“The Games Begin April 1”: Youth2 to Launch Philanthropic Web-Based Game

SARATOGA SPRINGS — To celebrate National Volunteer Month, local non-profit, Youth2 will launch a web-based game called the Humanitarian Games. During the month of April, players will travel from nonprofit to nonprofit completing community service challenges, receiving special prices and fulfilling school community service requirements. The game play is simple. Players are presented with a challenge to complete. For example, one challenge is to prepare soup in Shelters of Saratoga’s kitchen using ingredients donated by Esperanto. The soup is then offered to those at the shelter. After completing the challenge, players will be provided with a QR code to scan using their smart phones or a code to input into a home or library computer. Once the code is inputted more challenges will be unlocked. Some challenges will also unlock special prizes. Youth2’s mission is to inspire volunteer work and advocacy at a young age. The board, which is comprised mostly of youth, spends most of the year going over grant requests. This idea for the Humanitarian Games was hatched from a meeting last year when discussing ways to better reach peers. “We’ve put a lot into making this happen,” said Sami Friedman, Saratoga High School senior and Youth2 Board Member. “We’ve reached out to dozens of local non-profits to participate. And now we are focusing on marketing and reaching all Saratoga County schools. We have each contacted teachers and club advisers for their support.” Register for the Games at www.saratogawire.com/humanitarian-games.