ERASMUS+, Key action 1: training course
Venue: Puente Genil, Spain
Dates: 5—12 March 2024
Czech team: 4 participants
Please read the info-pack.
Hosting organisation: Europa 2020
Project report:
Educational Virtual Escape Rooms Generator training course, held in the picturesque town of Puente Genil, in the middle of the triangle of three bigger cities: Malaga, Seville and Cordoba. The project was a collaboration between the Europa2020 Association and the Youth Delegation of Puente Genil. The course was dedicated to a specialized training programme for workers with youth workers, which focuses on innovative educational methodologies through virtual escape rooms. Participants from Bulgaria, Estonia, Poland, Spain, the Czech Republic, and Serbia. They included youth workers, teachers, programmers, artists and students. Together, we formed several teams, and we worked on them throughout the course.
The “Virtual Educational Escape Room Generator” project aimed to equip participants with the skills to create engaging and educational virtual experiences that promote learning in an interactive and immersive environment. So, in addition to technical skills, we also developed communication skills and creative thinking. Our teams were culturally and linguistically diverse and of different ages. Participants ranged in age from 18 to 50. The first days were devoted to introductory games followed by theoretical introduction, during which we were explained our task – to create an educational game for for young people aged 14 to 30. We made our games in PowerPoint and Actionbound. There was also a workshop during which we learned how to use different tools to develop our escape room. In the last three days, we worked intensively on group work. Although we only had a limited amount of time to create the games themselves, I was pleasantly surprised by how imaginative and fun the games we managed to develop were.
We presented the individual games in our groups, and in the testing phase, we tried to play them one by one. I liked the fact that each work was followed by time for feedback and sharing feelings with other participants. The organizers made sure that we were on the project happy and happy with every idea or comment. They wanted to improve the project, which they are doing continuously. I would like to thank the organizers for their professional and, at the same time, hot human approach, thanks to which I leave the project with a great feeling and full of experience.
The course programme was well distributed, so we had enough time to explore the surroundings besides work. I appreciated the food we got in the dining room near our accommodation. We ate traditional cuisine typical of southern Spain. On the table are croquettes, pasta, roast chicken, and a large selection of local vegetables and fruit. We stayed in rooms with three to four people in a local community centre. Each room had a bathroom and, if lucky, a view of the Puente Genil. Upstairs, there was one big standard room where we met every day to work on the project. Our building was next door to the centre so that we could walk to a restaurant in five minutes, a cafe or bar, or shop at nearby supermarkets and local shops. Overall, I am very happy for this opportunity. In addition to new experiences in the area of education, I made many new friends and experienced the culture of southern Spain. I hope to visit Puente Genil one day for my next project.
Lukáš R.
