Game of Challenges

Context “Game of Challenges” is a Training Course aiming at cultivating and communicating shared methods and approaches of partner organizations regarding three wide topics: crisis, community and learning. The course will be organized in Epirus, in the remote village of Skoulikaria. The project duration is 8 days and will involve 30 participants from 4 EU countries representing 7 organizations; Greece (2 organizations/14 participants); Italy (3 organizations/9 participants); Estonia (1 organization / 3 participants); Sweden (1 organization / 3 participants) Topics All project activities will be connected with a thread, a motif that is going to be consistently highlighted. This will be the process of challenging certainties regarding three key issues: crisis, community, learning. All three topics are considered closely connected and particularly relevant to the process of social change. The three subjects will be analyzed on different levels (local, national, European, global). Thereafter, their interconnections to other contemporary challenges of Europe will be discussed such as: the (lack of) common European sense of belonging, social inclusion, participation and mobilization, the personal and collective capacity of dealing with difficulties and crises. Needs In order for Europe to overcome the current crisis united, it is essential that a series of conceptual, social, institutional and educational issues are highlighted and addressed both at personal level and collectively. Among those, the “Game of Challenges” will focus on: mutual understanding and lifting stereotypes, raising awareness about available channels of action in the EU and fostering dialogue on quality learning. Aims • To cultivate the participants’ ability to confront and utilize the conditions of the crisis on all levels and to extract new and innovative ideas and tools on the opportunities offered by the crisis; • To strengthen the European sense of belonging and to spread the European ideal through the promotional actions of the course; • To set off of social participation as an entertaining and fruitful activity and to mobilize the youths on a local, national and European level; • To synthesize formal and non-formal education in the quest for high quality learning; Methodology The “Game of Challenges” will communicate complex challenges related to the three key topics in an attractive way through non-formal learning. • Experiential learning activities; the facilitators will create an adventure that will take place on a natural setting. • Workshop & Debate – The main tool that will be used is the Socratic method • Learning through theatre – Each team will re-enact a (central) European institution and the decision-making process • Role-play - Two teams. The first one will play a group of radical nationalists defending their ideology and the second will role-play the citizens • Council of Stories – The participants will share stories based on an object they have connected with a personal crisis Organizations’ Expo The participants using means that they have brought from their home countries will present their associations and work to local associations and vice versa. The expo will be open to the local public.