To create more equity by increasing access to tabletop gaming.
RCGO works to increase access to tabletop gaming for children age 8-18, with an emphasis on disadvantaged communities in the Portland area, by supporting gaming clubs in schools and extracurricular organizations.
Tabletop gaming provides a healthy social environment, offers opportunities for learning through alternative educational modalities, and has the power to enrich lives.
A Little Nudge.
I was fortunate enough to have a mentor as a child. She worked at the Boys and Girls club and introduced me to collectable card games as well as computer science. It was from this experience that my curiosity brought me to all facets of the gaming community. My mentor recognized my creative problem solving and critical thinking, and encouraged me to play these games to help me academically.
It may have seemed like a small nudge at the time, but I owe a lot to what she started with me. These games helped me develop socially, creatively and intellectually in ways that I wouldn’t have otherwise had access to.
I wanted to start RCGO because I know firsthand that games can be powerful educational and therapeutic resources, but unfortunately they can also be out of reach of those who could benefit the most.
-Adam Bienvenu, RCGO President