Post by Darren Huang

I met Dr. Michelle Chen, PhD 💜 a few years ago when she attended the International program with HEX, and I've been watching her do cool things in the space since! I spend my days building a community at Cremorne Digital Hub where founders can do their best work (and occasionally mentoring uni students) so when a project comes along doing exactly that for young people, through something as joyful as games, I pay attention. Mental Jam is a Melbourne indie studio building Bobarista, a cozy narrative game where you run a magical bubble tea shop and meet characters navigating real emotional challenges. 💜🧋 They're raising funds to run free game co-design workshops with young people aged 12–21, so the people the game is actually for get to shape it. Characters, stories, art, music, all drawn from their own lived experiences. And participants are paid for their time and creativity, which is awesome! Here's the catch: it's all-or-nothing. They're at 93% of their $15K goal, and if they don't cross the line by June 30, the workshops don't go ahead. We're in the final stretch. If games, mental health, or backing young creators is your thing, take a look and donate! It's so close! 👏 👉 https://lnkd.in/gDWChQcg