Program: Erasmus+, KA210-YOU – Small-scale partnerships in youth (KA210-YOU)
Project leader: Active Cypriot Programs and European Learning Into Acceptance, ACPELIA – Cyprus
Duration: September 2025 – February 2027
Partners:
- Poland – Association Reflections on Europe
- Romania – Asociatia HESSA
Project Summary:
The GAMECHANGE project focuses on the use of board games as an innovative tool for non-formal education in youth work. Its aim is to increase the involvement of young people, especially those with fewer opportunities, in social and civic life through gamification-based methods. The project is being implemented in cooperation with organizations from Cyprus, Poland, and Romania and involves the creation, testing, and dissemination of inclusive educational tools for youth workers.
Project goals:
– Strengthening the competence of youth workers in the use of gamification in non-formal education
– Increasing young people’s involvement in active citizenship, cooperation, and social activities
– Promoting social inclusion and equal access to education for disadvantaged young people
– Developing innovative and accessible educational tools based on board games
– Strengthening international cooperation and the exchange of good practices in youth work
Main activities:
- Project launch meeting in Poland
- Conducting preliminary research in three countries (surveys, interviews, analysis of good practices) on the needs of young people and the use of board games in non-formal education
- International training in Cyprus for youth workers on the design of inclusive board games
- Conducting local workshops and test sessions with young people in each partner country to improve the board game
- Development and publication of a methodological booklet containing the research results, a description of the board game, and tools for its use in youth work
- Evaluation meeting in Cyprus dedicated to analyzing the results and planning the further use of the project’s outcomes
1. Kick-off meeting in Poland
On October 3–5, 2025, the first meeting of partners of our new project “GAMECHANGE,” implemented as part of the Erasmus+ program, took place in Kielce.
Representatives of organizations from Poland, Cyprus, and Romania met to plan joint activities:
– creating a board game that will introduce young people to the values of democracy and civic engagement in an interesting and interactive way,
– preparing research and focus groups in local communities,
– organizing international training courses,
– sharing experiences and good practices.
We ended the meeting with a walk around Kielce, getting to know the local context better, which will inspire our activities. These were three intense and extremely fruitful days – full of ideas, cooperation, and positive energy!
