On Tuesday, 24 June, a festive and informative mini-conference will take place at dbieb Leeuwarden to celebrate the launch of Shkorey – the Shariki edition: an expansion of the existing Shkorey app, now also available for Arabic-speaking newcomers in the Netherlands. During the event, 8D | Research + Design + Impact will be present with a game corner, where visitors can try out the updated app.
Shkorey was first launched in 2023 as a serious game developed for and by Eritrean youth, with the goal of making sexual health and maternity care more accessible and easier to discuss for newcomers in the Netherlands. The positive responses to this first edition, from both young people and healthcare professionals, led to a follow-up: an expansion tailored to Arabic-speaking newcomers. Rather than a simple translation, the app features completely new storylines. These were once again developed in close co-creation with young people from the target group, a collaborative process that is a crucial part of the change that Stichting Shkorey aims to achieve.
8D was primarily involved in the technical development this time. “Instead of building a separate app, we integrated the new Arabic content into the existing app. That was the most future-proof solution,” explains Stephan Burghout of 8D. “It may sound simple, but it was technically challenging: the platform had to support multiple languages, the character system had to be expanded, the text had to be readable from right to left and the quiz had to work in three languages.”
The event will begin at 14:00 with an official opening by alderman Nathalie Kramers. Throughout the afternoon, visitors can enjoy a varied programme featuring workshops, an information market, and the game corner, where they can experience Shkorey hands-on. One of the highlights of the information market will be a fertility consultation hosted by midwifery practice Dochter & Zn . There will also be fun activities for children, and the afternoon will conclude with a bilingual (Dutch-Arabic) edition of the interactive Shkorey Talk Show.
The launch event takes place on:
You can register and find more information about the programme via:
https://www.shkorey.nl/aanmelden-congres-gezond-zwanger
Cross-continental game development: how does it work and what can we learn from each other? Let’s have a chat about this with Giel Hekkert (8D Games) and Eyram Tawia (Leti Arts). They are currently working on Shkorey, an informative game about sexual health, pregnancy and birth care.
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