The aim of the project DemoPlayer Within Reach (DemoHráč na dosah) was to expand and innovate the DemoPlayer methodology, which develops young people’s democratic competences through experiential education and live-action role play (LARP). The project sought to make the methodology an easily usable, accessible, and transferable tool for various types of organisations and schools in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The main objectives of the project were to: equip youth workers and educators with the skills needed to independently lead the programme; create a video methodology and a web platform to facilitate easy use and sharing of materials; adapt and test the methodology for different time and organisational formats; strengthen cooperation between Czech and Slovak organisations and prepare the methodology for wider scaling; enable as many young people as possible to actively develop their civic engagement and democratic values. The project thus aimed not only to transfer knowledge but also to foster a lasting change in the approach to democratic education.
The project DemoPlayer Within Reach (DemoHráč na dosah) responded to the need to develop young people’s democratic competences in an accessible and engaging way. It built on the successful DemoPlayer methodology based on experiential education and live-action role play (LARP), which was further innovated and adapted for different types of organisations and schools. The original two-day residential training format proved unsuitable for all settings, so the project developed new tools: a video methodology helping youth workers overcome fears of implementation, a web platform for sharing materials and experiences, and shortened programme versions tailored for schools with limited time. The project thus addressed three key needs – accessibility and inclusion, support and confidence for facilitators, and sustainability and dissemination. As a result, it delivered an innovative and long-term applicable model for civic and democratic education.