Hybridizing eduLARP- Strengthening Organisations through Live Action Role-Playing as an educative method and how to manage them with digital and offline tools.

<< Background >>The 3 project partners applied because eduLarps offers significant educational, social and personal benefits as an innovative learning method. EduLarps enable- active learning (as opposed to passive acquisition of knowledge), - they enhance the social skills of all participants (cooperation, communication, teamwork, empathy, etc.), - they promote creativity and imagination (immersion in a fictional world)- Personal development: young people can strengthen their self-image and self-confidence and take on responsibility in the game,- Conflict resolution skills and adaptability, which are challenged anew by each game,- A sense of community, tolerance and intercultural sensitivity, as the participants take on new perspectives in each new role,- Education through lively topics (our focus is on the environment and environmental protection)- Fun and motivation.The project aimed to intensively deepen the learning method in the organizations and to qualify each other as well as to involve young people in order to be able to implement educational experiences through eduLarps in their own environment in the future. One focus was on the digitalization or hybridization of the offerings.<< Objectives >>The project partners intended to further develop the quality and innovation of youth work within and outside the organizations. In concrete terms, this meantThe partners qualified in the eduLARP method with a thematic focus on climate change / technical developments. The youth agency built up in-depth practical knowledge and benefited from the expertise of the Waldritter / Nausika. They shared their know-how in project management and (digital) communication. The needs and interests of young people were specifically incorporated. The participation of young people was to be increased through the use of digital tools for concept development and project monitoring. In addition, the digital tools should enable more efficient, decentralized implementation in (future) projects of the partners.The result was the development and publication of a digital guide. It includes 4 specific eduLARP and 2 workshop concepts for hybridization. The guide provides information on the use of eduLARP as an educational method in youth work and contains ready-to-play scenarios and tips on organization.There was great interest in planning a larger, joint eduLARP project.<< Implementation >>After the project kick-off on 12.6.24, the 3 organizations worked on the project milestones. Various online meetings served as a basis.The first step was the development of an eduLarp workshop focusing on technical development + communication. The Waldritter took the lead in planning and implementation in Herten, Germany in December 2024. The youth agency provided additional digital tools. 15 participants learned to understand the theory and pedagogical objectives of edularps and were able to experience them in practice.Building on this, Nausika and youth agency developed the 2nd eduLarp workshop (focus on environmental protection/climate change + dig. tools). The implementation took place in February 2025 in Krakow, Poland. Discussions that started in Germany were deepened and the games matching the project were experienced in person. After the face-to-face meeting, we held 2 digital workshops to learn more about Canva and Gather.town.This was followed by the joint development of the online guide for the use of eduLarp for youth work professionals. After working on the content in English and developing the design, we translated the guide (German and Polish). It is available to download free of charge.<< Results >>In addition to the exchange and joint learning (offline and online), the concrete output is a digital guide that summarizes the results of the collaboration. It contains- basic information on the organization + implementation of edularps- 4 concrete eduLarp concepts: 2 deal with environmental protection/climate change, 2 deal with technical development + communication,- 2 workshop concepts based on the implementation in Herten and Krakow for the hybridization of edularps with ready-to-play scenarios- Information on the use of digital tools in the edularp environment: planning, implementation + follow-up incl. communication- Links + references to (other) edularp networks + projects in the European context.In addition to the project participants from the organizations, experts and young people were involved in the project. They accompanied the project, were involved in the workshops and provided valuable input. The project promoted the further development of overarching skills and new teaching and learning methods. The participants continue to serve as multipliers with regard to the implementation of their own edularp scenarios and the use of digital tools.There are ideas to implement a larger, joint cooperation project.