EduPlay – education through play Erasmus Project

Project Title

EduPlay – education through play

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Partnerships for Creativity

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2020

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Creativity and culture; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; Youth (Participation, Youth Work, Youth Policy)

Project Summary

The project “EduPlay” aims to raise the quality of youth work (YW) and NFE through the learning of the creative process of EDUCATIONAL GAMES (EG) development and gamification of YW processes, and digitalisation of games for online use.

The project idea was born from the need to equip YWs and educators with the skills of using games as an educational tool, game design, gamification and games digitalisation in order to foster efficient and engaging education. Project help social/educational organisations to learn how to use games in their youth/learning work, and create EG based on this needs for children and young people in order to empower YW and NFE process, bring leaning on a new level of development, and to increase inclusiveness and reach wider audience with digital/online games.

Target groups (TG):
– youth workers (youth workers, youth leaders, community workers, social/NGO activists working with youth) and educators (non-formal educators, trainers, facilitators, pedagogues and teachers working with additional and vocational education) working with youth groups.
– youth age 13+ – the ultimate TG will be involved in testing the outputs, and will be the final beneficiary of project results.

Objectives:
– To discover specifics of games, gamification, toys, and play, their purposes, and differences
– To discuss what makes games and gamification process educational
– To increase awareness and importance of using games and gamification in the learning process
– To learn how to use games in education and how to create an educational and digital game
– To create EG for social and educational purposes.
– To create instruments for independent work on creating own EG

“Games are the most elevated form of investigation” Albert Einstein. We agree that games are one of the most inspiring, engaging, driving forces of creativity, learning and development. Johan Huizinga in his book «Homo ludens» proves that play is an indispensable part not only of culture and society but also of human nature as such. Animals started to play before humans did and this is a pure form of improvisational fun not constrained by any rules or regulations. The Games, on the other hand, is a more complex, structured and «programmed» form of play that has got enormous power over humans due to playfulness in its foundation. Nowadays, games are one of the main pastimes of people. Games field grows and develops fast and diverse.
2020 brought us a situation of COVID-19 confinement and youth workers and educators face a new reality when their work transfers to on-line. It leads to a number of challenges in YW and NFE, like: lack of digital competences both of youth and YWs, lack of motivation, lack of instruments, methods, flexibility and diversity in online learning.
EG are one of the universal instruments successfully working in digital and physical forms can react to those challenges. Digitalisation of educational games, gamification and playful design support YWs and educators with new tools and methods, and provide option to create own games for relevant needs, topics and target groups. Digital games are accessible and easy to use. Games are one of the most efficient tools for inspiration, motivation and youth empowerment. They can be used as part of the hybrid learning poses, flexible and adjustable. Finally games are one of the best instruments to inspire creativity, imagination and thinking out of the box.

The project will be done in the partnership of 5 organizations.
Project structure includes:
– 2 Learning Activities (C1 training course, C2 evaluation seminar)
– 3 Transnational Project Meetings (M1 Opening Kick-off meeting, M2 Progress working meeting, M3 Evaluation of the project Meeting)
– Testing phase
– Online course on game development for participants
– 3 Intellectual Outputs (O1 Educational games set, O2 On-line course on educational game, O3 Digitalised game)
– 5 Multiplier Events (E1 Final international conference, E2-5 Dissemination of results local presentations/roundtables/workshops)

Expected results:
20 YOUTH WORKERS who participated in the project learns about how to use games in the educational process and develop own educational games. Share gained knowledge with their colleagues and other youth workers.
Develop at least 5 EDUCATIONAL GAMES based on local social, youth and educational needs for children and young people (age13+).
Create an ONLINE COURSE of the creation of educational games for all youth workers and public open use.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 129034 Eur

Project Coordinator

Centrum financni gramotnosti & Country: CZ

Project Partners

• Culture Clash4U
• Fundacja Innowacyjnej Edukacji
• TEGYUNK EGYUTT AZ IFJUSAGERT ALAPITVANY
• Mensch-Raum-Land e.V.