Glocal Learning with Allison Matthews, Jose Antonio Tijerino, and Susanna Pollack | SXSW EDU 2025 Rewind

Video games are playing a bigger role in education now than ever before. At SXSW EDU 2025, Allison Matthews, Jose Antonio Tijerino, and Susanna Pollack dove into how cross-sector collaborations spanning education, gaming, and nonprofit sectors are leveraging the power of video games to tackle global challenges through local, “glocal” initiatives in their Featured Session Glocal FTW: Cross-Sector Partnerships for Collective Impact.

Leveraging Video Games for Social Impact

The potential of video games goes far beyond entertainment, particularly in the case of Minecraft. Through partnerships with global organizations, the platform has been used to educate young people on topics like climate change and social justice, empowering them to speak up and take action in their communities.

“All of my children play Minecraft, but especially my 14-year-old right now. And that's one of the games that we actually approved of because she's learning skills, she's gaining confidence. She's getting creative about how to address social issues within the Minecraft world that now she can take into the outside world. And that is a remarkably empowering effect you can have on a child because they're the ones that are building this world.”

Jose Antonio Tijerino
President, Hispanic Heritage Foundation

Empowering Youth Through Interactive Learning

The "glocal" approach encourages young individuals to take global concepts and apply them within their local contexts. These platforms are helping students build skills in problem-solving, collaboration, and civic engagement. Through this immersion, the next generation is inspired to lead with confidence.

“Our goal was to put young people into the shoes of someone who won a Nobel Peace Prize and let them walk that journey, which for all of the Nobel laureates started in their community with actions that they took locally because they saw a problem that they wanted to solve.”

Allison Matthews
Head of Minecraft Education, Microsoft

Showcasing Successful Initiatives

The panelists shared some of their many successful initiatives, including LatinExplorers, Peace Builders, and Active Citizen, all games developed through a partnership between Minecraft Education and the Hispanic Heritage Foundation.

Dive in to watch the full Featured Session and learn more.

Watch SXSW EDU 2025 On-Demand Content

Take a look back at SXSW EDU 2025 and relive exciting Keynotes, Featured Sessions, and more, now available to watch on our official YouTube channel, plus listen to hundreds of audio recordings in the schedule.

Stay tuned for more information about registration and participation opportunities for SXSW EDU 2026 coming later this summer.

Photo by Akim Evans