Singer AURORA joins Jingle Jam 2026 as War Child bets games can help children heal from war

There is a particular kind of faith in the idea that a game can be a shelter. Not an escape hatch, but a room with walls you built yourself, where the rules are knowable and the outcome is yours. That faith sits at the centre of War Child UK’s plans for this year’s Jingle Jam, the creator-led charity fortnight that has turned streaming culture into one of gaming’s most dependable fundraising engines, and this time the charity is bringing a pop star with it.

That pop star is AURORA. The Norwegian singer-songwriter, who became an official War Child Music Ambassador last year and is, by the charity’s account, an avid gamer, will join the campaign to raise awareness of children living through conflict. AURORA has long used her platform for social and environmental causes; here she lends it to a gaming audience.

In the announcement, Georgia Paton, Gaming Partnerships Lead at War Child UK, frames the partnership as more than a fundraising channel. Describing the charity’s aim to let children “simply be children again”, she is direct about the medium: “Games are a huge part of that.” She points to play used to process trauma and to game-based learning, alongside the money Jingle Jam raises for emergency response, safe spaces, mental health support and education in conflict zones, where War Child counts 520 million children affected by war.

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The most telling piece of the programme is JingleBuild, one of three Creator Challenges fundraisers can take on during the event. It borrows its premise from War Child’s work in Ukraine, where the charity has turned bomb shelters into kindergartens, and asks creators to build a safe space on stream. A construction game becomes a statement about what a protected room means to a child; the act of building is the message.

Alongside it, War Child Bingo returns with a card of nine in-game goals, each one tied to a part of the charity’s mission, while Magic: The Gathering players get Untap Love & Hope, backed by Ultra Pro and featuring creator Spice8Rack.

Founded by The Yogscast in 2011, Jingle Jam has raised more than £31 million for causes supporting children and young people. Its 2025 edition brought together over 1,000 creators across two weeks and raised more than £3.5 million for eight charity partners, the second-best result in its history.

This year’s fortnight opens on December 1 at 5pm UK time with the traditional Jingle Cats stream featuring Lewis and Simon of The Yogscast. On December 3, War Child teams up with the Future Games Show for an evening livestream presented by Rosie Caddick and Ash Millman, and on December 5 Minecraft creator Tubbo will host and produce a live event for 1,000 people in Brighton, with details due on November 1. DHL is backing the campaign with a £20,000 match fund, and the 2026 Jingle Jam Games Collection is available for a one-off donation of £35 or more. War Child has also teased a Mario Kart activation, with more still to be announced.

War Child likes to say it stays long after the cameras have gone. Jingle Jam asks something similar of its audience: keep watching, keep building, and let a fortnight of play pay for rooms where children get to play again.

Tags: AURORA, charity livestreams, Future Games Show, Jingle Jam, The Yogscast, Tubbo

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