Ford Sombatcharoen

Most international students know the moment: you walk into your first group meeting, everyone is already talking, and you can’t find a way in. Not because you have nothing to say, but because you don’t know how to start.

Unideck is a dual-format confidence toolkit, a website and a physical card game, designed to help first-year international students aged 18–24 join casual conversation in their first group meetings. Across five decks, each card presents a real scenario, from a circle that has already formed to slang you don’t recognise. Players pick a response and learn why it plays out that way, with phrases they can actually say and a small real-world challenge to try that week.

The tone is deliberately playful, with no wrong answers. Most international students want local friends but find it hard to make them, so lowering the pressure to practise isn’t a style choice – it’s the point.