Training Course:
Games Laboratory for Youth Workers Vol. 2
Games Laboratory for Youth Workers Vol. 2
Title: Games Laboratory for Youth Workers Vol. 2
Project type: Youth Workers Mobility by Erasmus+
Project Dates: 21.02.2026 - 01.03.2026
Location: Narva, Estonia
Project type: Youth Workers Mobility by Erasmus+
Project Dates: 21.02.2026 - 01.03.2026
Location: Narva, Estonia
From 21 February to 1 March, IZUM Youth Club organised the international training course “Games Laboratory for Youth Workers Vol. 2” in Narva, Estonia. The project was co-funded by the European Union and brought together youth workers interested in using games as meaningful tools in non-formal education.
About the Project
The training course continued the idea of the previous Games Laboratory edition, where participants explored the concept of “learning by playing”. This time, the programme focused more deeply on role-play games, simulations, quests and escape boxes.
The aim was to help youth workers understand how games can be used not only for fun, but also for learning, reflection, cooperation and personal development.
The aim was to help youth workers understand how games can be used not only for fun, but also for learning, reflection, cooperation and personal development.
What Happened During the Training
During the programme, participants tried out different types of experiential games, including team-building activities, simulation games, board games, outdoor quests, role-play elements and escape-room style challenges.
They also took part in practical workshops where they analysed how games are built: how they begin, how the story develops, how participants are guided, and how the learning process is evaluated afterwards.
Games Laboratory in Action
One of the key parts of the project was the Games Laboratory, where participants worked hands-on with different game formats. They tested ideas, developed small prototypes and explored how educational games can be adapted for youth work.
The participants also had the opportunity to create and implement their own educational escape or quest activities with local young people or community members.
The participants also had the opportunity to create and implement their own educational escape or quest activities with local young people or community members.
Learning and Reflection
Reflection was an important part of the training. Participants used learning diaries, group discussions and YouthPass-based self-assessment to better understand what they had learned and how these competences could be useful in their work.
This helped them connect the practical experience of playing and designing games with broader learning outcomes, such as creativity, communication, teamwork, empathy and problem-solving.
This helped them connect the practical experience of playing and designing games with broader learning outcomes, such as creativity, communication, teamwork, empathy and problem-solving.
Why Game-Based Learning Matters
The project showed that games can be a powerful educational method. Through role-play, simulation and immersive challenges, young people can experience different perspectives, explore social topics, practise cooperation and engage more deeply in the learning process.
For youth workers, the training offered practical tools and inspiration for creating activities that are interactive, inclusive and meaningful.
For youth workers, the training offered practical tools and inspiration for creating activities that are interactive, inclusive and meaningful.
Participant opinion
“Honestly, this is the kind of project that leaves no one indifferent. For me, the experience was both emotionally impactful and professionally meaningful. The theories and methodologies we explored were not only useful but also highly relevant to contemporary youth work.
What I found especially valuable was the use of non-formal learning principles, which support personal development, self-expression, and social skills. The atmosphere of the project encouraged me to gradually immerse myself deeper into the topic — not just intellectually, but through real experience. I had the opportunity to step into different roles and aspects of youth work that I had never explored before, which made the learning process truly engaging and transformative.
I also believe that Narva was a very meaningful choice of location. The city offers a unique cultural and social environment where diversity and different identities can be experienced in a very tangible way. This context added depth to the project and helped bridge theory with real-life practice.
Overall, this project was an inspiring and enriching experience that reinforced my understanding of how important high-quality, reflective youth work is for supporting the holistic development of young people.”
Korinna from Estonia
What I found especially valuable was the use of non-formal learning principles, which support personal development, self-expression, and social skills. The atmosphere of the project encouraged me to gradually immerse myself deeper into the topic — not just intellectually, but through real experience. I had the opportunity to step into different roles and aspects of youth work that I had never explored before, which made the learning process truly engaging and transformative.
I also believe that Narva was a very meaningful choice of location. The city offers a unique cultural and social environment where diversity and different identities can be experienced in a very tangible way. This context added depth to the project and helped bridge theory with real-life practice.
Overall, this project was an inspiring and enriching experience that reinforced my understanding of how important high-quality, reflective youth work is for supporting the holistic development of young people.”
Korinna from Estonia
Disseminations
Latvian Team
Participants: Ilja Puskarjovs, Romans Puskarjovs
Meeting with: Youth workers in Riga working with young people in educational, social, and non-formal learning settings.
Number of participants: 9 people
Participants: Ilja Puskarjovs, Romans Puskarjovs
Meeting with: Youth workers in Riga working with young people in educational, social, and non-formal learning settings.
Number of participants: 9 people
Content of the Meeting
The meeting introduced simulation as a learning method and showed how it can be used in youth work. Participants explored how simulation differs from traditional learning formats and how immersive activities can support emotional engagement, empathy, and deeper understanding.
The session included practical exercises, games, sensory restrictions, and role-based scenarios. These activities helped participants experience simulation directly and see how it can be adapted for work with young people.
Reflections
Participants were actively engaged throughout the session and showed strong interest in using simulation methods in their own work. They discussed how to structure simulations, balance realism and safety, and adapt activities for different target groups.
Overall, the meeting gave participants a clearer understanding of simulation-based learning, practical examples, and ideas for creating their own activities. The session showed strong potential for further use of simulation in youth work.
The meeting introduced simulation as a learning method and showed how it can be used in youth work. Participants explored how simulation differs from traditional learning formats and how immersive activities can support emotional engagement, empathy, and deeper understanding.
The session included practical exercises, games, sensory restrictions, and role-based scenarios. These activities helped participants experience simulation directly and see how it can be adapted for work with young people.
Reflections
Participants were actively engaged throughout the session and showed strong interest in using simulation methods in their own work. They discussed how to structure simulations, balance realism and safety, and adapt activities for different target groups.
Overall, the meeting gave participants a clearer understanding of simulation-based learning, practical examples, and ideas for creating their own activities. The session showed strong potential for further use of simulation in youth work.
Finnish team
Participants: Elizaveta Borodina, Ekaterina Stroeva
Participants: Elizaveta Borodina, Ekaterina Stroeva
Polish Team
Participants: Magdalena Marcinkowska, Ksenia Iwanowska
Meeting with: Bydgoszcz student community room, with students from medical fields that are working with all kinds of age groups
Number of participants: 20 people
Participants: Magdalena Marcinkowska, Ksenia Iwanowska
Meeting with: Bydgoszcz student community room, with students from medical fields that are working with all kinds of age groups
Number of participants: 20 people
Content of the Meeting
As a participant of a training course in Narva, Estonia focused on gamification in youth work, I organized a local meeting in Bydgoszcz, Poland for youth workers and community activists. During the session, I introduced the Erasmus+ programme and shared practical gamification methods that can be applied in youth work. The meeting aimed to inspire participants to use more engaging, interactive approaches in their daily work with young people and to encourage them to explore international opportunities.
As a participant of a training course in Narva, Estonia focused on gamification in youth work, I organized a local meeting in Bydgoszcz, Poland for youth workers and community activists. During the session, I introduced the Erasmus+ programme and shared practical gamification methods that can be applied in youth work. The meeting aimed to inspire participants to use more engaging, interactive approaches in their daily work with young people and to encourage them to explore international opportunities.
Greek Team
Participants: Theodora Aligizaki, Anastasia Anagnosti
Participants: Theodora Aligizaki, Anastasia Anagnosti
“Erasmus promises learning opportunities outside the usual boundaries, and this project comes along and proves it in practice. We spent a week full of games and workshops where we analyzed the power of games in the learning process.”
“Things that may seem a bit complicated and foreign become easy when experienced trainers with a lot of passion for their subject explain them step by step. We were the first guinea pigs of the "gamification" methods, and we played the games we created ourselves.”
“Twenty youth workers from all over Europe, swapped stories in the morning over their coffee, explored the city during the afternoons and cried with laughter in the evenings after the workshops when they played increasingly crazy games of memory, timing and cooperation since I didn’t want them to be separated from each other even though they had already spent the whole day together. These experiences are unique and feel like a secret gift from the universe. Rarely in life do things that sound “too good to be true” end up being even better than that.”
Practical booklet
As one of the practical outcomes of the project, participants created a booklet that brings together the methods explored and tested during the training, including simulations, role-plays, quests, escape-box activities, and other game-based learning approaches. The booklet describes each method in a clear and practical way, so it can be taken, adapted, and directly used by youth workers and educators in their own practice. The training itself focused on these methods as tools for non-formal education and hands-on experimentation.
CONTACT
youthclub@izum.ee
MTÜ Noorteklubi Active / NGO Youth Club Active
Reg.nr: 80349001
Organisation ID: E10052686
Võru 11, Tallinn, Estonia
Index: 13612
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