SUMMARY OF THE PROJECT: Location: Forio, Italy Dates: 17/10/2026 - 26/10/2026 Partners: Greece, Portugal, Slovenia, France, Croatia, Slovakia, Macedonia, Poland, Estonia. Participants: 30 + 2 trainers Target audience: youth workers, youth work volunteers, project managers and staff of organizations dealing with youth Conditions: each partner organization must send 5 participants 18+ y.o. (without age limit) Working language: English Duration of the activity: 10 days of activity (+2 travel days). Financial conditions: The project covers all the costs of accommodation and meals during the days of activity. 100% of the total travel costs according to the Erasmus distance calculator: http://ec.europa.eu/programmes/erasmusplus/ tools/distance_en.htm Methodology: Non-formal education techniques, group activities, and role-play The training "PLAN U: Play to Lead and Normalize the Unexpected" is an Erasmus+ project aimed at youth workers interested in learning and sharing new working methods to support their work in communities. During mobility activities, and particularly during youth exchanges, unforeseen events often occur that challenge youth workers and, consequently, the young people involved. From experience gained over the years and from ongoing discussions with international partners, it has become clear that even the most experienced workers frequently find themselves facing new and unexpected situations. PLAN U aims to transform this vulnerability into a skill, normalizing the unexpected as a natural part of educational work and providing participants with concrete tools to address it. Since the unpredictability of these experiences cannot be eliminated, we analyzed how the quality of the youth worker's reaction and management can make the difference in determining the success or failure of a mobility project. This led to the idea of creating a sort of intensive training center to develop youth workers' resilience, along with problem-solving and critical thinking skills, through the use of games as a non-formal educational tool. A youth worker prepared to face the unexpected is able to strengthen the group's trust, maintain cohesion even in critical moments, and ensure the educational impact of the project. At the same time, strengthening the role of youth workers internationally helps legitimize their role in non-formal education, where adequate recognition often remains lacking. The project involves 30 participants, including youth workers, educators, and trainers, who will work together to co-create an interactive game based on their field experiences. The product will be available both in boxed form and as a role-playing game, and is designed for use in a variety of contexts: both in training newcomers and as a refresher course for experienced workers. Through this creative process, even small, unexpected events, however unique, can become a catalyst for reflection, teamwork, strategic decision-making, and increased individual and collective resilience. Youth workers participating in the project will bring with them the tools and knowledge to maintain educational impact even in times of crisis, engage the group, leverage existing resources, and lead more effectively. The project directly aligns with two of the Erasmus+ Programme priorities: inclusion and diversity, and strengthening youth work. Training youth workers to manage the unexpected means making them more capable of supporting young people with complex backgrounds or vulnerable situations, improving the quality and inclusiveness of educational experiences. Furthermore, strengthening the skills and recognizing the role of youth workers allows for increased active participation among young people, thanks to more prepared, confident, and responsive educators, even in challenging situations.