The Roleplay Workshop

For Parents

In the San Francisco Bay Area, the Roleplay Workshop offers after school and summer programs for youth ages 10 to 18 that include after school tutoring programs and specialized after school enrichment programs.

School Year Enrollment
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Summer Enrollment
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The News Letter
Monthly updates about Abantey

For Parents
Especially for parents

For Kids
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Adult Abantey
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Table Grouping
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After School
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Summer
Summer Programs

Special
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About Us
Meet the Staff

Statement from the Director of The Roleplay Workshop

I created The Roleplay Workshop to find a way to use the strengths of role playing to work with adolescents. Role playing fosters creative and abstract thinking and relies heavily on mathematics and statistics. It encourages cooperative problem solving by the participants. In 1989, I began designing a role playing game on a world I named "Abantey". I was teaching math and science at Archway School in Oakland. My students and their parents became interested in the game and I began The Roleplay Workshop.

My idea, which has been very successful with kids and parents, is to use a role playing game as a teaching tool. In some ways, role playing games are perfect for teaching. At heart, role playing is story telling. The players are the main characters in the story. They influence the direction and resolution of the story. The players are deeply and actively involved in the game. They are not resistant, or even aware, of the skills and information they are learning.

The program is specifically designed to teach real life skills in a creative, imaginary setting. We stress non-violent solutions to the "missions" players are given. Players work together to solve the fantasy scenarios with logic, common sense, and intuition. They learn biology, earth sciences, philosophy and ethics in a supportive and fun environment. The Roleplay Workshop is ultimately about learning to take personal responsibility for chosen actions. Playing the game allows kids to make mistakes and learn from them. This gives them increased self-esteem and intellectual independence.

My training and experience are important factors in the success of the program. I received my early training at the University of Michigan, and received a Bachelors of Sciences in Zoology in 1982. I spent most of the next year in the Philippines as a research assistant for an ecology research project. My experiences with the cultures in the Philippines provided much of the complexity found in the world of Abantey. The name Abantey is derived from a Bisayan (a dialect of the Philippines) word and means: "to forge ahead or lead".

The Roleplay Workshop offers a variety of programs, including: after school sessions, school holiday sessions, summer day camps, tutoring, birthday parties, and parent sessions.

I hope this letter has been informative. If you would like to talk to me further, please contact me.

Sincerely,

Becky Thomas
Director, Roleplay Workshop

What is a Role Playing Game? (top)

A role playing game can best be described as interactive story telling. Players create characters within the structure of the world and work together to solve "missions" created by the "game master".

What is Abantey?

The Roleplay Workshop uses a role playing game called Abantey as a teaching tool with students ages 10 and up. While playing the game, students practice basic math and statistics, learn ecology, anthropology, organizational skills, and how to work with each other.

Why The Roleplay Workshop? (top)

Role playing games are certainly nothing new, in fact your child may already be playing role playing games on their own. The Roleplay Workshop, however, offers significant advantages for students of any age and skill level.

The Roleplay Workshop is facilitated and directed by adults who are educators as well as experienced gamers. By mediating and directing the flow of play, the staff is able to create an effective learning environment for every student.

Students are encouraged to play other role playing games on their own, as these games can be excellent learning tools. The Roleplay Workshop, however, is an excellent forum to improve those skills and to develop new ones. It also offers students an environment where there are older, more experienced students and adults who can offer advice to students on issues outside of the Workshop sessions.

Special Needs (top)

The Roleplay Workshop is unique in that it is ideal for students with special needs. We have extensive experience with learning disabilities and attention deficit disorders, and the nature of the learning experience at The Roleplay Workshop perfectly accommodates the needs of these students. In addition to teaching conventional skills such as reading and math, The Roleplay Workshop also develops social and interactive skills, as well as providing a unique peer counseling forum.

Tutoring (top)

The Roleplay Workshop also provides one on one tutoring in almost any subject. Our staff is educated in a wide range of subjects and can provide individual attention for those students who want to improve their learning skills.