life Education 8, Career-Life Education 9, Career-Life Connections (Grades 10 -12)

Photo of a classroom with students sitting in chairs facing a facilitator and a projector screen. The facilitator is gesturing towards the screen displaying a presentation slide. The students, in casual clothing, appear to be attentively listening. The room has a green chalkboard in the background, a door to the left, and a black curtain partitioning off a section of the room.

Interested in a workshop?

Join others in using Crossroads to plant seeds of change through a peer-facilitated workshop.

Request A Workshop

Stories of Impact

"I really loved how it promoted talking things through with empathy. I already have used some skills I learned from this game, and I will probably do so again in the future. I feel more confident in setting boundaries and admitting when I’m wrong. The little explanation boxes also held important information. Thank you!"
StudentEric Hamber Secondary
"The Crossroads workshops provide genuine insight into anti-oppression work, and key concepts within it. They also offer a necessary primer for behaviour strategies and emotional regulation tools that all teachers and students could benefit from.”
TeacherBritish Columbia
"Crossroads is a really fun and interactive way for people of all ages and backgrounds to explore different social justice issues. It asks us to have a more open mind. It’s also filled with many helpful terms to describe everyday things that may seem like nothing but hold a lot of weight for the people affected.
StudentTupper Secondary
"This game was equally fun and informative to play. I really enjoyed exploring the different character storylines."
StudentEric Hamber Secondary
“Meaningful anti-oppression resources like Crossroads help to deepen critical conversations in classrooms…and strengthen the knowledge bases that teachers and students hold around the dense and complex issues of injustice, discrimination and oppression.”
Angela Ma BrownEducation Consultant
“Crossroads is a game that takes care to share with you, instead of talking at you. From character design to narrative, every decision helps create moments for players to engage with the intersectional nature of power, privilege, and microaggressions.”
Soft ChaosGame Designers
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Featuring Youth Voices

 

Characters brought to life by youth whose life experience mirrors the characters they play.

Uy Pham
“Jin”

Taea Rattlesnake
“Allie”

Neffy Lubin
“Imani”

Gus Setala-Gay
“Jack”

A Labor of Love

Created by an all-BIPOC + Gender-Diverse crew of young people who’ve ‘been there’.​

Image of Emma Drumheller - Game Developer

Emma Drumheller
Lead Developer

Minnie Tsai
Lead Developer

Image of Emma Drumheller - Game Developer

Red Buffalo Nova Weipert
Videographer & Sound Editor

Giselle Vriesen 
Writer

Ivy Edad
Writer

Meet the full team here.

Interested in a workshop?

Join others in using Crossroads to plant seeds of change through a peer-facilitated workshop.

Request A Workshop
Digital artwork from the Crossroads game featuring four characters standing side-by-side. From left to right: a young woman with dark brown skin and curly black hair in a yellow top; a young man with light brown skin and short dark hair wearing a navy hoodie; a character with light skin and curly yellow-tinted hair wearing glasses and a blue shirt with a pink bow tie; and a young woman with brown skin and red hair styled in a ponytail, adorned with beaded earrings, wearing a blue jacket with a smiley face pin. They are smiling and positioned in front of a backdrop with houses and cityscape in the distance.

Want to try the app?

Dip your toes into the game and marvel at its learning potential.

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Supported By

British Columbia Province Logo
Inclusive Design Research Centre Logo
Logo of Vancouver Foundation