Our main goal was to build a transnational cooperation that would provide YWs and organisations with a practical and innovative tool to address environmental topics through gamification. Specifically, we aimed to: 1. Enhance the pedagogical and digital competences of YWs; 2. Develop a non-violent, solarpunk-themed RPG system and campaign to work on sustainability and soft skills; 3. Create high-quality, multilingual educational resources for both physical and digital contexts; 4. Promote environmentally sustainable practices among young people; 5. Contribute to the implementation of the EU Youth Strategy and the UN SDGs; 6. Strengthen the synergy between partner organisations through shared design and implementation; 7. Empower learners to become active participants in climate action and environmental awareness; 8. Support capacity-building in each partner organisation through their first KA2 Small-Scale Partnership experience.
The decision of presenting the SolaRPG project was born from an intention of responding to a need expressed by youth workers (YWs) across Europe for innovative and engaging tools to raise awareness among young people on climate change, sustainability, and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Many youth organisations lack dynamic, gamified tools that could both educate and foster soft skills such as empathy, teamwork, and critical thinking. Our consortium, already experienced in non-formal learning (NFL) and role-playing methods, recognised the potential of RPGs to meet this demand. Survey responses from 34 YWs confirmed a strong interest in exploring RPGs for educational use. Another important need we aimed to address was the growing climate doomerism felt by younger generations. Through the solarpunk genre, we wanted to introduce optimistic narratives and foster the belief that a sustainable future is possible. Additionally, the increasing relevance of digital tools in youth work pointed to the need for adaptable formats that could function both online and offline. This project sought to bridge these gaps while connecting youth organisations in Germany, Italy, and Spain.