Play & Resolve: Gamified Solutions for Peacebuilding

Conflict and societal divisions continue to pose challenges to communities across Europe, affecting young people disproportionately. Youth workers, as key figures in fostering peace and cohesion, need innovative tools to address these challenges effectively. Traditional methods of peace education often fail to engage young people, especially in a rapidly changing digital and interactive era.

This project, “Play & Resolve: Gamified Solutions for Peacebuilding,” leverages gamification as a powerful, non-formal education tool to foster peacebuilding and conflict resolution. Escape rooms and board games provide immersive, hands-on experiences that promote teamwork, critical thinking, empathy, and dialogue, all of which are essential for conflict transformation.

According to a 2023 report by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights, 68% of youth in Europe experience conflict or discrimination within their social environments, highlighting the urgent need for innovative and engaging peace education tools. Similarly, UNESCO data reveals that non-formal education, particularly gamified approaches, improves information retention rates by up to 60% compared to traditional methods. This project aims to address these challenges by equipping youth workers with cutting-edge methodologies that resonate with young people.

Escape rooms and board games have proven to be effective educational tools.

This innovative approach is aligned with the goals of the Erasmus+ program to promote social inclusion, tolerance, and active citizenship. The project will bring together youth workers and leaders from diverse backgrounds to co-create solutions, fostering a European network of professionals dedicated to peace education through gamification.

Aims:

• To empower youth workers with innovative tools for addressing conflict transformation and peacebuilding.
• To foster a culture of collaboration and dialogue through interactive and immersive learning experiences.
• To strengthen partnerships between organizations across Europe to enhance the dissemination of best practices in peace education.

Objectives:

• Train 30 youth workers from partner organizations in designing and implementing escape rooms and board games as educational tools for peacebuilding.
• Facilitate the exchange of good practices in non-formal education and conflict resolution methodologies.
• Develop a toolkit for youth workers on integrating escape rooms and board games into peace education programs.
• Enhance intercultural understanding and cooperation among participants to address conflict transformation at a local, national, and international level.