Innovative ideas beyond institutional boundaries – this goal was at the heart of our latest project for IDOS – German Institute of Development and Sustainability. This vision became reality during two intensive days in Bonn: a novel combination of simulation game and ideas workshop brought together international scholarship holders from various programme lines to work together on sustainable ideas for the future.

The basic idea was as simple as it was ambitious: to create spaces where people from different professional backgrounds and regions of the world could think together – without the typical constraints, frustrations and frequent failures of conventional multilateral processes at the international level. Instead of developing a classic simulation game, we tried to go beyond failure! How can we develop answers to the major crises and dilemmas of our time while emphasizing cooperation and the constructive search for solutions?

To this end, we deliberately broke with the simulation game format and changed the setting. Instead of negotiating at the government level, the participants organised themselves into the roles of randomly selected individuals in a global citizens' assembly, divided into four thematic circles on dimensions of sustainability:

The basis for cooperation was principles from sociocracy and Ubuntu: consensus orientation, shared responsibility, mutual listening and deep appreciation of what we have in common. To this end, the participants slipped into the roles of fictional personas – representatively distributed across the world's regions, with diverse professional and social backgrounds and, above all, very different perspectives on the respective topics.

The structure of the simulation game created an exciting dynamic: the ‘how’ determined the ‘what’. Not only the content, but also the path to it was designed to be collaborative, empathetic and non-antagonistic – a clear break with many classic simulation formats. This interaction was ultimately reflected in the phenomenal final presentations: it was clear from the narratives and ideas for the future that had been developed that they were the result of a process that prioritised collaborative design over competition.

The mixture of simulation game and hackathon challenged us conceptually – and inspired us. It shows the potential of formats that combine political simulation with creative future development, using decision-making logic that goes beyond familiar constraints. For us, this project was an important step in the further development of our formats – and perhaps a glimpse into the citizens' assemblies of the future. Because one thing became clear: even if democracy is exhausting and tedious, it is worthwhile to actually engage in dialogue about common goals and individual needs!