Context/background: Migration - and the situation of refugees in particular - is a hot topic in public debates all over Europe. While millions of people are on the move as a result of war, economic deprival, social inequality, climate change and discrimination to look for better opportunities elsewhere, in Europe the hostilities and xenophobia against migrants are rising. As a consortium of dedicated and expertised organisations from different European countries we see the urgent need to inform people about the complexities of the migration process and raise awareness in society about the difficulties migrants and refugees face. Role-play games have proven to be a very effective method in sensitizing people about their prejudices and stereotypes, addressing people’s empathy and provoking reflection and critical thinking. We see the strength of non-formal educational methods and role-play games in particular, but found out that there is no existing role-play game that offers a holistic and accurate picture of the migration process in Europe. For this reason we have decided to join forces and work towards a new and innovative method that embodies the migration process in all its complexities. Objectives: With our consortium we want to develop an attractive and high quality educational toolkit, namely a role-play game called “In the footsteps of a migrant”. The game should fulfill the need for a more comprehensive approach on the topic of migration in the non-formal educational sector. The game should raise awareness on the complex reality of asylum procedures, migration policies, border control, the media circus around it and how this influences public opinion and eventually the law. The game will show the (in)human side of what migration entails, it will be an interactive learning experience in which the unimaginable becomes imaginable. We have chosen for a transcultural cooperation to promote a European perspective and approach to connect the topic of migration to the fields of youth an education on an international level. We believe a transnational approach offers deeper insights to the migration situation as a whole and can contribute to a re-integration of the different political viewpoints and realities into a common European perspective. Number and profile of participants: Our consortium consists of 4 partner organisations from Germany, the Netherlands, Romania and Italy, representing experiences from North, West, South and Eastern Europe. Our development team is formed by 2-3 people per partner that are all experts in the fields of migration and inclusion, youth work and/or education. One of our fundamental aims is to include migrants and their perspectives in this project, of which some are part of our core-team. Our direct target group will be multipliers in the fields of non-formal and formal education that can use the game in their daily work with youth, (young) adults, transnational learners groups etc. Our indirect target group are learners and trainees in (non-)formal adult and youth education that will experience the game as participants. Description of activities & methodology: The main activity of this project is aimed at the intellectual output of an innovative and high quality educational toolkit that brings the migration experience to life. The project will therefore focus mainly on the development, try-out, evaluation and dissemination of the method. The division of the tasks to the different partners has been done according to their fields of expertise. In general the project will consist to a large extend of knowledge and good practice exchange, qualitative and quantitative data research, game-design and development of a new method, try-out phases and dissemination events. The whole project will be guided by a constant quality monitoring and evaluation process. All phases of the project are connected by 8 partner meetings in the respective countries. Results and impact envisaged & long term benefits: The envisaged impact of this project reaches across multiple levels and touches different target groups. The objective we envisage is to make the situation of refugees and migrants in Europe more noticeable and comprehensible and to impart knowledge on topics such as causes of fleeing, escape routes, bureaucratic obstacles, living conditions, legal status, conflict on values etc. The simulation game is a tool to challenge and fight stereotypes, racism, xenophobia and polarization in European societies and to strengthen democratic values, diversity and respect of human rights. Besides the production of a new high quality non-formal method, the project also fosters good practice exchange and cooperation between our partner organisations, strengthens their networks and transcultural skills, extends their teaching skills and knowledge on methods development and empowers their capacities in raising empathy and awareness for migrants and their realities in Europe.
Educational Life Action Role Play games (EduLARP) let learners step into the shoes of others and experience new situations, which could be an effective method in sensitizing people about their prejudices and stereotypes, addressing people’s empathy and provoking reflection and critical thinking. As we did not find an existing role-play game that offers a holistic and accurate picture of the migration process in Europe and as migration & xenophobia became a more and more urgent topic in 2015 and the following years, we decided to join forces and work towards a new and innovative method that embodies the migration process in all its complexities. Objectives: Our consortium developed a modular and multi-dimensional EduLARP called Minosia Labyrinth on the topics migration and inclusion. Minosia Labyrinth is available in five different versions. There is a European version in English, which is focussing on the common procedures, rules and similarities in the migration system and inclusion processes of the involved countries of the European Union. Furthermore there are four additional country versions in the national languages of the partner organisations, which are adapted to the specifics of the migration system and inclusion processes in the countries of the partner organisations. To enable the method to be used as widely as possible, the game is available in a complex and a light edition. The main target-groups of the method are the members of the mainstream society and people that are in work or social related contact with migrants groups. All materials needed to implement Minosia Labyrinth, the handbook; video-tutorials and a promotion video could be found on the project website: www.minosia.eu Number and profile of participants: Our consortium consisted of 4 partner organisations from Germany, the Netherlands, Romania and Italy, representing experiences from North, West, South and Eastern Europe and different perspectives on migration. Our development team was formed by 2-3 people per partner that are all experts in the fields of migration and inclusion, youth work and/or education. The inclusion of migrants and their perspectives in our teams & in the project was one important. Our direct target group were multipliers in the fields of non-formal and formal education that can use the game in their daily work with youth, (young) adults, transnational learners groups etc. Our indirect target group were learners and trainees in (non-)formal adult and youth education that experienced the game as participants. Description of activities & methodology: The main activity of this project aimed at the intellectual output of an innovative and modular station-based EduLARP that brings the migration and social inclusion experience to life. The project focused therefore mainly on the development, try-out, evaluation and dissemination of the educational tool. Tutors were trained to foster the implementation of the EduLARP. According to the fields of expertise, the tasks in the consortium were distributed; a constant quality monitoring and evaluation process ensured guided the project. In general the project consisted to a large extend of knowledge & good practice exchange, qualitative and quantitative data research, game-design and development of a new method, try-out phases, tutor training and dissemination events. 11 partner meetings connected the different phases of the project. Results and impact envisaged & long term benefits: The envisaged impact of this project reached across multiple levels and touched different target groups. The objective was to make the situation of refugees and migrants in Europe more noticeable and comprehensible and to impart knowledge on topics such as causes of fleeing, escape routes, bureaucratic obstacles, living conditions, legal status, conflict on values etc. The EduLARP is a tool to challenge and fight stereotypes, racism, xenophobia and polarization in European societies and to strengthen democratic values, diversity and respect of human rights. Besides the production of a new high quality non-formal method, the project also fostered good practice exchange and cooperation between our partner organisations, strengthened their networks and transcultural skills, extended their teaching skills and knowledge on methods development and empowered their capacities in raising empathy and awareness for migrants and their realities in Europe.