With the project L.U.D.U.S. – Learning and Understanding Democracy Using Solidarity, we aim to actively contribute to strengthening European youth work by introducing game-based learning as a tool for non-formal education. Our goal is to promote a culture of participation, inclusion, and active citizenship. The initiative builds on the over 25 years of experience of La Tana degli Orchi in using games to generate positive social impact and is designed as a response to the concrete needs identified in the local communities of the participating countries. L.U.D.U.S. stems from a shared needs analysis conducted among youth workers and young people in the partner countries — Italy, Slovakia, Spain, France, and Sweden — with particular attention to young people with fewer opportunities. The lack of safe learning spaces, low engagement in civic processes, limited access to creative methods, and underdeveloped soft skills were highlighted as key challenges hindering youth participation and personal growth. The main objectives of the project are: -To promote social inclusion and active youth participation by offering an accessible, collaborative, and stimulating learning environment where each participant feels valued and empowered; -To foster intercultural dialogue and European solidarity through an immersive exchange experience that encourages mutual understanding, challenges stereotypes, and builds relationships based on respect and empathy; -To develop key soft skills essential for personal and professional development, such as communication, collaboration, leadership, critical thinking, and emotional intelligence; -To stimulate creativity and youth initiative, involving participants in the co-design of educational games addressing relevant social issues (e.g., inclusion, sustainability, democracy, human rights); -To promote the use of game-based methods in youth work, showcasing how structured games can serve as powerful tools for non-formal education, civic engagement, and social inclusion; -To strengthen transnational cooperation in the youth sector, encouraging knowledge sharing and the development of sustainable, replicable tools among the partner organizations. The project includes a one-week international youth exchange hosted at Il Convento in Celleno (Viterbo, Italy), a welcoming and inspiring venue. Young people will engage in a fully gamified educational journey, featuring non-formal learning activities such as collaborative games, simulation exercises, creative workshops, and daily reflection. Throughout the project, participants will actively contribute to the creation of the LUDUS BOX, a collection of educational games and learning materials to be shared and reused by other youth organizations locally and across Europe. From the perspective of youth work, L.U.D.U.S. aims to serve as a replicable model, demonstrating the potential of game-based learning to foster inclusion, engagement, and active learning. By using cooperative, inclusive, and creative methodologies, the project empowers young people as agents of social change, supporting their development as confident, competent, and active European citizens.