The Engagement Academy
Become a Certified PLAYCE Facilitator and learn to design conversations that uncover possibility. A 12-week program, through live cohorts with certification or at your own pace.
About the Academy
What the Academy is
The Engagement Academy teaches you to design engagement, not just run it. In a live cohort, you meet once a week for 60 minutes across 12 weeks. Together you play through PLAYCE games, take them apart, and go deep on the facilitation that makes them work.
It begins with play, because in play people set aside risk and speak openly. Play researchers have identified thirteen benefits of play, among them trust, empathy, optimism, belonging, and problem solving. They are not only for children. The Academy shows you how to create those conditions on purpose, through four PLAYCE methods: Community Conversations, Site Analysis Tours, Team Building Games, and Try It On.
The learning happens on real work. We recommend bringing one current or upcoming project into the 12 weeks. Week by week, you shape its engagement: who needs to be in the room, the questions worth asking, the activities you will facilitate, the data you will collect, and the logistics that make it happen. You leave with a complete engagement strategy, and with practice facilitating it.
A three-level learning path
The Academy builds your practice progressively, from foundational skills to leading and teaching play-based engagement. Complete a level in a live cohort and you can earn certification as a Certified PLAYCE Facilitator.
Level 1, Foundations
Build the fundamentals of play-based community engagement and facilitation. You learn the core PLAYCE tools and games for building trust, sparking collaboration, visioning together, and facilitating productive conversations. No prior facilitation experience is needed.
Level 2, Insights to Impact
Turn community insights into action, moving from input to meaningful, shared ownership. You go further with your facilitation skills and learn advanced PLAYCE games that help groups work through more complex challenges.
Level 3, Mastery
Lead and teach play-based engagement at the highest level. You develop mastery in guiding groups through complex issues: budgeting, planning, conflict, succession, and beyond. Complete all three levels and you are eligible to apply for the Certified PLAYCE Practitioner designation.
What you’ll practice
The Academy is built around doing. You’ll learn the methods, practice the skills behind them, and build the confidence to adapt what you learn to real projects and communities.
Plan meaningful engagement
Build an engagement plan, think through logistics, choose the right methods, and design a process that gives people meaningful ways to contribute.
Lead core engagement methods
Learn how to design and facilitate Community Conversations, Tours, Team Building Games, and Try It On experiences—and understand when each method is most useful.
Facilitate with confidence
Practice holding a room, guiding a group, navigating challenging moments, and creating the conditions for people to participate fully.
Listen as a technical skill
Strengthen your ability to ask better questions, observe carefully, hear what is beneath the surface, and turn what people share into useful insight.
Use play with purpose
Learn games for visioning, analysis, design, decision-making, and prioritization—and understand how play can help groups think differently and move forward together.
Adapt and create activities
Go beyond following instructions. Learn to understand why an activity works so you can modify existing games or begin designing experiences of your own.
Turn engagement into useful outputs
Organize what you hear, identify patterns, and translate participation into clear, useful documents—including engagement outcome reports that support the next stage of a project.
Build capacity in others
Develop the comfort to support your team with play, share what you’ve learned, and help others bring these methods into their own practice.
Choose your format
Same proven methodology, two ways to learn.
Live Cohorts
A guided 12-week program with a cohort of peers, live facilitation, and certification.
Self-Paced
Work through the program on your own schedule via the Self-Study subscription.
From Academy participants
"I have felt more empowered in this course than any school course I have ever taken. There's something special about how easy it is while being so impactful. I wish university courses felt this empowering."
"I used what I learned from PLAYCE the very next day in a team meeting, and it changed everything. People opened up, we got to the heart of the issue faster, and there was laughter instead of resistance."
Who's using PLAYCE
Engagement with impact, across firms, agencies, and institutions.
Frequently asked questions
How long is the PLAYCE Engagement Academy?
The Academy is a 12-week program with one 60-minute session each week. Participants can join a live cohort or choose the self-study track to learn at their own pace.
What happens if I miss a live session?
All live cohort sessions are recorded and uploaded to the PLAYCE Play Portal. You'll have access to the replays, along with downloadable materials and reflection prompts, so you never fall behind.
What's the difference between the live cohort and the self-study version?
The live cohort includes weekly Zoom sessions, real-time coaching, peer feedback, and eligibility for certification and continuing education credits. The self-study version is on-demand with the same core content and tools, but no live instruction, certification, or CE credits.
Who is the program for?
Professionals who lead or support community engagement, planners, designers, public officials, nonprofit leaders, consultants, and anyone working with the public to shape programs, policies, or places.
Do I need previous facilitation experience to join?
No prior experience is necessary for Level 1. The Academy is intentionally designed to support beginners while offering deeper growth opportunities at Levels 2 and 3.
Can I join with my team?
Yes. We encourage teams to train together and offer a 3-for-2 group discount. You'll each join the same live cohort and be able to reflect and practice together throughout the program.
How long do I get access to the PLAYCE Play Portal?
One full year of access from the date of your initial purchase, or at least six months from your first live session, whichever is longer.
What tools and resources are included?
All participants receive access to the PLAYCE Play Portal, downloadable tools, training videos, facilitation templates, and session recordings. You'll also receive a set of Insight Cards if you enroll in the full program.
Can this count toward continuing education?
We are currently submitting the live cohort for continuing education credit through LA CES. Once approved, participants will be eligible for CEUs upon completion. In the meantime, we provide documentation and certificates that can often be submitted for professional development hours.
How do I earn certification?
Participants who complete a live cohort, pass the quizzes, and participate fully are eligible to earn a digital badge and certificate as a Certified PLAYCE Facilitator for each level they complete.
How do I fit this into my workload?
The program is designed to integrate into your real work. We recommend choosing one current or upcoming project to focus on during the 12 weeks, each session gives you tools to apply directly to that project's engagement plan, so you leave with a complete engagement strategy.
What does "Certified PLAYCE Practitioner" mean?
Once you've completed all three levels of the Academy, you're eligible to apply for the Certified PLAYCE Practitioner designation by documenting and reflecting on a real-world engagement you've led using PLAYCE methods.
Enrollment
Enrollment begins with a conversation. Tell us about your work and the project you want to bring, and we'll help you find the right level and the right live cohort. If you're new to facilitation, Level 1 is designed for you.
Live cohorts meet on Zoom for one 60-minute session each week, for 12 weeks. Every session is recorded and uploaded to the PLAYCE Play Portal, along with downloadable materials and reflection prompts, so a missed week never leaves you behind. Your Play Portal access lasts one full year from your initial purchase, or at least six months from your first live session, whichever is longer.
Every participant receives access to the Play Portal, downloadable tools, training videos, facilitation templates, and session recordings. Enroll in the full program and you'll also receive a set of Insight Cards.
Teams are welcome to train together in the same cohort, with a 3-for-2 group discount. We are submitting the live cohort for continuing education credit through LA CES. Until it is approved, we provide documentation and certificates that can often be submitted for professional development hours.
Prefer to learn on your own schedule? The self-paced track offers the same core content and tools through the Self-Study subscription, without live instruction, certification, or CE credits.
Every community deserves people who know how to create meaningful conversations.
If you're not sure which level or format fits, tell us where you are and we'll help you find the right place to begin.