Green Quest - The Simulation Game
- ERASMUS+ small scale cooperation partnership -
- 01 October 2024 to 30 September 2025 -
GENESIS OF THE PROJECT:
The Green Quest – The Simulation Game project aims to reconnect youth with sustainable actions by providing a peaceful and meaningful pathway to be part of the solution through discussions and conversations that stimulate their creativity and critical thinking. It seeks to harness their intrinsic motivation for action, enhance their understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and empower them to translate these global goals into tangible, local realities. Through experiential learning and role-play, the project nurtures a deeper awareness of the complexities and trade-offs in sustainability initiatives, moving beyond idealism to foster balanced and realistic approaches. By equipping young people with the tools to critically assess environmental projects and collaborate with stakeholders holding diverse perspectives, Green Quest transforms participants into informed changemakers. These youth will be capable of engaging meaningfully in the social, economic, and environmental dimensions of sustainability while strengthening their sense of inclusion in societal conversations that directly impact their future.
OBJECTIVES OF THE PROJECT:
- To develop transversal competences among young people across a broad range of sustainability-relevant topics, with a focus on cultivating green skills, systems thinking, and sustainable action strategies.
- To create future-oriented, innovative educational tools—including an immersive simulation game and a facilitator’s manual—that respond to the learning preferences and needs of today’s youth and youth workers.
-To empower young individuals as agents of change, equipping them with the mindset and skills needed to lead local sustainability initiatives and adopt environmentally responsible behaviours, such as reducing energy use and waste, making conscious mobility and food choices, and compensating for their carbon footprint.
CORE ACTIVITIES:
1. Co-Design and Development of the Simulation Game
- Through a participatory and transnational design process, partners will co-create an innovative role-play simulation game that places youth in the midst of real-world sustainability dilemmas. The game will feature six stakeholder roles—ranging from wind energy developers to environmental activists and local farmers—tasked with negotiating sustainable outcomes. This simulation will include a scoring system, contested issues, and facilitator guidance to ensure high-quality learning.
2. Creation of the Facilitator Methodological Manual
- A comprehensive 25+ page manual will accompany the game, detailing how to prepare, facilitate, and debrief the simulation for groups of 12 to 36 participants. It will offer different levels of complexity and include all necessary background materials, instructions, and sustainability context.
3. Training of Youth Workers
- A 4-day transnational training in Latvia will equip 12 youth workers with the skills, knowledge, and confidence to run the simulation. This includes beta testing, adapting the facilitation method to different youth groups, and integrating the game into wider youth work programs.
4. Local Testing and Piloting
- After the training, youth workers will organize a series of local pilot sessions in both Austria and Latvia. These sessions will engage at least 36 young people in total and serve to test, refine, and validate the game and manual in real-life settings.
THE TARGET GROUPs:
1. Youth Workers:
- Youth workers are the cornerstone of the Green Quest initiative. As facilitators and educators, they play a central role in guiding young people through experiential learning processes focused on sustainability. They will be trained to use the Green Quest simulation game and accompanying Facilitator Manual to create interactive, thought-provoking learning environments. These resources help them lead structured dialogues, negotiate diverse perspectives, and cultivate critical thinking in youth. Through dedicated training, youth workers will gain enhanced skills in simulation-based education and systems thinking, empowering them to deliver high-impact sustainability workshops. Their involvement in this project expands their professional toolkit in non-formal education and strengthens their ability to foster youth-led change in their local communities.
2. Young People:
- Young people are the primary beneficiaries of the project. Green Quest engages them in a hands-on, simulation-based learning experience where they assume the roles of diverse stakeholders in a mock sustainability negotiation. This immersive format promotes transversal competences, such as green skills, strategic thinking, and consensus-building. By working through real-world sustainability dilemmas, young participants deepen their understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and develop the capacity to take informed action in their own communities. The project fosters critical awareness, initiative, and a sense of ownership over climate-related challenges, preparing youth to become active contributors to a more sustainable and just society.
Implementation of the project:
- Mapping good practices that encourage youth to engage in sustainability actions.
- Co-designing a Box of cards on sustainability matters that help to initiate critical discussions on sustainability.
- Conducting training for youth workers on how to use the designed cards.
- Local pilots organised by trained youth workers for young people making practical use of Box of cards.
- Social media campaign to raise public awareness of sustainability
Results of the project::
• Increased sustainability awareness among youth through the integration of sustainability practices into non-formal education activities, helping them better understand the global challenges affecting their future.
• Enhanced sense of responsibility and social inclusion, as young people feel more involved in community-oriented actions and become active participants in shaping solutions to environmental and societal issues.
• Empowerment through youth-led initiatives, providing young people with leadership roles, decision-making opportunities, and platforms to express their concerns, propose solutions, and take real action for sustainability.
• Development of green skills and competences, preparing youth for potential employment opportunities in the growing green economy and contributing to their long-term personal and professional development.
• Strengthened capacities of youth workers, who gain practical experience with innovative educational tools, enhancing their role as facilitators of sustainability education in non-formal learning environments.