GamifyEU - Creativity Lab

European elections 2019 are behind us and the young people had their say! 

According to Eurobarometer, we saw that the largest increase in participation in the elections was in under 25 and 25-39 age groups. The high turnout in the 2019 European elections was driven by a surge in participation by young people and the fact that more people believe that their vote counts. 

However, our work is far from done - we are aiming at engaging European citizens to question themselves about the kind of Europe they want in the near future. In order to do so, young people should be the key actors and the first ones to be addressed, as they can be leaders and multipliers in identifying and fostering concrete innovative ways towards a more democratic, equal and inclusive Union. 

Young activists talk about the European Union often. About its rights and wrongs, why it is helpful and how they wish it would be better. It is expected that others also know about the EU, how it works and why it exists, but are people around us really aware of how the EU came to be? What each body does and how they operate? It is important to get to know the EU if we want to advocate for more rights at the European level.

During 2019, we have developed the online platform www.gamifyEU.org in which we are taking you on a journey of discovery through the history, principles, and purpose of the European Union. We will go on a quest to better understand the EU, from its origins all the way into the present and future. Play your way through Europe, learning more and more about the EU. By playing GamifyEU online game, you will learn some fun facts about Europe and test your knowledge about the EU institutions.

Now, we want to challenge both young people and youth workers to discuss, learn about and new forms of engagement of young people online and offline because for young people the digital possibilities are endless and are a natural part of their lives. Many in the youth work sector are starting to recognize this and to respond to this need that young people have. However, despite the steps forward the youth work sector is taking, it is still far behind the formal education and business sectors as a whole and even further behind the ‘needs’ and experiences of the young people we work with.

The digital world has not been so much appealing to youth workers, because it has had elements of individualism and competition which is incompatible with the principles of youth work stands for: equality of opportunity, solidarity, social justice, critical thinking, cooperation and care.

However, having an open mind-set and skills are important and valuable for all youth leaders and youth workers nowadays, to be able to provide holistic support to young people and cope with the online-offline spaces. 

The aim of the creativity lab is to bring together young people, gamers, youth workers, educators to work together on understanding how to use gamification as a tool to provide new digital learning content and develop new gamified concepts and content following the Engage, Connect and Empower concept of the EU Youth Strategy. 

During the Creativity Lab we will be:

Rethinking and creating new gamified content on topics related to the European values, solidarity, social and human rights following the Engage, Connect and Empower concept of the EU Youth Strategy

Learning on how to gamify and digitalise different aspects of youth work 

Developing guidelines on how to use the gamified content online for educational and youth work-related activities 

Reflecting on the dimensions and values of non-formal education, youth work and human rights education and assess the links with gaming 

Analysing diverse non-formal education activities and create proposals for their gamification online 

Sharing examples of good practice that will serve as inspiration for the new gamified content

After the creativity lab, participants are expected to organise workshops/events/gatherings with young people in their local communities and try out the outcomes of the lab. 

Programme of the creativity lab will have the following structure:

What is gamification and how to use it for learning? How to digitalise different aspects of youth work and non-formal education - concepts and practices

What is out there - examples of gamification as a learning tool (experts and speakers)

We can do it - developing concepts for the new games 

Recommendations and guidelines on gamification in education and youth work

The event is funded through Erasmus Plus programme (European Youth Together) and European Youth Foundation.