In January, we participated in an international training course titled "Game EduQuest: Unlock Learning With Board Games." The organizer was our Croatian partner, the LUMEN organization based in Ludbreg. The main objective of this training course was to explore the creative and engaging world of board games as an innovative tool in non-formal education.

The Heureka Generator Association does not have extensive experience in using board games for educational purposes. Therefore, we were very excited about the opportunity to participate in this training course, which was intended to enhance our toolkit for working with groups. Taking part in this meeting was not straightforward because its dates overlapped with many obligations typical for organizations like ours at the beginning of the year. We traveled to Croatia using rented ground transportation, thereby supporting travel in line with the "green Erasmus+" principle.

The training course was attended by organizations from Croatia, Georgia, Portugal, Bulgaria, Albania, and Sint Maarten. Each of these organizations had different experiences operating in various local communities. This was also very valuable for us because we gained the opportunity to exchange experiences on many levels. What did we learn? Game design principles, one-page game, storytelling in games, NFE Box, THOR, Educational version of Monopoly, Jenga... These are some of the games, ideas, and simulations that we learned about and tested with youth workers, teachers, project coordinators, and volunteers.

We also had the opportunity to showcase Heureka Generator and our local and international activities.

An interesting part of the training course was visiting the city of Čakovec, where we had the chance to see how the CeZaM organization operates on a daily basis. The opportunity to visit such places is always inspiring for us and allows us to compare interesting local community activity spots with similar places in our region.

We are glad that we could participate in this training course, gain new knowledge, skills, and exchange experiences with youth workers from other countries. The experiences gained will be implemented in our upcoming projects.

Throughout this week, we focused on board games as a method of working with youth. This knowledge is so valuable that I will definitely use it in my work as a trainer and as a youth worker.
- Paweł Skoczek

This is my first training course. Previously, I participated in 5 youth exchanges. The biggest difference here is that in youth exchanges, young people exchange experiences among themselves, while here we had a qualified trainer who guided us through the main topic from start to finish. It turned out that through board games, we can really learn a lot and, above all, teach. - Maja Sobótka

Video materials prepared by the HEureka Generator Association: