The 12 months project "WWWith.E+Games.welCOMe/Inclusion" comes from youths for youths. All partners' youth workers and Boards (from Cyprus, Armenia, Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia, Ukraine) encouraged our youths to implement it because they saw positive impact. This project represented and reflected the ideas and wish of our partnership's young people/members about the importance of games as a way to social inclusion. In other words all who were involved in this project shared the following ideas:
(a)Games are considered a way to express yourself, to get out of your comfort zone and invite others to know you better.
(b)Through games you discover your potentials and abilities and develop skills and competences (such as social, initiative, languages, L2L, digital/technology. mathematical, creativity)
(c)Through games people have great chances to start developing tolerance-acceptance and finally to understand diversity being inclusive
(d) Games teach people to develop self control and understand limits (in behavior for example)
(e) and last but not least, through games we develop fair play and moral reasoning.
Based on the above we considered and we managed with this project to contribute at:
(a) reducing acts of xenophobia and marginalization (which result from immigration, refugees, financial workers etc) locally and internationally
(b) supporting our youths with fewer opportunities (social, economical, health, geographical) to broaden their horizons, open friendship and partnerships and develop their competences.
(c) promoting opportunities for international mobilities under E+ to our youths who were not familiar with such programmes. They got aware about how these programmes can support their interests (ex games) and increase intercultural learning and social inclusion.
The participants for this project Activity were 30 youths and 6 leaders from partners. There were 29/36 who faced fewer opportunities. We supported their participation because we aimed on inclusion through Games, therefore young people with social, economical, health and geographical problems have maximum priority.
This project was connected to E+ programme because:
-it addressed the needs of youths, it derived from youths
-it aimed on suggesting solutions through multiple activities designed in interactive way in well organized multicultural environment
-it improved the level of key competences and skills of young people mainly those with fewer opportunities and promoted intercultural dialogue, social inclusion and solidarity.
The activities of the YE were designed based on NFL and included learning by sharing of experiences and practices, games (traditional, board, non formal and if possible floor games) and modification of games with orientation to Social Inclusion, reflection and debriefing of sessions, guest/expert input on social inclusion/intercultural dialogue with activities along with youths irrespective their origin. Also we had ongoing collaborative sessions for creating common partnership final products (booklet, video, photoalbum, website, banner, non formal games, inclusive sport games), intercultural evening, teamwork (orientation, teambuilding, treasure hunt), activities with pupils, parents and teachers in Elementary school), and recreational time together (movie time, evening games, dance etc).
Objectives: for the 36 youths
1. To increase awareness on how E+, y.e programme can support social inclusion
2. To explore and understand how games (traditional, board, Non formal) can be used as tools for youth empowerment and intercultural learning
3. To provide space, motivate and encourage them for discussion and sharing of best practices through NFL
4. To develop further their self control and understanding of diversity through interactive learning and games
5. To create tangible and intangible results directly from youths for the youths irrespective their background (religion, social, financial and educational level)
6. To help participants (youths and leaders) to develop their competences and be certified with a youthpass (initiative, creativity, social, intercultural, languages)
7. To enhance visibility and power of NFL and E+ programmes.
The impact on participants:
We noticed that participants appreciate more diversity and started working with people in intercultural settings. Also the youths with fewer opportunities understood their opportunities in E+ programme. They also developed their competence on social skills, managing, creativity and languages.
The impact for participating organizations is that they reformed and improved their policy and practice on how to develop intercultural learning. Moreover, they prepared more projects under E+ and opened cooperation with local communities.
Moreover, local communities and schools developed more actions in favor of intercultural learning. Other NGOs abroad invited partners to work with them and share examples how this project can support them as well.