Awero team
Codesigning learning with young people in Cyprus
24 сент., 11:51
“We were trying to find ways to engage young people and keep them active. Through a KA2 Erasmus+ project, we created outdoor escape games during lockdown. That’s how we first got to know Cities of Learning.”
Irene Andreou is PlanBe’s project manager, and along with her team in Cyprus, the COVID-19 pandemic led to a powerful new way of working with young people.
And what started as a creative response to the crisis has now evolved into a more structured and sustainable approach to recognising non-formal learning, putting young people at the centre of the process.
Codesigning playlists for success
Using Cities of Learning and Open Badges, Irene and the team have created a range of different playlists, involving young people from the very start.
During PlanBe’s Building Democracy project, young people were invited to explore EU rights and values including democracy, equality and education, and codesigned the playlists for the project.
“We created a playlist with young people about different rights. We included videos, reflective questions, and quizzes. It was very interactive and they helped design it.”
The process started by letting young people try example playlists to understand the structure, before inviting them to design their own in teams.
“It was very exciting to see the different types of activities they created,” Irene says. “Some used more articles, some embedded videos, others made real-life scenarios. Each team brought their own interests.”
Irene also believes that the versatility of the Cities of Learning platform means activity organisers don’t need to be limited in their ambitions.
“Be open-minded. Don’t put boundaries on what an activity might be,” she explains. “The platform is very flexible, so just like designing a non-formal activity in a physical setting, you can do the same digitally.”
Inclusion and motivation
PlanBe works with diverse groups of young people, many from rural areas, or with varying levels of digital skills. But despite this challenge, Irene finds that building teams with varied skills enables everyone to take part.
“Some youth are not digital experts, or they don’t have internet access. So we put them in teams, introduce them to the platform, and they help each other. It works really well.”
Even for her as a facilitator, there was a learning curve at first.
“At the beginning, I found it a bit challenging to navigate. But it didn’t take long, because the platform is very easy and user-friendly.”
One of the most popular activities they run is a quest called Mission Impossible, used during youth exchanges in rural villages to help participants bond, explore the area, and interact with locals. And Irene believes that using Open Badges as part of gamified activities can also be successful.
“[The young people] want to finish the game fast so they can be winners,” she laughs. “The competition really helps with motivation… they want to get their badge.”
A network of support
PlanBe isn’t working in isolation, regulating engaging with the Cities of Learning Network. And this international connection is one which Irene believes inspires her to use the platform in new ways.
“We have meetings with other regions, and it’s very interesting to see how others are using the platform in their own ways,” she explains. “Every time I have a problem, they’re immediately there too.”
“We’ve had great support from Cities of Learning from the beginning, and that’s been very helpful.”
Badge curiosity
As Irene and the team at PlanBe continue to use the platform in new ways and with different groups of young people, the most exciting part is often still seeing how young people respond.
“They didn’t know something like this existed. They get really curious, and they want to try it,” Irene says with a smile.
That curiosity, coupled with the process of codesigning playlists with young people, is helping to make Open Badges a fundamental part of how PlanBe recognise learning outside the classroom in Cyprus.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
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