Building Belonging Through Games: Social Cipher’s Mission for Neurodivergent Youth with Lucy Stevens and Vanessa Castañeda Gill

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Vanessa Castañeda Gill, CEO and Co-Founder of Social Cipher and Lucy Stevens, Co-Founder and Creative Director of Social Cipher, lead a majority-neurodivergent team creating social-emotional learning video games that help neurodivergent youth build self-understanding and connections; inspired by Vanessa’s experiences as an autistic/ADHD Latina, their games and curriculum are now used in 200+ schools and therapy centers across 8 countries, earning recognition from Forbes 30 Under 30, MIT Solve, and the LEGO Foundation.

💡 5 Things You’ll Learn in This Episode

Using games to build belonging and self-advocacy for neurodivergent students
Authentic representation and storytelling in SEL game design
Insights teachers and therapists gain from playtesting
The impact of a majority-neurodivergent team on product and mission
Connecting SEL games to IEP goals and today’s mental health needs

✨ Episode Highlights
[00:03:08] Vanessa on founding Social Cipher from her autistic & ADHD experience
[00:06:05] Lucy on designing nuanced neurodivergent characters
[00:12:37] Feedback from students and educators that changed the game
[00:18:21] Lessons from managing a majority-neurodivergent team
[00:26:25] Pairing the game with SEL curriculum in schools
[00:33:52] Why schools adopt games to solve urgent SEL challenges
[00:41:55] Tackling youth anxiety through meaning and belonging
[00:47:15] How Social Cipher views AI in education and gaming
[00:48:50] Using SEL games to support IEP goals

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Chapters

1. Building Belonging Through Games: Social Cipher’s Mission for Neurodivergent Youth with Lucy Stevens and Vanessa Castañeda Gill (00:00:00)

2. Vanessa on founding Social Cipher from her autistic & ADHD experience (00:03:24)

3. Lucy on designing nuanced neurodivergent characters (00:06:21)

4. Feedback from students and educators that changed the game (00:13:49)

5. Lessons from managing a majority-neurodivergent team (00:19:33)

6. Pairing the game with SEL curriculum in schools (00:27:37)

7. Why schools adopt games to solve urgent SEL challenges (00:35:04)

8. Tackling youth anxiety through meaning and belonging (00:43:07)

9. How Social Cipher views AI in education and gaming (00:48:27)

10. Using SEL games to support IEP goals (00:50:02)

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