Start a Strong Minds Club

Where the world's games become the world's classroom.

A Strong Minds Club is a small, local group of curious people who gather to play traditional games from cultures around the world — and to talk about the ideas, values, and questions those games reveal.

It's the spirit of Strong Minds: The World Is Our Greatest Classroom and The Human Route, brought to your neighborhood, your living room, your library.

No curriculum. No experts required. Just a table, a free printable game, and a conversation worth having.

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The Idea

Every culture has built games that teach something — patience, strategy, negotiation, trust, risk, community.

When you play Mancala, you're touching centuries of West African reasoning about resources and turns.

When you play Dominoes, you're sitting at a table that spans the Caribbean, China, and beyond.

When you play The Human Route, you're tracing the same questions this book asks: what makes us human, and how do different cultures answer that?

A Strong Minds Club turns play into a doorway — into geography, history, and the social and cultural issues facing real people in real places today.

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Who Can You Start One

Anyone. A Strong Minds Club doesn't require a license, a fee, or approval from Coursewell — it requires a Coordinator: someone willing to pick a date, invite a few people, and keep the conversation going.

If that's you, you're already qualified.

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How to Start Your Club

1. Self-nominate as Coordinator.

Decide you're doing this. That's the whole application process.

2. Gather 6–10 people.

Neighbors, family, a book club that wants to branch out, coworkers, retirees, students — Strong Minds Clubs work at any age and any size, but small groups keep the conversation real.

3. Pick a rhythm.

Monthly works well for most clubs. Same time, same place, same familiar chairs — consistency is what turns a one-off game night into a club.

4. Choose a game and a country.

Start with something accessible: Dominoes (Caribbean, Latin America, China), Mancala (West Africa), Go (Japan), Parcheesi (India), Petanque (France) — or The Human Route itself. Rotate to a new culture each session.

5. Play first, talk second.

Give the game 30–45 minutes. Then open the discussion: What did this game reward — luck or skill? Cooperation or competition? What might that say about the culture that built it? What's happening in that country or region right now that connects to what you just played?

6. Rotate hosts and leaders.

Let different members choose the game and lead the discussion each time. A Strong Minds Club works best when no single voice runs it.

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A Sample Session

| Segment | Time |

|---|---|

| Gather, brief intro to the game and its origin | 10 min |

| Play | 40 min |

| Discussion: what the game reveals, what's happening in that culture today | 20–30 min |

| Pick next country/game, confirm next date | 5 min |

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## Games to Start With

- Dominoes — Caribbean, Latin America, China, West Africa

- Mancala (Oware, Bao, Kalah) — West and East Africa

- Go — Japan, China, Korea

- Parcheesi / Pachisi — India

- Petanque — France

- Mahjong — China

- The Human Route — the Strong Minds companion game, tracing the journey at the heart of the book

Local cultural associations, consulates, and university international student groups are often glad to loan a game or send someone to teach it — don't hesitate to ask.

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Discussion Starters

- What does this game assume about how people should treat each other?

- Is this a game of individual glory or shared fate?

- What would change if you played this with someone from the culture it came from?

- What's one issue — social, political, economic — facing this country or region today that this game might illuminate?

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Ready to Start?

You don't need permission — just a date on the calendar and a few curious people. When you're ready, we'd love to hear about it and welcome your club to the Strong Minds community.

[Register Your Club]; [Download The Human Route] [Get the Book: Strong Minds]