The project Innovative Digital Education in an Age of Limited Social development (IDEALS) is an innovative approach to immerse secondary school students in discovery learning through games. This is achieved by a series of workshops, learning activities and digital engagement through an online portal described below. The digital aspect of IDEALS, which is the most consistent part of the whole project itself, addresses the actual crisis which is hindering large scale mobilities and intercultural learning. Having the majority of the students involved in the project interacting trough digital platforms compensate for the lack of actual larger scale exchanges, giving a virtual and safe space for such interactions while connecting each reality. The primary focuses of education are creative skills, linguistic skills, international efficacy, digital competence and lifelong learning. Innovating digital learning platforms and modes of cultural exchange within this changing sphere is paramount to the development of young people in Europe. Dragon Legion, the facilitator of this project, is a European network of role-players, using non-formal education techniques in youth work internationally for the last 6 years. IDEALS will take place in a time where the norm of intercultural exchange and mobilities such as this are impeded by the Covid-19 crisis. To address this our ‘embers’ online shared world portal provides a Bi-lingual platform for international students to play and work together online and to share creative content in a participatory, inclusive environment; a simulated shared setting controlled and adapted by our moderators. The goals are to empower students through a creative environment, encourage their creativity, connect the students together in an emotionally stimulating cooperative environment and to begin our process of intercultural exchange and language development that will run throughout and beyond the 20 months of this project. Through these activities the participants experience how their team members from other countries think, act, and make decisions, in a simulated #real world environment# The participants are students and teachers with varied backgrounds, facing geographical, economical, social, physical and psychological disadvantages. All students are within their last 2 years of high school, at this pivotal age and in such an unstable time for education worldwide the transnational skills, digital competences and self efficacy we will cultivate is critical. The schools and teachers involved will widen their network and teaching tool set, providing the foundation of long term partnerships that could lead to many opportunities of exchange in the future. There will be 3 classes involved (roughly 70 students, depending on the actual class numbers) in our digital platforms, requiring no extra funding or mobilities, 36 of which (12 for each school) will participate in learning mobilities. One teacher and one student ambassador from each school along with 2 Dragon Legion youth workers, will work together to facilitate the exchange, allowing for diverse leadership training and skill sharing in the project meetings, learning mobilities, and through the duration of the project. The activities throughout the project include; Project meetings with all the facilitators in the early stages to clarify and build on the aims and tools used during the project, to set learning goals and confirm role division. Workshops to introduce and engage students in our Embers platforms. Motivational events online to continue transnational cooperation. Sessions to stimulate creativity; co-designing characters, adventures, and the game setting that will be played in the main learning activity, teaching RPG and improvisational theatre techniques and developing on the participants creative efficacy. . The main learning activity will be a week long immersive bi-lingual RPG sessions co-designed by the greater group. This will solidify the cumulative effects of the previous months. The students will finally meet in person in a series of 6 bi-lingual exchanges: the basis of these games sessions has been developed to teach linguistic skill, train soft skills and develop on the cultural exchange the students will have been experiencing throughout but also to cultivate a feeling of success, strength in social skills (both international and local) and heroism that boosts the confidence and active engagement of young and disadvantaged learners. In the long run, the project is also a base for future exchanges and cooperations, integrating and empowering youths from these diverse backgrounds, giving students the possibility to experience Europe, not only as a whole of nations, but as a whole of people, each with its own culture and background. Through these activities the participants experience how their team members from other countries think, act, and make decisions, in a simulated 'real world' environment.
IDEALS took place in a time where the norm of intercultural exchange and mobilities such as this were impeded by the Covid-19 crisis. We wanted to explore new ways of connecting students across borders through innovative digital tools, strengthen their digital skills and give them at least some of the intercultural skills and international connections that face to face exchanges can give them. For us this was a big experiment in which we explored which aspects of direct face to face interaction could be replaced with digital solutions and which aspects were still better served through direct exchanged that required students to travel to each other. We also wanted to grow the experience of international cooperation between the schools and lay a foundation for future cooperation. Last but not least we wanted to use role-playing games to develop essential skills in the students who were involved in the project and give them the opportunity to gain the experience of collaborating on an international level.
The COVID pandemic has made it difficult for schools to give their students international experience, even though most schools see this as an important element of a good education and make a lot of efforts to be active on an international level. In addition we have seen the positive effects that fantasy role-playing games have on young people, especially when it comes to developing social skills. We combined the idea of developing skills through role-playing with the need to explore new digital tools in order to motivate young people to connect with other young people across Europe. The RPG activities in themselves have a huge learning potential, however, so did the learning potential of the design and planning of the activities, allowing the students to implement many skills they have learnt throughout the project to plan and execute the activities in a stimulating new environment. With the face to face meeting at the end we intended to find out if the online activities had prepared our students well for direct interaction which turned out to be the case. Despite all the challenges we faced the project was a big success and helped all organizations learn a lot about helping students connect online and develop essential skills.