Breaking Barriers with Minecraft

For the last two summers I have been employed by Oakland University to teach their STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) camps. I was primarily hired to teach their Minecraft camps that’s focused on elementary and middle school students. These camps generally last for one week. Last Friday, on short notice, I was told that there would be a Minecraft camp exclusively for Syrian refugees through the Zaman group. These students would spend one week in the Minecraft camp learning basics about the game, computer science, and establishing team building skills.

When the week began, I was unsure of what to expect, as I had never met a refugee before and I could not speak any Arabic whatsoever. On the first day, I felt awkward and out of my element. The language barrier between the students and myself was the greatest challenge that I faced; it almost appeared as if the students were uninterested in the game. I decided that I had to try my best to engage and connect with the students as much as possible in order to create a better response. I placed those who struggled speaking English with those who could speak and understand English fairly well so they could translate the lessons, which greatly increased engagement. Because of the difficulty students had with the game, we moved at a slower pace than previous classes I had instructed. Though there was a language barrier, I was successfully able to teach the class many activities.

The first day we had a house building competition, where they got into groups of four and built a house in creative. While the activity started out rocky, I began to see the students come together and strategize into making some pretty impressive builds. Later in the week I had students work on a team bridge building activity, create and upload their own skins, play and create their own mini-game maps, construct mazes, and create parkour maps; all of which the students greatly enjoyed and vastly exceeded my own expectations. Even with the language barrier, demonstrating these concepts allowed the students to grasp them much more easily.

During my time with the Zaman group, I impressed them with my deep understanding of redstone contraptions, crafting recipes, and building skills. Through my experience with these kids, I have seen kindness and generosity on a level I had never witnessed before. At the start of each day, the students would shake my hand, and greet me with “Hello Sir”. During the day the students were quiet and always on-task. During the outdoor breaks, the students were always inclusive, allowing anyone to join whatever game they were playing.

This week with the Zaman group has truly been an eye-opening experience! I never imagined I could use Minecraft as a tool to improve the lives of those less fortunate than me. I truly believe that by becoming better Minecrafters, they have become happier people. I can only hope my time with these students has filled their lives with as much joy as it has with mine.