> Knock Knock Number Swap

> UK

>FINALIST

Team Members:

​
Alasdair Rigby-Platais,

Jeanette Reddie,

Lloyd Barnes, 

Rachel Hilton-McDermott

5% of adults in the UK are often or always lonely. 1 in 20. Let’s also assume that 1 in 20 people have the willingness to be a change enabler. So on a typical street of 20 we have 1 lonely person and 1 “enabler”.

Knock Knock Number Swap is a free community scale game and a mechanism for social interaction on your street. Facilitated by the “enabler” it is replicable when distributed by post or via free web download. The 3 sheets of paper in this submission are a kit for the game.

Directions (firstly, post kit to new enabler with 20 sunflower seeds!)

1. On receipt, plant the seeds into pots.

2. Print the kit (with board 2 being on self adhesive paper)

3. Cut board 2 and board 3 into strips. One sticker strip from board 2 and one collector strip (from board 3) for each house.

4. Deliver the strips to each house. The aim of the game is to give away 19 numbers and collect 19 until you have a full set 1-20.

5. When all numbers are collected, strips can be returned to the enabler in exchange for a surprise sunflower.

A lonely person talks to 19 other people on the street, gets a sunflower and 19 ongoing connections. What’s next? A sunflower growing competition on your street.

This game is simple enough to be adapted to international settings. Seeds could be substituted for yams/rice/corn. Streets could be substituted for communities/charities/villages/institutions.

This game helps to create and perpetuate the initial contact that is key to combating lonelinss. Seeds from grown plants can be harvested and provide for subsequent games.