Not-for-profit Safehaven has rolled out an educational board game designed to spur important conversations about inclusion.

“Where Hope Lives,” developed by agency partner The Local Collective, invites families into the lived experiences of medically complex children through gameplay. Trivia, obstacle cards and character-building activities, where characters’ images are slowly revealed as the game progresses, all aim to turn difficult topics into fun, age-appropriate and empathy-building experiences.

“The charity landscape has become one of the most competitive categories in Canada. Now more than ever, in order to make a difference, [charities] need to be bold with their messaging in order to break through,” says Matt Litzinger, CCO and co-founder of The Local Collective. “Safehaven needs to be bold and disruptive because the demand for support for their community is growing at a rapid rate.”

The initiative follows up on last year’s “One in 100” illustrated book created to raise awareness about childhood medical complexities. The work was informed by research showing that 1% of Canadian children live with medical complexities, while 75% of parents in the Greater Toronto Area said they lacked the tools to talk about the issue. Ninety-five per cent of parents also said they believe it’s crucial to teach their children how to engage with medically complex peers, but that half avoid the topic out of fear of saying something insensitive.

According to Litzinger, the work on “One in 100” helped make the first year of The Local Collective’s partnership with Safehaven in 2024 a success.

“And I think that’s what any client and agency relationship is about,” he says. “We have created great work together in year one that drove fantastic results, so year two the bar is raised and we are excited about that.”

Proceeds for the “Where Hope Lives” board game will support inclusive care programs. A companion parent guide provides details on inclusive language with real-life examples and conversation starters. The promotional campaign also includes partnerships with parenting influencers and disability advocate Lindsey Mazza.

The games will be distributed among influencers and at summer camps across the GTA, while paid supplements for the campaign will be running in the Toronto Star and Now Magazine.

Safehaven’s AOR, The Local Collective, led the creative development of the game, while PR was handled by Heads+Tales and media by M&K Media.

Safehaven works with thousands of people diagnosed with care needs such as cerebral palsy, down syndrome, brain injuries, muscular dystrophy and various genetic disorders at its six locations in the GTA. The not-for-profit has provided residential, respite and transitional care for those with medical complexities and disabilities for more than 35 years.