With the further development of the serious game, a tool has been expanded that raises awareness of the SDGs among users and inspires and encourages children to take action for a sustainable future. This can be done both on an individual level and on a larger social scale. The experience of recent years in the school lab has shown that gamification elements are a very effective didactic method of imparting specialised knowledge to young people. The further development of the existing serious game therefore appeared to be a promising way of increasing the willingness of the focussed target group to take action with regard to socially and environmentally relevant topics. Another aim is to help children overcome the fear of climate change that is omnipresent in the media by conveying positive stories and solutions. Multilingualism and configuration options in relation to the selected country in the game create global awareness by immersing players in different countries. Furthermore, the project results should support teachers in introducing sustainable topics in schools.
Experience shows that pupils only come into contact with topics related to sustainability, climate change and renewable energies at a later age. Therefore, the main reason for the project application was the further development of the serious game “Migratory Birds”, which introduces young people aged 8-12 to current socially and politically relevant topics based on the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in an entertaining and playful way. Complex issues such as climate change can be communicated and understood in a low-threshold way through gamification approaches. A game has been developed around additional important topics with a direct link to the SDGs and helpful features such as a quiz editor. This provides teachers and parents with a target group-oriented tool to bring children into contact with sustainable topics. The game has also been translated from French into English and German to ensure the widest possible reach within the European Union and beyond. Dissemination of the project results to potential stakeholders is ensured through the existing contacts and channels of the partner institutions as well as through the Education for Climate platform.