Name: Ryan Coelho

Organization: GameOn Leadership (Toronto, ON)

Summary: My idea is to develop a system that changes this perspective so people view career development as ‘play’. As we’ve seen from the video game industry, this ‘play’ mentality has a powerful effect on increasing engagement. To accomplish this transformation we will use an emerging concept called gamification, which involves adding game elements to non-game contexts.

Project Description: Since gamified systems work off algorithms, it is completely possible to facilitate the career development of thousands of young people through creating the right software and implementing the proper online technologies. In 2012 I had the privilege of leading the development of a basic system/program that can facilitate this new gamified career approach (see http://gameonleadership.com). We have created the online BETA platform for the idea but are strapped by resources in developing the technology any further.

The best way to implement this project is through an iterative process. We would need to get a test group of young people to use the system and have the ability to easily adapt it to their usage patterns. As we evolve we will continue to add new features based on their needs. Our overall objective while designing the system will be to always ensure that the system is positively supporting people in moving towards their career goals in a pro-active and engaging way.

Perceived Impact: I have been fortunate enough to already have witnessed the powerful effects of this approach. Training over 700 young people on the program we have developed, I have received tons of feedback that validate the approach. Young people felt more engaged and optimistic for their careers when they began to treat it like a game.

Proven Benefits:

– Better understanding of how a career is built

– Knowledge on how to overcome situations that are perceived to be ‘failures’

– More confidence in being able to create careers they want

– Deeper interest in personal development